Oklahoma's 21-year lawsuit against a group of poultry producers has come to an end.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond has reached a settlement priced at nearly $44 million. The State of Oklahoma filed a lawsuit against Tyson, Cargill, George's, Peterson Farms, Cal-Maine, and Simmons Foods in 2005.
Over the past two decades, Oklahoma attorneys have argued that poultry producers representing these companies have been contaminating the Illinois River with millions of tons of chicken litter.
A federal judge found the companies liable in December 2025. A lower settlement with only four of the companies was rejected earlier this year.
Under the settlement, the companies will:
- Pay $41,671,000 into a relief fund for watershed stewardship and litigation costs to be transferred to the Oklahoma Conservation Commission
- Pay $420,000 in penalties
- Pay $1.9 million to create an auditor fund
- Reduce poultry waste
- Submit annual compliance reports
- Either fund or secure funding for half the cost of installing vegetative buffers on qualifying poultry farms along Lake Tenkiller and the watershed's Scenic Rivers, which filter runoff before it reaches the water
“This agreement allows us to turn the page on a dispute that has gone on for far too long,” Drummond said. “It protects Oklahoma’s water, provides certainty for our poultry industry, and shows that difficult problems can be solved through persistence and good-faith negotiation. When the court asked us to strengthen the agreement, we went back to work and reached a better result. Every company has now made enforceable commitments with clear deadlines, creating a balanced solution that protects our natural resources while supporting one of Oklahoma’s most important industries.”
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