LINCOLN, Neb. (DTN) -- An ongoing pollution lawsuit filed by the state of Oklahoma against Tyson Foods and other poultry producers in the Illinois River watershed is getting heated.

Oklahoma's Attorney General Gentner Drummond on Wednesday called out Tyson for conducting what he alleges is a "coordinated misinformation" campaign since a court ruling went against Tyson last summer.

A judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Northern Oklahoma ruled in June 2025 that although the lawsuit has been ongoing for 20 years, phosphorous pollution still is a problem in the watershed and the case would continue.

Drummond said Tyson was engaging in "shameless gamesmanship" and was using Oklahoma's "hardworking farmers as pawns" while "threatening to withdraw" contracts.

"But Tyson's actions speak louder than their empty threats," he said in a statement.

"Even as they claim to be concerned about this litigation, Tyson is actively working to acquire additional processing capacity in the watershed. Oklahomans deserve better than corporate intimidation tactics from a company that has repeatedly shown it prioritizes profits over people and environmental responsibility."

In January 2023, the court ordered food companies including Tyson and Cargill to reduce poultry litter pollution into the Illinois River in northwest Arkansas and northeast Oklahoma. The companies and the state of Oklahoma were ordered to agree on a remedy to reduce pollution or the court would decide how to do it. The two sides failed to reach an agreement.

In October 2023, Tyson, Cargill and others told the same court that too much time had passed in the lawsuit and any remaining claims in the case should be dismissed.

In June 2024, the court denied Tyson's motion to dismiss the case.

Proposed penalties exceed $100 million against Tyson, Cargill, George's, Simmons and Cal-Maine for violations of the Oklahoma Environmental Quality Code.

Drummond also asked the court to require the companies to fund a restoration plan for the watershed.

In his statement this week, Drummond said local officials and lawmakers have "pressured" him and the state to "abandon" or scale back the litigation, following "warnings from Tyson Foods" about potential reductions to company operations in Oklahoma.

"However, reports show Tyson is seeking to increase its production capacity in the watershed through the acquisition of Cargill's former processing plant in Springdale, Arkansas, which contradicts claims that it has been forced to scale back operations in the watershed due to the lawsuit," Drummond's office said in a news release.

"Let's be clear about what's really happening here," Drummond said.

"This isn't about protecting farmers. It's about protecting corporate profits at the expense of Oklahoma's natural resources."

Drummond said the state's lawsuit specifically targets the corporate poultry companies "responsible for waste management practices," not individual farmers or growers.

Oklahoma's legal action seeks to enforce state laws protecting the water quality of the Illinois River and Lake Tenkiller, he said.

Drummond said despite "no farmers" being named as defendants in the case, poultry companies have attempted to "redirect blame and portray the litigation as an attack" on agriculture.

"Not one single farmer has been sued by the state, but these corporations continue to hide behind a false narrative, using hardworking farm families as human shields to avoid accountability," Drummond said.

"A thriving poultry industry and clean water can absolutely coexist. What we cannot accept is allowing massive corporations to pollute our waterways without consequence. Oklahoma is simply asking Tyson Foods to conduct its business responsibly and comply with laws -- the same laws that protect the health and economic future of all Oklahomans."

Tyson did not respond to DTN's request for comment at posting time.

On Nov. 21, 2025, Tyson announced it was planning to close its beef-processing facility in Lexington, Nebraska -- a town of 10,000 residents -- and to convert its Amarillo, Texas, beef facility to a single, full-capacity shift, ending jobs for about 3,000 people, https://www.dtnpf.com/….

Read more on DTN:

"Companies Want Runoff Case Dismissed," https://www.dtnpf.com/….

Todd Neeley can be reached at todd.neeley@dtn.com

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