President Trump's move to dismantle what Republican Sen. Josh Hawley has called the "modern-day monopoly" in U.S. beef processing reflects growing concern that industry concentration has become a food-security vulnerability.
Four corporations, JBS, Tyson Foods, Cargill and National Beef, dominate cattle purchasing and processing, creating single points of failure across the nation's beef supply chain. This consolidation has reduced local processing capacity, weakened regional food supply chains and shifted pricing power away from independent ranchers and farmers.
Now, President Trump is changing the game with plans to break the meatpacking monopoly by allowing farmers and ranchers to process their own food.
"For years I have heard that they have had a tremendous problem with the Big Processors, who many say are a nasty Monopoly. There are, essentially, 4 of them, a very non-competitive number, and they make life miserable for our wonderful Farmers and Ranchers," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He continued, "So, in order to break this powerful monopoly, with much of its ownership based outside of the U.S., I am authorizing legal documents to be drawn in order to allow Farmers and Ranchers to be given the right to PROCESS THEIR OWN FOOD."
"This should move quickly," the president added.
The administration has already opened an antitrust investigation into the meatpacking industry. Roughly 85% of U.S. cattle are purchased by four companies: Tyson Foods, Cargill, JBS and National Beef Packing.
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