Trump Administration targets foreign-owned meat packers
Investigation seeks to identify pricing collusion among the 'Big Four' packers.
Although Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would roll back the “food police,” it wasn’t exactly clear as to his plans for food safety; nevertheless, he has spoken about favoring less regulation overall.
President Donald Trump directed the Department of Justice on Nov. 7, 2025, to launch an investigation into the leading US meatpacking companies for potential collusion and price fixing.
The DOJ move aims to target foreign-dominated conglomerates the Administration says are artificially inflating meat prices at the expense of US farmers, ranchers and consumers.
Allegations behind the investigation include:
- A handful of leading meat packers have squeezed US cattle producers, shrunk herds and raised prices at the grocery store. The investigation will examine whether these companies have violated antitrust laws through coordinated pricing or capacity restrictions.
- The “Big Four” meat packers — JBS , Cargill, Tyson Foods, and National Beef Packing Co. — account for 85% of the US beef processing market, with JBS and National Beef Packing Co. being foreign-owned (Brazil) or having significant foreign ownership and control.
- Industry consolidation has crushed competition and hammered cattle producers.
- Mounting evidence shows monopoly power in the beef supply chain has slashed payments to ranchers, reduced herd sizes and driven up consumer prices.
The Meat Institute called the focus of the investigation into question, saying that despite high consumer prices for beef, beef packers have been losing money because of record high cattle prices.
"For more than a year, beef packers have been operating at a loss due to a tight cattle supply and strong demand,” Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts said. “The beef industry is heavily regulated, and market transactions are transparent. The government’s own data from USDA confirms that the beef packing sector is experiencing catastrophic losses, and experts predict this will continue into 2026."
Potts said US beef processors welcome a fact-based discussion about beef affordability and how best to meet the needs of US consumers, adding that beef packers remain committed to ensuring beef remains affordable to US families.
"We welcome the president and his team to visit our members' beef facilities, both large and small, to witness firsthand the pride, skill, and dedication they bring to their work every single day,” she said.
The Administration's investigation follows the recent USDA announcement of a plan to lower beef prices and strengthen the cattle sector, with a focus on strengthening US cattle production through endangered-species reforms, enhanced disaster relief, expanded grazing access and improved access to capital and risk-management tools.
The USDA plan includes ending the current practice by global beef packers of labeling foreign beef with a “Product of USA” label, encouraging procurement of domestic beef for USDA Child Nutrition Programs, expanding opportunities for smaller beef packers and growing the domestic cattle herd.
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