OKLAHOMA CITY — Yesterday, Oklahoma Attorney General Genter Drummond announced that he secured settlements totaling more than $25 million from Tyson Foods and Cargill in the state’s 20-year poultry litter pollution lawsuit. This is a major turning point in one of the most important environmental cases in the state.
“For over two decades, Oklahoma has fought to protect the Illinois River Watershed and the natural resources that sustain our communities,” Drummond said in a statement. “The decision to settle by Tyson and Cargill makes one thing unmistakably clear: corporate accountability is not optional, and protecting Oklahoma’s water can, and must, go hand in hand with a strong poultry and agricultural industry.”
“These settlements provide a path to move forward together, giving certainty for growers, protecting jobs and safeguarding Oklahoma’s waters for future generations,” Drummond added.
This settlement comes almost a month after Drummond reached a settlement with George’s Inc., another one of the defendants in the “State of Oklahoma v. Tyson Foods et al.,” lawsuit.
As per the consent judgements filed, Tyson will pay $19 million for remediation and conservation of the Illinois River Watershed, while Cargill Inc., and Cargill Turkey Production will pay $6.5 million.
Under the settlements both companies will:
- Progressively increase the amount of poultry litter removed from the Illinois River.
- Pay into a fund for a Special Master to monitor compliance and bear all costs associated with litter removal.
- Pay into a fund for remediation of the Illinois River Watershed.
- And voluntarily dismiss their respective appeals of the Dec. 19 judgement.
In exchange, the State of Oklahoma will release all claims against both companies, the Office of the Attorney General said.
Nathan McKay, president of poultry for Tyson, said that this settlement brings the decades-long dispute to an end and allows the company to move forward and focus on its growers and communities.
“Tyson has reached a settlement with the State of Oklahoma to resolve the long-running Illinois River Watershed dispute,” McKay said. “We believe this resolution is in the best interest of our growers and their communities in Northeast Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas.”
“Tyson Foods is fortunate to have been a part of the agricultural community in the region of our entire 90-year history, and we are deeply grateful for the support we have received from our growers, our neighbors, and elected leaders in both states to achieve this resolution,” McKay added. “We are pleased to move forward with our growers in Oklahoma and Arkansas to focus together on our mission of feeding the world like family.”
“Cargill appreciates the engagement of the Oklahoma Attorney General, the State of Oklahoma, and local stakeholders in bringing this matter to a fair and reasonable resolution,” a Cargill spokesperson said. “We look forward to continuing to work and invest in Oklahoma.”
The original lawsuit was filed in 2005 to hold major poultry companies responsible for polluting the Illinois River Watershed with poultry waste. In December, a federal court issued a judgement holding the poultry companies jointly responsible and requiring cleanup and waste application restrictions, the Office of the Attorney General added.
“These agreements allow us to move beyond years of litigation and focus on real, measurable improvements in water quality,” Drummond said. “My goal is to work toward comprehensive resolutions with the remaining defendants that protect the Illinois River Watershed while ensuring Oklahoma’s poultry industry remains strong and sustainable.”
In response to this new settlement, the Oklahoma Farm Bureau issued a statement celebrating this resolution.
“Oklahoma Farm Bureau members are encouraged by the State of Oklahoma’s settlement with Tyson Foods and Cargill to bring an end to the decades-long uncertainty our family poultry producers have faced due to the ongoing lawsuit over poultry litter in the Illinois River Watershed,” Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Stacy Simunek said in the statement. “Family farmers stood to lose most from this long-running litigation as they did everything asked of them to care for their animals while taking on voluntary environmental stewardship efforts to protect our land, water and shared natural resources.
“We appreciate Oklahoma Attorney General Genter Drummond’s good-faith efforts to negotiate a reasonable settlement with Tyson and Cargill that provides a path forward for our state’s family poultry producers to continue their ever-important work of responsibly producing food for our fellow Oklahomans while caring for the land that in many cases has been in the same family for decades,” Simunek added. “Our members still have questions and concerns about the settlement’s agreement to a court-appointed Special Master, which would create a burdensome regulatory structure in our state. However, we appreciate the cooperation between the attorney general and the poultry companies to provide certainty to our agricultural producers.”
The recent settlements with Tyson, Cargill, and George’s Inc. do not affect the ongoing proceedings involving the other defendants: Cal-Maine, Simmons, and Peterson Farms.
