President Donald J. Trump has directed the Department of Justice to investigate the nation’s largest meat packing companies for potential collusion, price fixing, and manipulation, with a focus on foreign-owned or heavily foreign-influenced firms.
The probe targets the “Big Four” meat packers — JBS (Brazil), Cargill, Tyson Foods, and National Beef — which together control approximately 85% of the U.S. beef processing market, a sharp increase from 36% in 1980. Two of these companies, including the world’s largest meat packer, are foreign-owned or significantly controlled by foreign interests.
The administration says the investigation aims to protect farmers, ranchers, and consumers from artificially inflated prices caused by industry consolidation. Over the past several decades, the share of fed cattle purchased by the top four packers has grown from roughly one-third in the 1980s to more than 80% by the mid-1990s, concentrating market power and squeezing competition.
“For too long, a handful of giant meat packers have squeezed America’s cattle producers, shrunk herds, and jacked up prices at the grocery store,” President Trump said. “This investigation will root out any illegal collusion, restore fair competition, and protect our food security.”
Officials point to evidence that consolidation has reduced payments to ranchers, limited herd sizes, and driven up consumer prices, raising concerns about the resilience of the nation’s food supply chain.
The Department of Justice will examine whether these companies have violated antitrust laws through coordinated pricing or capacity restrictions, a move the administration says is necessary to ensure a competitive market and safeguard America’s agricultural economy.