Governor Kevin Stitt is back in Oklahoma City after his Tuesday visit to Westville in northeastern Oklahoma. The Governor says he wanted to show support for poultry producers and other agricultural families facing what he called a serious threat to their livelihoods. Speaking after meeting with roughly 300 chicken farmers and cattle ranchers to senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays, Stitt said it was “an amazing opportunity to be over there with some great Oklahomans that really provide a lot of protein for America,” adding, “I’m there to support them, and really to highlight this major issue that’s going on.”
Stitt described the ongoing lawsuit against poultry companies as “an attack on our poultry industry, our farmers,” driven by trial attorney groups and the state’s attorney general. He said the case revives a decades-old issue and threatens to shut down family operations. “They’re demanding $100 million from these folks and the 100% complete removal of poultry litter out of eastern Oklahoma,” Stitt said, warning that such an outcome “would devastate hay producers, cattle ranchers, poultry industry, everybody.”
The governor said he has attempted to intervene and resolve the matter quickly but has been blocked from doing so. “I could have this settled tomorrow, but they won’t let me in the case,” he said. Stitt emphasized that neighboring Arkansas officials are also frustrated, noting, “We’re just trying to calm everybody down, and let’s come up with a solution, and let’s get rid of this frivolous lawsuit.”
Stitt argued the lawsuit ignores the fact that producers followed existing rules and permits. “These people, everybody, all these family farms, they had the correct permit,” he said. “We follow in the state of Oklahoma EPA guidelines… They have to sample the soil so they have the correct permit.” According to Stitt, the issue is not compliance but opportunity for profit. “These trial attorneys just don’t like it. They see big dollar signs,” he said.
Addressing concerns about water quality in the Illinois River watershed, Stitt said progress has been made but stressed that permit holders should not be punished retroactively. “If there is a problem with the permit, let’s go change that,” he said. “But how can you punish a company and these family farms when they have the right permit?” He compared the situation to changing graduation requirements decades later, calling it “the biggest anti-business lawsuit I’ve ever seen.”
Stitt said the uncertainty surrounding the case is already harming farm families, particularly as Tyson has announced they will not be renewing contracts.
“These families are almost in tears,” he said. “Their contracts up in five months, and they don’t know what’s going to happen.” He added, “One family said they just put their life savings… they just took out a loan from a bank. They can’t pay them if there’s no revenue or income.”
While acknowledging environmental goals, Stitt said the state can protect both water quality and agriculture. “This is not an either or,” he said. “We can absolutely have the cleanest water in the country… and we can protect our way of life and our family farms.” He criticized the financial incentives in the case, saying trial attorneys “are going to get 50% of any settlement, and they’re holding out for millions and millions on the back of our farmers.”
Looking ahead, Stitt said the case is far from over and could drag on through appeals. “Even if the judge comes out and does some kind of wacky settlement, this is going to get appealed because it doesn’t pass the smell test,” he said. Ultimately, he warned the stakes are high: “This is going to harm the farmers in Oklahoma… family farms ran by Mr. and Mrs. Jones raising their two children all over eastern Oklahoma,” with ripple effects for schools, roads, and rural communities across the region.
