{"id":2621597,"date":"2026-06-30T14:01:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T18:01:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/justice-department-sues-egg-producers-for-manipulating-prices\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T14:11:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T18:11:16","slug":"justice-department-sues-egg-producers-for-manipulating-prices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/justice-department-sues-egg-producers-for-manipulating-prices\/","title":{"rendered":"Justice Department sues egg producers for manipulating prices"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjustice-department-sues-egg-producers-for-manipulating-prices%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2621597&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S. Department of Justice,along with attorneys general from 17 states,has filed a lawsuit alleging that some of the largest egg producers,including Cal-Maine Foods,Hickman\u2019s Egg Ranch,and Versova Holdings,colluded to manipulate egg prices by coordinating bidding strategies and influencing industry benchmarks. Prosecutors claim that executives communicated via text messages, emails, and calls to keep egg prices artificial and allegedly submitted coordinated bids and exaggerated trades to support higher prices. These actions caused egg prices to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/morning-wire-biden-approval-rating-plummets-border-deaths-reach-record-levels-times-up-board-resigns\/\" title=\"Morning Wire: Biden Approval Rating Plummets, Border Deaths Reach Record Levels, Time\u2019s Up Board Resigns\">reach record levels<\/a> before dropping sharply after the companies became aware of an investigation in March 2025. The lawsuit also highlights the impact of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/latest-inflation-woe-for-consumers-sees-egg-prices-soar-47\/\" title=\"Latest Inflation Woe for Consumers Sees Egg ... Soar 47%\">bird flu outbreaks<\/a> that spiked egg prices in late 2024 and early 2025. Proposed settlements aim to prevent companies from illegal communication about pricing and bidding, enforce antitrust compliance, and maintain market competitiveness. Officials emphasize that protecting affordable egg prices is essential for consumers, with the lawsuit seeking court orders to prohibit the alleged conduct and enforce the agreements.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"339\"> Trump administration <\/a>is taking aim at \u201cBig Egg,\u201d alleging that some of the nation\u2019s largest egg producers illegally conspired to drive up consumer prices.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lawsuit, filed by the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/justice-department\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"167\">Justice Department\u2019s <\/a><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/antitrust\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1187\">Antitrust<\/a> Division on Tuesday alongside attorneys general from 17 states, names Cal-Maine Foods, Hickman\u2019s Egg Ranch, and Versova Holdings and affiliated companies. Prosecutors allege the companies conspired for years to manipulate industry price benchmarks that <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >influence wholesale egg prices nationwide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4628259\/gas-prices-drop-to-lowest-national-average-price-since-march\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Gas prices drop to $3.86 per gallon, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gas-prices-decrease-at-the-pumps-as-gas-costs-match-lowest-price-in-2024-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Gas ...: Decrease at the pumps as gas costs match lowest ... in 2024 - Washington Examiner\">lowest national average price<\/a> since March<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/4624216\/dr-oz-demands-fraud-audits-union-dues-home-health-workers\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Dr. Oz demands fraud audits of union dues of home-health workers<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/economy\/4623965\/trump-gas-prices-price-gouging\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump claims gas prices should be at $2.25, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newsom-and-becerra-mocked-for-mexican-restaurant-photo-op\/\" title=\"Newsom and Becerra mocked for Mexican restaurant photo op\">blames price gouging<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the complaint, executives from the companies coordinated bidding strategies through text messages, emails, and phone calls to influence price reporting by market publisher Urner Barry, whose benchmark prices are widely used throughout the grocery and restaurant industries.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In one October 2023 text message cited in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/atr\/media\/1450281\/dl?inline\">complaint<\/a>, a Cal-Maine executive allegedly told Hickman\u2019s CEO, \u201cWe are bidding up. Let\u2019s hold it today.\u201d After the companies submitted coordinated bids, Urner Barry kept its egg price quotation unchanged, prompting the Cal-Maine executive to text, \u201cNo change,\u201d according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The complaint also alleged Hickman\u2019s CEO urged competitors to submit additional bids to influence the benchmark. In one December 2023 email, the executive wrote, \u201cPlease consider posting strong bids, early and often,\u201d adding that market reporters would be more likely to raise benchmark prices after observing higher bids from multiple companies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Justice Department further alleged the companies executed private egg trades at artificially high prices specifically to provide market reporters with transactions supporting higher benchmark prices. In one August 2023 text exchange, a Cal-Maine executive allegedly told a Versova executive that an Urner Barry reporter \u201cneeds premium trades to hang her hat on\u201d before negotiating purchases above prevailing market prices.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Federal prosecutors said the alleged coordination caused benchmark egg prices to rise to record levels before falling sharply after the companies learned in March 2025 that the Justice Department had opened an investigation and ordered them to preserve documents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The price of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/3343515\/brooke-rollins-egg-prices-plunge-lower-than-when-trump-took-office\/\">eggs spiked<\/a> in late 2024 into early 2025, driven largely by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bird-flu\/\">H5N1 bird flu<\/a>, which decimated the poultry industry, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ers.usda.gov\/data-products\/food-price-outlook\/summary-findings\">according<\/a> to a USDA report.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">The price is listed below an empty shelf in the egg display in a Walmart store Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Englewood, Colo. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/06\/localimages\/AP25134081746292-e1782841908177.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The price is listed below an empty shelf in the egg display in a Walmart store Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Englewood, Colo. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRetail egg prices increased 32.2 percent in 2022, 1.4 percent in 2023, 8.5 percent in 2024, and 21.9 percent in 2025,\u201d the report said. \u201cThere were fewer new detections of HPAI during the first quarter of calendar year 2026 than there were during the first quarter of calendar year 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alongside the lawsuit, the Justice Department filed proposed settlements that, if approved by a federal court, would prohibit the companies from communicating with competitors about bidding strategies, prices, supply-and-demand information shared with benchmark publications, or transactions intended to influence market price reports.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The agreements would also require the companies to implement antitrust compliance programs, appoint compliance officers, monitor industry meetings, and report potential violations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo product more quintessentially represents affordability than the price Americans pay for eggs,\u201d Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/justice-department-requires-egg-producers-end-coordinated-benchmark-manipulation\">said<\/a> in a statement. \u201cThese actions prove this Department\u2019s continued commitment to protecting competition and providing real relief for everyday Americans\u2019 pocketbooks.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4627007\/trump-communism-biggest-threat-facing-america\/\">TRUMP SAYS COMMUNISM IS THE BIGGEST THREAT FACING AMERICA ON EVE OF 250TH BIRTHDAY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Antitrust Division is steadfast in our work to protect our nation\u2019s citizens from illegal conduct that makes daily life less affordable,\u201d added Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Sarrine of the Justice Department\u2019s Antitrust Division. \u201cWe are proud that these settlements will keep egg prices competitive and keep money in the hands of consumers across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cal-Maine Foods is the nation\u2019s largest producer and marketer of eggs. The lawsuit seeks court orders barring the alleged conduct and enforcing the proposed settlements. The companies will have an opportunity to respond to the allegations in court.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump administration sues Big Egg for price-fixing conspiracy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4195,"featured_media":2621598,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP25134081746292-e1782841908177.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[81974,33600,81975],"class_list":["post-2621597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-egg-producers","tag-justice-department","tag-price-manipulation"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP25134081746292-e1782841908177.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2621597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4195"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2621597"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2621597\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2621606,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2621597\/revisions\/2621606"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2621598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2621597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2621597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2621597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}