Trump calls for investigation of meatpackers

President Trump has asked the Justice Department to investigate meatpackers, emphasizing that several are foreign-owned. 

In a statement on Truth Social on Friday, Trump said, “I have asked the DOJ to immediately begin an investigation into the Meat Packing Companies who are driving up the price of Beef through Illicit Collusion, Price Fixing, and Price Manipulation.”

“We will always protect our American Ranchers, and they are being blamed for what is being done by Majority Foreign Owned Meat Packers, who artificially inflate prices, and jeopardize the security of our Nation’s food supply,” the post said.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X that the investigation is already under way in partnership with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. 

A White House news release emphasized a complaint often heard from the left. The release said, “The “Big Four” meat packers — JBS (Brazil), Cargill, Tyson Foods, and National Beef — currently dominate 85% of the U.S. beef processing market, up from just 36% in 1980. Two of these companies, including the largest meat packer in the world, are either foreign-owned or have significant foreign ownership and control.”

Farm Action applauded Trump’s announcement. 

“For years, farmers and ranchers have sounded the alarm while the ‘Big Four’ packers — JBS, Tyson, Cargill, and National Beef — have squeezed producers and gouged consumers,” Farm Action said in a news release.

“An investigation is a critical first step. But action must follow. The DOJ should hold these corporations accountable, break up their monopolistic control, and restore fair competition in America’s beef market.”

The New York Times said in an analysis, “The opening of an investigation could mollify President Trump’s critics in ranching and farm country. While rural America largely voted for him in the last presidential election, many have grown more critical as his trade war drove down crop prices, and his administration spent $40 billion bailing out Argentina, an agricultural competitor of the United States.”