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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 23 November 2023

U.S. egg producers conspired to fix prices from 2004 to 2008

By ISABELLA VOLMERT ing to inflate the price of
Associated Press eggs,” Brandon Fox, an
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An attorney representing the
Illinois jury ruled this week food manufacturers, said
that several major egg pro- in a statement. “For the first
ducers conspired to limit time, the defendants have
the U.S.’s supply of eggs been held liable for their
in order to raise prices in antitrust violations. We are
a lawsuit first filed 12 years now going to turn our at-
ago. tention to the damages
Several large food manu- phase.”
facturing companies in- Court documents say the
cluding Kraft Foods Global, jury found the food manu-
Inc. and The Kellogg Com- facturers suffered injury in
pany alleged in the law- the timeframe of 2004 to
suit originally filed in 2011 2008. Jurors were specifi-
that producers used vari- cally told not to consider
ous means to limit the U.S. more recent egg pricing
domestic supply of eggs to during their deliberations.
increase the prices of eggs Other food manufacturers
and egg products during joining as plaintiffs in the
the 2000s. The time frame lawsuit against the egg
of the conspiracy was an producers are General
issue throughout the case; Mills, Inc. and Nestle USA,
jurors ultimately deter- Chickens stand in their cage at the Rose Acre Farms, Monday, Nov. 16, 2009, near Stuart, Iowa. Inc. The jury found the egg
Associated Press
mined damages occurred suppliers who participated
between 2004-2008. ana egg farmer running for The jury found that the egg say. in the conspiracy were Cal-
A jury unanimously deliv- the U.S. Senate in the state. suppliers exported eggs to “We are incredibly pleased Maine Foods, Inc., United
ered its verdict Tuesday in Attorneys for the four egg reduce the overall supply by the jury’s decision to Egg Producers, Inc., Unit-
the Northern District of Il- suppliers named in the law- in the domestic market, as hold egg producers Cal- ed States Egg Marketers,
linois and damages will be suit did not immediately well as limiting the number Maine Foods and Rose Inc. and Rose Acre Farms,
decided in a trial sched- return phone messages on of chickens through means Acre Farms accountable Inc., a southern Indiana-
uled for next week. Wednesday. Court docu- including cage space, ear- alongside United Egg Pro- based company previously
The suppliers include the ments show the defen- ly slaughter and flock re- ducers and United States chaired by John Rust.q
family company of an Indi- dants denied the claims. duction, court documents Egg Marketers for conspir-

AP source: 2 people in vehicle that exploded at NY/Canada

border crossing declared dead at scene

By CAROLYN THOMPSON official was not authorized that “additional measures” side of the border when it thing like it.”
Associated Press to discuss details of the in- were being contemplated swerved to avoid another From inside Niagara Falls
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) vestigation publicly and and activated at border car, crashed into a fence State Park, Melissa Raffa-
— A vehicle exploded at a spoke to the AP on condi- crossings across Canada. and exploded. low said she saw “a huge
checkpoint on the Ameri- tion of anonymity. The FBI’s field office in Buf- “All of a sudden he went up plume of black smoke” rise
can side of a U.S.-Cana- “This is obviously a very se- falo said in a statement in the air and then it was a up over the border crossing,
da bridge in Niagara Falls rious situation in Niagara that it was investigating the ball of fire like 30 or 40 feet roughly 50 yards (45 me-
Wednesday, leaving two Falls,” Canadian Prime Min- blast, and investigators with high,” Guenther told the ters) away from the popu-
people dead and prompt- ister Justin Trudeau said in the Bureau of Alcohol, To- station. “I never saw any- lar tourist destination.q
ing the closing of four bor- Parliament, before he ex- bacco, Firearms and Explo-
der crossings in the area, cused himself from Ques- sives were also responding
authorities said. tion Period in the House of to the scene.
There was no immediate in- Commons to be briefed Photos and video taken by
formation the cause of the further. bystanders and posted on
explosion, but it raised con- The blast happened on the social media showed thick
cerns on both sides of the U.S. side of the Rainbow smoke, flames on the pave-
border. Canadian Prime Bridge, which connects the ment and a security booth
Minister Justin Trudeau said two countries across the that had been singed by
officials were “taking this Niagara River. Three other flames.
extraordinary seriously,” bridges between western Videos showed that the fire
and the White House said New York and Ontario were was in a U.S. Customs and
President Joe Biden was quickly closed as a precau- Border Protection area just
“closely following develop- tion, and the Buffalo-Niag- east of the main vehicle
ments.” ara International Airport checkpoint.
The two deceased people began security checks on Speaking to WGRZ-TV, Mike
were in the vehicle, a law all cars and told passen- Guenther said he saw a Debris is scattered about inside the customs plaza at the
enforcement official told gers to expect additional vehicle speeding toward Rainbow Bridge border crossing, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023, in
The Associated Press. The screenings. Trudeau said the crossing from the U.S. Niagara Falls, N.Y. Associated Press