The North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) said the beef and cattle markets are complex, driven by supply and demand, and have more participants than packers and producers who add value at each step in production.
“Too often, the policy debate around the cattle and beef industry is an overly-simplified discussion limited to cattle producers versus beef packers. It is imperative policy makers remember: packers don’t buy fed cattle from cow-calf producers; nor do packers sell beef to consumers,” said Julie Anna Potts, president and CEO of the Meat Institute. “Congress and USDA should not make radical changes to the cattle and beef markets: such changes will up-end the markets, increase costs for the entire supply chain, including for consumers during this time of record inflation, and bring unintended consequences.”