Tyson, others, lose Oklahoma lawsuit over poultry pollution

By KEN MILLER
Associated Press

The world’s largest poultry producer is among nearly a dozen poultry companies that face a March 17th deadline to reach agreement with the state of Oklahoma on how to clean a polluted watershed. A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that Arkansas-based Tyson Foods, Minnesota-based Cargill Inc. and others are responsible for pollution of the Illinois River Watershed by disposing of chicken litter that leached into the river. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed in 2005 by then-Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson, who said he believes there is plenty of time for an agreement if the companies recognize how little room they have to make demands.