The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a civil lawsuit to block the sale of a Tyson Foods Inc. plant in Harrisonburg, Va., to George's Inc., saying the deal could hurt competition for farmers in the area. The suit claims that the sale would reduce the number of poultry processors around Harrisonburg, giving farmers little choice when it came time to sign contracts to grow chickens, reports the Washington Post.
“America’s farmers deserve competitive prices and terms for the sale of their services, and the Antitrust Division will vigorously pursue anticompetitive acquisitions that stand in the way of achieving that goal,” Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney said in a statement.