Senate’s Warren Renews Call for Scrutiny of Sanderson Poultry Deal

A planned merger of the third- and sixth-largest chicken processing companies in the U.S. would further concentrate the poultry market, facilitating price-fixing and harming farmers, said a group of Democratic lawmakers including Senator Elizabeth Warren.

The $4.5 billion acquisition of Sanderson Farms Inc. by Continental Grain Co. and Cargill Inc., the largest private company in the U.S., raises antitrust concerns and should be investigated and potentially opposed by the Justice Department, wrote 13 lawmakers, many of whom have criticized the deal before. The letter was sent to the division’s antitrust chief, Jonathan Kanter, who recently said he prefers suing to stop problematic mergers rather accepting settlements and allowing deals to proceed.