Washington, D.C. — In response to the Department of Justice‘s suit filed today against Agri Stats Inc. today for organizing and managing anticompetitive information exchanges among broiler chicken, pork and turkey processors, the American Economic Liberties Project released the following statement. 

“The DOJ is cracking down on a blatant scheme by Agri Stats to fix prices for chicken, turkey, and pork, inflating prices for 90% of the market,” said Erik Peinert, Research Manager and Editor at the American Economic Liberties Project. “Agri Stats’ practice was so blatant that one pork executive described Agri Stats’ consulting advice to meat processor in four simple words: ‘Just raise your price.’ We’re pleased to see the the DOJ take on these illegal schemes, which increase prices for everyday Americans.” 

As alleged by the Department of Justice, for two decades Agri Stats has used its consulting business to help meat processors share information on prices, costs, output, and even wages. This has allowed meat processors to track their competitors’ actions, preventing any from lowering prices to gain more of the market. Participating processors accounted for more than 90% of broiler chicken sales, 80% of pork sales and 90% of turkey sales in the United States.

Learn more about Economic Liberties here.

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The American Economic Liberties Project works to ensure America’s system of commerce is structured to advance, rather than undermine, economic liberty, fair commerce, and a secure, inclusive democracy. Economic Liberties believes true economic liberty means entrepreneurs and businesses large and small succeed on the merits of their ideas and hard work; commerce empowers consumers, workers, farmers, and engineers instead of subjecting them to discrimination and abuse from financiers and monopolists; foreign trade arrangements support domestic security and democracy; and wealth is broadly distributed to support equitable political power.