Morris v. Tyson

Morris v. Tyson

FarmSTAND (formerly the Food Project at Public Justice) represented a mass action of poultry growers in Western Kentucky who raise poultry for Tyson, the nation’s largest poultry company. Tyson acts as an “integrator,” controlling all of the inputs used by its poultry growers—such as the birds, feed, and medical care—as well as the processing facilities and contracts for sale. Our clients, like all of Tyson’s growers, essentially act as sharecroppers for Tyson, unable to control their own destiny and being paid under an unfair system.

We alleged that both this system and Tyson’s abuse of it violate state law and the federal Packers and Stockyards Act. In particular, we alleged that Tyson possesses anti-competitive power and has used that power to manipulate growers’ outputs and income. This case was settled on confidential terms.