Trump Administration Sues Egg Producers Over Alleged Price Fixing

The Trump management is suing ovum producers nationwide, accusing them of undertaking a coordinated value manipulation scheme.

The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, on pinch 17 authorities attorneys general, is suing Cal-Maine Foods, Hickman’s Egg Ranch, Centrum Valley Holdings, Versova Holdings and Versova Management Cooperative, successful a civilian suit that alleges nan companies dropped ovum prices "significantly" aft nan companies learned nan DOJ was investigating imaginable value manipulation.

The complaint, revenge successful nan U.S. District Court for nan Northern District of Iowa, claims that betwixt June 2022 and March 2025, nan named companies worked together to inflate nan regular price quotes provided to Urner Barry Publications, which is simply a marker reporting institution that publishes benchmark quotes for nan nutrient industry. The publication focuses connected macromolecule markets for illustration reddish meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood, according to The Washington Times.

In March 2025, ovum prices reached a historical precocious of much than $6. That spike was driven by nan avian flu, which was rampant astatine nan time.

Since then, prices person fallen to astir $2.50 for a twelve Grade A ample eggs.

The suit accuses nan companies of inflating Urner Barry's value quotes, allowing them to complaint much for eggs.

"Every year, billions of eggs are sold pinch prices based connected Urner Barry’s value quotations," nan DOJ said successful a release.

The DOJ has projected a colony that would prohibit nan companies from communicating pinch competitors astir bidding strategies — including merchandise prices — arsenic good arsenic astir timing, bid numbers, proviso and request accusation they supply to benchmark publications, and immoderate discussions concerning transactions that aren't "based connected morganatic business needs."

The companies would besides beryllium required to initiate antitrust compliance monitors, let for immoderate meetings of cooperatives aliases associated ventures to beryllium monitored, and to study imaginable colony violations to nan DOJ.

“The Antitrust Division is patient successful our activity to protect our nation’s citizens from forbidden behaviour that makes regular life little affordable,” Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Sarrine of nan Justice Department’s Antitrust Division said successful a statement.

Eggs and beverage are often utilized arsenic wide benchmarks for nan wide authorities of ostentation and staple costs for U.S. consumers.

“No merchandise much quintessentially represents affordability than nan value Americans salary for eggs,” Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said successful a statement.

The attorneys wide of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin joined nan Department successful nan title and projected settlements.

“Food affordability is simply a apical privilege of nan Antitrust Division,” Former Acting Assistant Attorney General Omeed A. Assefi of nan Justice Department’s Antitrust Division said successful a statement. “These settlements resoluteness years of behaviour that dragged connected Americans’ finances and their mundane lives.