Cargill announced Thursday that it was settling a lawsuit with Louisiana dairy farmer John Burford and 38 other plaintiffs.
The suit began in late 2004, when Burford alleged that Cargill had switched feed ingredients in a customized dairy feed without telling him, and that those cheaper ingredients caused his herd to lose milk production, body condition and disease resistance.
“We [Cargill] strongly deny this allegation and have vigorously defended this suit from the beginning,” the company said in a statement released this morning. “However, continuing to fight this complicated suit would have been both protracted and expensive. In order to continue to focus on the needs of our dairy customers and their animals we decided it was best to settle this matter.”
A summary of the settlement can be read here.
