Judge Denies Agri Stats’ Motion to Dismiss Antitrust Lawsuit

MINNEAPOLIS — On May 28, a Minnesota district judge denied Agri Stats Inc.’s motion. to dismiss a lawsuit filed against a data analytics company for allegedly conspiring with major U.S. processors of chicken, pork and turkey.

The U.S. Department of Justice and six states – California, Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah – filed a lawsuit against Agri Stats in September 2023.

The plaintiffs alleged that Agri Stats’ business practices fostered anticompetitive conduct in the meat and poultry sectors.

Agri Stats began offering reporting and comparison services to chicken producers in 1985 and to turkey and pork producers in 2001 and 2007, respectively, according to court documents.

Türkiye and pork producers have withdrawn their subscriptions to Agri Stats reports following the initiation of antitrust proceedings in the Northern District of Illinois. In 2019, Agri Stats stopped publishing turkey and pork reports. The company denied any wrongdoing, citing a lack of subscribers as the reason for discontinuing the reports.

Plaintiffs noted that Agri Stats continued to distribute reports to broiler chicken subscribers.

The plaintiffs wrote that Agri Stats’ reports stifle competition and harm consumers because they are forced to pay higher prices for basic food products.

John R. Tunheim, U.S. District Judge for the District of Minnesota, found that the government’s antitrust claims were sufficient for the case to move forward.

Agri Stats also filed a request to transfer the proceedings to its home state of Indiana or Illinois, which was also denied.