By Leah Douglas

The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday filed a lawsuit against data company Agri Stats, alleging its weekly reports on meat pricing and sales have enabled anticompetitive practices in the chicken, pork, and turkey industries in violation of antitrust law.

Meat companies including Smithfield Foods and Tyson Foods have previously faced lawsuits from restaurants and other food buyers alleging they use reports from Agri Stats to conspire to drive up meat prices.

"Agri Stats operates its information exchanges to promote total industry profits at the expense of competition," said the DOJ's complaint.

Attorney Justin Bernick of Hogan Lovells, which is representing Agri Stats in the DOJ case, said the company denies the allegations in the complaint.

"Agri Stats provides vital benchmarking services that help keep production costs and prices low for consumers," Bernick said in an email.

(Reporting by Leah Douglas; editing by Barbara Lewis)