Tyson Foods Found Liable for Oklahoma Poultry Waste Pollution

Oklahoma won its case alleging that Tyson Foods Inc. and other companies polluted state waterways with poultry litter, after a federal judge ruled that the state proved that each of the defendants contributed substantially to the pollution.

The state sued Tyson Foods and other food processors, poultry breeders, and farms seeking injunctive relief and civil penalties, claiming that the defendants contributed to phosphorus and bacteria in the Illinois River watershed by generating hundreds of thousands of tons of poultry waste and applying it to fields.

After a 2010 trial, the court previously granted judgment to the companies on some but ...