Today, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a settlement with dominant egg producers following its antitrust investigation into alleged price fixing in the egg industry.
Farm Action helped bring national attention to the egg pricing crisis starting in 2023 by exposing how dominant egg producers were reporting record profits while blaming avian flu for soaring prices, even though the national egg supply had not declined enough to explain the price spike. The organization’s research and advocacy helped spur scrutiny of the industry and contributed to the federal investigation.
In response to the settlement, Farm Action President Angela Huffman issued the following statement:
“This settlement is a disappointing outcome for an issue Farm Action helped bring to light years ago. Consumers paid record prices while dominant egg producers reported extraordinary profits, yet the result is another settlement that corporations can treat as the cost of doing business rather than meaningful accountability.
The Trump administration has said it is prioritizing high grocery prices, yet it is allowing companies accused of inflating those prices to settle instead of facing consequences that match the scale of the harm.”
During the egg price spike, Cal-Maine reported approximately $1.2 billion in profits. Under the settlement, the company would pay $1.25 million, raising serious questions about whether the penalty is a meaningful deterrent or merely another business expense.
At the same time, taxpayers were expected to subsidize the same industry through major avian flu payments while funding for local and regional food systems was cut. Consumers and taxpayers deserve better.”
Farm Action has long warned that when a handful of corporations control the market, they gain power to shape outcomes in ways that benefit themselves while farmers, consumers, and taxpayers bear the costs. Without stronger enforcement, tougher penalties, limits on bailouts for dominant firms, and structural reforms that restore competition, the same abuses are likely to happen again.
