Federal Judge Rejects $500 million Case against Pilgrim’s Pride

A federal judge in East Texas Friday threw out a decade-long series of litigation brought by hundreds of chicken farmers seeking a combined $500 million against Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. for allegedly manipulating poultry prices with the intent of shutting down some of the chicken growers and unfair trade practices.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Roy Payne ruled Friday that Pilgrim’s Pride did not violate the federal Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921, which was signed into law by President Warren Harding and regulates interstate commerce by those involved in livestock, dairy products, poultry products and eggs.