Chicken Trial Signals Antitrust Warning to US Protein Industry

A trial in a yearslong case accusing chicken producers of price-fixing sets the stage for a potential boost in antitrust compliance within the protein industry, particularly as the Biden administration focuses on reducing inflation.

Though the case was brought by buyers of chicken broilers, the issues reflect those raised by government enforcers eyeing anticompetitive conduct among food producers. The outcome of the trial that began this week in the buyers’ case against the lone remaining defendant, Sanderson Farms Inc., could prove critical for chicken producers looking to stay off regulators’ radar.

Poultry businesses have a “target on their back,” ...