The Oklahoma Attorney General announces a $44 million settlement in the state's 21-year lawsuit against six companies over poultry litter pollution.

 

The announcement came on Monday, July 13, from Oklahoma A-G Gentner Drummond. The original lawsuit was filed in 2005 against Tyson Foods, Cargill, George's, Peterson Farms, Cal-Maine and Simmons Foods over poultry litter pollution in the Illinois River Watershed. Under the settlement, the defendants will pay $41.67 million into an Environmental Relief Fund for watershed stewardship and litigation costs, and another $420,000 in penalties to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality Revolving Fund. They also agreed to progressively reduce the amount of poultry litter land-applied within the watershed over the next seven years.

 

A federal judge had found the companies liable in December 2025, but then rejected a narrower settlement with four of the six companies last spring. Under the new settlement, the State will move to set aside the December 2025 court judgment and close out the lawsuit once the settlement is finalized.

 

“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.”