OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond recently announced that the state has reached a settlement agreement with George’s Inc., resolving claims related to poultry litter pollution in the Illinois River Watershed. George’s was one of the defendants in the long running, 20-year-old “State of Oklahoma v. Tyson Foods et al.,” lawsuit.
The initial lawsuit makes claims of improper disposal of poultry litter by poultry businesses in Arkansas that were causing environmental damage to the Illinois River watershed.
“This settlement demonstrates that fair, good-faith negotiations can produce outcomes that serve everyone’s interests — protecting Oklahoma’s water resources while respecting the economic realities facing our agricultural partners,” Drummond said in a statement. “George’s willingness to come to the table and work toward meaningful remediation, rather than prolonged litigation, reflects the kind of responsible corporate citizenship I hope to see from all parties in this case.
“I remain committed to working with all parties to achieve comprehensive solutions for the Illinois River Watershed while preserving the economic vitality of Oklahoma’s poultry producers,” Drummond added.
The settlement holds George’s responsible while also creating a fair agreement, demonstrating a balanced approach to justice.
The details of the settlement are:
- George’s agrees to pay $5 million to the State for remediation and conservation projects and attorney fees;
- George’s commits to removing poultry litter from the Illinois River Watershed over seven years, progressively reducing the amount remaining from no more than 40 percent to no more than 20 percent;
- George’s pays $250,000 for a Special Master to monitor compliance;
- George’s agrees that litter removed from the Illinois River Watershed will not be applied to land in any other nutrient-sensitive watersheds in Oklahoma.
In exchange for compliance with these details, the State will release all claims against George’s. Before reaching this agreement, a federal court issued a judgement holding the poultry companies responsible for the environmental damage and instructing the companies to financially support the necessary cleanup. The judgement also imposed strict restrictions on waste application practices.
According to the Attorney General’s office, this settlement with George’s will not affect the ongoing proceedings involving the other defendants: Tyson Foods, Cobb-Vantress, Cargill, Simmons Foods, Peterson Farms, and Cal-Maine Foods.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, and Stacy Simunek, Oklahoma Farm Bureau president, both released statements in response to this settlement announcement.
“I am glad to see Attorney General Drummond’s first settlement reflect the guardrails I put in my letter to him on Nov. 25,” Stitt said in a statement. “This new settlement only helps one grower in Oklahoma, and my concern is for all Oklahoma growers. Today, I renew my call for Drummond to request a stay from Judge Frizzell to protect all growers and continue settlement discussions, bringing my Secretary of Agriculture and Secretary of Environment to the table so that the State can be fully represented in protecting both domestic poultry supply and our natural resources.”
While Stitt’s statement highlighted the work that still needs to be done, Simunek’s statement celebrated this settlement agreement.
“Oklahoma Farm Bureau members appreciate the negotiated settlement struck between the State of Oklahoma and George’s, Inc., in the state’s decades-long lawsuit against Arkansas-based poultry companies,” Simunek said. “Farm Bureau members have believed all along that there is a place for reasonable negotiations that will protect family farmers’ abilities to produce poultry and judiciously apply poultry litter according to their state-approved nutrient management plans while ensuring our shared natural resources are protected.”
“We encourage the state to continue its good-faith efforts to negotiate with the remaining poultry companies named in the lawsuit to find common-sense, reasonable solutions that benefit all Oklahomans and residents of the watershed instead of an overreaching settlement that does not take into account the focused conservation efforts family poultry producers have undertaken in the 20 years since the lawsuit was originally filed,” Simunek added. “We will continue to stay engaged with family poultry producers until this issue is legally resolved to help ensure future generations of Oklahoma farmers and ranchers can continue to produce the affordable food that we all rely upon.”
