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Wayne-Sanderson Acquires Harrison Poultry [[link removed]]
Cargill’s U.S. chicken business, Wayne-Sanderson [[link removed]], acquired [[link removed]] Georgia-based poultry packer, Harrison Poultry [[link removed]], last week. The takeover helps Wayne-Sanderson diversify its portfolio into niche markets and increase its feed mill capacity. Harrison is relatively small with just one large processing plant. According to a Wayne-Sanderson spokesperson, the Department of Justice (DOJ) approved this merger without conditions. The acquisition follows a steady trend of chicken industry consolidation and has competitive implications for farmers, workers, and consumers.
Ranked as the 21st largest poultry packer, Harrison Poultry had plans to grow. Currently, it processes 5.66 million [[link removed]] pounds of chicken weekly. By comparison, Wayne-Sanderson produces 20 times more chicken, and industry leader Tyson produces 40 times more, according to WATT Poultry production data. Harrison invested in its processing plant to expand production by 20% in 2023 [[link removed]] and added 200 more employees. It also built a large new [[link removed]] feed mill [[link removed]] and planned to build a second processing plant [[link removed]] to keep pace with its customers’ growth [[link removed]]. More than 100 contract farmers raise chickens for Harrison.
Harrison Poultry specializes in golden-yellow chicken, which has a yellow color from feeding chickens marigold extract [[link removed]] and requires special processing [[link removed]] to keep more fat on the meat and retain the color. Harrison claims [[link removed]] it is the only company in the U.S. that still raises and processes golden-yellow chicken, primarily for Hispanic markets [[link removed]]. It also sells halal chicken and has customers in the U.S. and abroad. Harrison mostly [[link removed]] sells to restaurants and food processors.
This acquisition helps Wayne-Sanderson quickly expand into these specialty and international markets, says Dr. Jada Thompson, professor of agricultural economics at the University of Arkansas. “You already have some built-in network relationships, in terms of who they are selling to,” she says. Thompson also notes that Wayne-Sanderson was looking to build a new feed mill, and this acquisition could make that unnecessary, since Harrison’s new feed mill wasn’t utilized to its full capacity. “The feed mill was a big plus, I think,” says Thompson.
Harrison’s poultry plant is roughly 20 miles from a Wayne plant. Combining the companies will reduce options and competition for contract growers and workers, but not by as much as in other regions. Harrison is in the heart of northern Georgia’s broiler belt with headquarters in Gainesville, the self-proclaimed “ poultry capital of the world [[link removed]].” Tyson, JBS (Pilgrim’s Pride), Fieldale Farms, Mar-Jac, and Tip Top Poultry also operate conventional slaughter facilities in this region, according to USDA data. By comparison, half of chicken farmers report having one or two processors [[link removed]] to work with in their market.
A spokesperson for Wayne-Sanderson confirmed that Harrison’s flock management practices and grower contracts will largely remain the same. Wayne-Sanderson will modify contracts to eliminate deductions from Harrison farmers’ base pay in the tournament system to comply with a DOJ consent decree [[link removed]].
Harrison prided itself [[link removed]] in offering the same benefits package to its salaried and hourly employees, which included free health insurance and automatic retirement contributions. Wayne-Sanderson does not publicize [[link removed]] equivalent benefits. Wayne-Sanderson did not comment on possible changes to Harrison workers’ benefits by the time of publication.
The steady consolidation of poultry processing gives packers more market power to raise prices. One economic study estimated [[link removed]] that chicken wholesale prices were 16% higher in 2019 than they would have been absent corporate concentration. Poultry processors, including Wayne [[link removed]], Sanderson [[link removed]], and Harrison [[link removed]], have also paid out millions in recent years to settle allegations that they conspired to restrict the chicken supply and raise prices. Notably, a jury found Sanderson not guilty [[link removed]] of price fixing in one of the cases that was not settled.
Unlike in pork and beef processing, where the concentration of production into fewer, larger plants drove many packers out of business [[link removed]], conventional poultry processing plants are more uniform in size [[link removed]]. Further, successful poultry plants are not necessarily the most physically productive plants, but the plants with better name recognition, customer networks, and market access, according to one study [[link removed]]. These factors make it harder for the top poultry processors to gain market share by building the biggest, most productive plants: they need to use other methods, including acquisitions.
Mergers and acquisitions were an important driver of poultry processing consolidation through the 1990s and 2000s, roughly equal to plant closures. Between 1992 and 2007, 11% of U.S. poultry plants were acquired, while another 12.5% of plants closed. Most of these deals [[link removed]] involved a large firm acquiring a small firm. Thus, over time, many small acquisitions can increase industry concentration and the risk of collusive activity.
“In general, my own view is, you don’t want the majors to continue to make purchases,” argues Peter Carstensen, emeritus law professor and former federal antitrust attorney. Carstensen believes it is important to scrutinize deals involving specialty markets, like this one, where entry by a dominant firm could crowd out smaller competitors.
Wayne-Sanderson is itself the product of a large merger orchestrated by Cargill and Continental Grain in 2022. As part [[link removed]] of its merger review, Wayne-Sanderson entered a consent decree with the DOJ [[link removed]] to resolve wage-fixing [[link removed]] allegations [[link removed]]. The company remains under the purview of a court-ordered antitrust monitor.
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What We're Reading
The largest U.S. railroad, Union Pacific, announced plans to acquire the fourth largest railroad, Norfolk Southern. This massive merger is the latest step in a long history of rail monopolization that leaves farmers with few options. ( Washington Monthly [[link removed]])
Some Republicans have embraced the MAHA movement after opposing similar nutrition reform efforts led by then first lady Michelle Obama. Will this political shift be enough to stand up to food industry lobbying? Helena Bottemiller Evich weighs in. ( The New York Times [[link removed]])
Last issue, we covered the pesticide industry’s campaign [[link removed]] to avoid future lawsuits alleging that their products cause cancers and other health harms. New analysis from Food & Water Watch finds that Bayer spent more on lobbying in Iowa last year than in any other year on record, as part of its effort to advance pesticide liability shield bills (the Iowa bill did not pass). Overall, Bayer spent $21 million on federal lobbying and $700,000 on federal and state-level campaigns between January 2023 and June 2025. ( Food & Water Watch [[link removed]])
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Written by Claire Kelloway
Edited by Phil Longman and Anita Jain
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