R‑CALF USA Antitrust Case Certified as National Class Action Against Top Beef Packers

A federal court certified a class of cattle producers who sold fed cattle directly to the four largest beef packers—Tyson Foods, JBS, Cargill and National Beef—covering sales from June 1 2015 through February 29 2020. The certification names the four original cattle feeders as class representatives and moves the damages portion of the lawsuit forward as a national class‑action.

The suit, filed in early 2019 by R‑CALF USA and four cattle‑feeding members, has been consolidated with related filings into the master docket “In re: Cattle and Beef Antitrust Litigation.” Plaintiffs now include the original Cattle Class, a Feeder Class of lighter‑weight cattle sellers, and downstream direct and indirect beef purchasers, making the case span the entire beef supply chain. The next procedural steps are the filing of summary‑judgment motions before the case proceeds to trial.