The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division has proposed a settlement with Agri Stats to resolve allegations that the company facilitated unlawful information-sharing among competing meat processors. The case, pending in the District of Minnesota, centers on claims that Agri Stats collected and distributed detailed price, output, and cost data in ways that allowed poultry, pork, and turkey producers to coordinate behavior rather than compete independently.

According to the government, the proposed settlement is designed to restore competitive conditions in protein markets that affect both upstream producers and downstream purchasers.

The Federal Trade Commission, joined by a coalition of states, has launched a significant enforcement action aimed at alleged collusion among major advertising agencies in the digital advertising market. The April 15 announcement is notable not just for the parties involved, but for where regulators are focusing next: beyond dominant technology platforms and into the intermediary ad ecosystem that influences pricing, placement, and competition across online media.

That matters because advertising agencies sit at a critical junction between brands, publishers, platforms, and consumers.