500,000 Cows Were Slaughtered to Artificially Raise Dairy Prices

Greed, one of the basest human traits, found an excellent outlet that has resulted in a $52M settlement from the National Milk Producers Federation. The Federation chose to engage in a conspiracy to drive up dairy prices by cutting the nation’s milk supply. As part of this greedy grab for more profit, the nation’s biggest dairy producers, backed by the Federation, forced smaller dairy farms to run a “dairy herd retirement program” in which 500,000 cows were slaughtered to artificially raise dairy prices.

Greed, one of the basest human traits, found an excellent outlet that has resulted in a $52M settlement from the National Milk Producers Federation. The Federation chose to engage in a conspiracy to drive up dairy prices by cutting the nation’s milk supply. As part of this greedy grab for more profit, the nation’s biggest dairy producers, backed by the Federation, forced smaller dairy farms to run a “dairy herd retirement program” in which 500,000 cows were slaughtered to artificially raise dairy prices.

I’ve heard of forced retirement, but this is outrageous. Not only is such conspiratorial price-fixing illegal, but prematurely killing a half-million animals to do it is cruel and inhumane (and yes, I’m aware that dairy farming in itself is not necessarily all that humane itself). The class action suit that was filed in 2011, resulting in this settlement, was based in part on research don’t by Compassion Over Killing, an animal protection organization.

Steve Berman of Hagens Berman law firm, the firm behind the suit said, “The biggest dairy producers in the country, responsible for almost 70 percent of the nation’s milk, conspired together in a classic price-fixing scheme, forcing higher prices for a basic food item onto honest consumers and families. We’re pleased that this settlement will return some of what consumers lost due to this massive fraud perpetrated for ill-gotten gains.”

Compassion Over Killing added that it is “pleased to see some justice for the half-million cows who were prematurely slaughtered, and the consumers who paid artificially high prices, all done merely to satisfy the dairy industry’s greed.”

The “dairy herd retirement program” hit consumers in 15 states and Washington DC right in the bank accounts to the tune of millions of dollars. The lawsuit named as defendants some of the largest of Big Agriculture businesses and dairy producers, such as:

• Land O’ Lakes
• Dairy Farmers of America, Inc.
• The National Milk Producers Federation (aka Cooperatives Working Together or CWT)
• Agri-Mark, Inc.
• Dairylea Cooperative, Inc.

According to Cheryl Leahy, Compassion Over Killing’s General Counsel, “[We are] proud to have spearheaded the research that led to this class action suit brought by Hagens Berman on behalf of millions of consumers harmed by the dairy industry. Not only was the price of milk artificially inflated, but this scheme ultimately also cost 500,000 young cows their lives.”

What the Settlement Means for You

Affected consumers must have bought milk or other fresh milk products like yogurt, cottage cheese, half and half, cream, cream cheese or sour cream between 2003 to now. These consumers must have been living in the following states when the purchases were made:

• Arizona
• California
• Kansas
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Missouri
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• Oregon
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Vermont
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin, or
• The District of Columbia

Mr. Berman said, “With this settlement, we are happy to offer those affected an incredibly easy reimbursement process, with no proof of purchase required. After being duped by big dairy corporations, we wanted consumers to have a convenient method of payment.”

Here are your next steps:

• “Submit a simple online claim form online or by mail by Jan. 31, 2017. The simple online claim form usually takes only 3-5 minutes.  Claims may be submitted online at boughtmilk.com, or by mail to Fresh Milk Products Antitrust Litigation, PO Box 43430, Providence, RI 02940-3430,
• Exclude themselves,
• File an objection, or
• Attend the final approval hearing scheduled for Dec. 16, 2016.”

If you want a cash settlement, again with no proof of purchase, follow the above instructions. Once the court grants final approval of the settlement (on December 16, 2016) you’ll get the money you’re owed directly deposited into your chosen online account, such as Google Wallet, PayPal or Amazon.

As often happens with class action settlements, there are different levels of payments, in this case, two. The levels are based upon the number of claims made and the claimants’ purchases. If money remains after this first round of payments, a second round, in the form of grocery loyalty cards, may be issued. These cards will be pre-loaded with a certain dollar amount, “based on triggering purchases of milk or fresh milk products in the relevant states.”

They may also be given to the Attorneys General in the affected states for the purpose of prosecuting consumer antitrust claims.

Sources:

$52 Million Settlement Reached Over Dairy Industry’s Nationwide Price-Fixing Conspiracy, Cow Killing

Big Dairy to Pay $52 Million for Murderous Inflation Conspiracy