JEFFERSON CITY, MO. – Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey intervened in the ongoing class action lawsuit against Tyson Foods Inc. and Cal-Maine Foods Inc.

Bailey posted on his X account on July 12 that he intended to step into the case.

“The people deserve better than big corporations who engage in anticompetitive behavior at the expense of Missouri jobs and communities,” Bailey wrote. “To that end, I am filing a motion to intervene in the antitrust lawsuit against Tyson Foods. I will always fight for Missouri agriculture.”

Last month, the lawsuit was filed by poultry producers who claimed anticompetitive and fraudulent practices were involved in the closure and subsequent sale of the Dexter, Mo., processing plant.

Tyson announced in August 2023 that it would close two poultry plants in Noel and Dexter, Mo., and two others in North Little Rock, Ark., and Corydon, Ind.

Bailey called on Tyson to sell instead of close the two poultry processing facilities in Missouri last October.

In March, Cal-Maine finalized its acquisition of Tyson’s former processing plant, hatchery and feed mill in Dexter. Cal-Maine plans to convert the site into a shell egg operation.