A lawsuit has been filed and is seeking class action status against the large milk bottler for allegedly conspiring to limit prices paid to farmers. The lawsuit was filed in Federal Court in Nashville on behalf of diary farmers and claims Dean Foods used their expansive network of processing plants and influence with milk cooperatives to stabilize and control prices.
The suit claims Dean Foods has flooded the regional wholesale milk market with milk from other areas of the country and therefore limited the price Southeastern farmers can get for their milk. Dairy Farmers of America is the cooperative behind 90 percent of milk produced in the Southeast. The farmers allege farms that tried to operate independently from the network were denied access to bottling and processing facilities. National Dairy Holdings and Dairy Farmers of America are also named as defendants in the suit.
