Montpelier, Vt. – A national dairy marketing cooperative has agreed to pay a total of $50 million to thousands of Northeast dairy farmers in an amended settlement of a long-running lawsuit accusing the group of trying to drive down milk prices.
Some farmers remain opposed to the deal.
Under the proposal filed Wednesday, Dairy Farmers of America would pay an average of $4,000 to about 9,000 farmers. The settlement must be approved by a judge, who rejected a previous proposed deal in March.
The 2009 class-action lawsuit charged Dairy Farmers of America, its marketing arm, Dairy Marketing Services, and Dallas-based dairy processor Dean Foods with working together to monopolize the market for raw milk in the Northeast.
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