A class action lawsuit filed by a Seattle firm is making some unsettling allegations against U.S. dairy producers. According to the lawsuit, more than half a million dairy cows were slaughtered between 2003 and 2010 to decrease the supply of milk and drive up the prices of dairy products.

The allegations in the dairy class action lawsuit were first uncovered by animal rights group Compassion Over Killing, which allegedly discovered that healthy dairy cows in California were being systematically slaughtered without any apparent reason. The group turned to the Seattle law firm to help them sue several large players in the dairy industry, including National Milk Producers Federation, Dairy Farmers of America, Land O’Lakes, Agri-Mark and Cooperatives Working Together (CWT).

The dairy antitrust class action lawsuit alleges more than 500,000 cows were slaughtered prematurely under CWT’s “dairy herd retirement” program in a concerted effort to reduce the supply of milk and inflate the price of milk nationally. According to the complaint, the increased price allowed CWT members to earn more than $9 billion in additional revenue — money taken directly from consumers’ pockets. The inflated prices affected everything from cheese to butter.

CWT members defend their actions, saying the cooperative “was created in 2003 as a self-help initiative to assist family dairy farmers and members of dairy cooperatives who were losing money producing milk. The program was designed and has always been operated in a manner fully consistent with the anti-trust laws of the United States.”

Dairy herd retirement ended in 2010, but CWT’s tactics may affect the price of milk for years, according to the dairy price-fixing class action lawsuit.

The dairy price-fixing class action lawsuit is brought on behalf of U.S. consumers who purchased milk and/or milk products (including cream, half & half, yogurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese and sour cream) from 2004 through the present. It is seeking restitution, damages and more.

A copy of the Dairy Price-Fixing Class Action Lawsuit can be read here.

The case is Matthew Edwards, et al. v. National Milk Producers Federation, aka Cooperatives Working Together, et al., Case No. 11-cv-04766, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California.

UPDATE: A California federal judge has certified the milk products price-fixing class action lawsuit, and a website has been established with more information about the litigation. For more information, click here or visit www.FreshMilkPriceFixing.com.

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