President Donald Trump announced Friday that he is drawing up legal documents to allow farmers and ranchers to process their own food, bypassing USDA-inspected facilities. The move aims to combat a meat processing monopoly, following agricultural backlash over a recent pause on foreign beef tariffs.
The Monopoly Problem and the Push for Rancher Processing
The announcement follows a conversation earlier in the week between the president and conservative radio host and ranch owner Glenn Beck, who argued that federal regulations prevent ranchers from slaughtering and selling their own animals. Four major companies—Cargill, Tyson Foods, JBS USA, and National Beef Packing Co.—control about 85% of U.S. meat processing, according to industry figures compiled by Reuters.
Trump took to social media to denounce those dominant companies. For years I have heard that they have had a tremendous problem with the Big Processors, who many say are a nasty Monopoly,
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding that these companies make life miserable for our wonderful Farmers and Ranchers, and I can’t let that happen, can I?
Trump added that This should move quickly,
stating he is authorizing legal documents to be drawn in order to allow Farmers and Ranchers to be given the right to PROCESS THEIR OWN FOOD.
Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to a request for more details on the order, which comes as consumers continue to face rising grocery prices ahead of November’s midterm election. The four major companies also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Tariff-Free Beef Backlash and Supply Pressures
The push to bypass traditional inspection facilities arrives amid discontent from the agricultural sector over a decision to pause U.S. tariffs on foreign beef. The administration announced the U.S. will temporarily import up to 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef without charging higher tariffs in an effort to bring down prices. Trump praised farmers and ranchers on social media, describing them as smart, efficient, and immaculately CLEAN
and claiming the agricultural sector had always been a number one priority for me.
Republican lawmakers have warned in recent days that “flooding” stores with imports will hit U.S. ranchers, suggesting the move is a short-term solution that will hinder cattle farmers from building out their herd amid a 75-year low. Farm groups and ranchers have argued for years that consolidation makes it difficult for small producers to stay afloat because there are not many companies competing to buy their cattle, forcing them to transport animals to USDA-inspected meat processing plants sometimes at a high cost. Trump’s move comes as the nation’s meat processing sector grapples with a 75-year trough in supply as rising cattle costs outpace gains from soaring prices, and the Justice Department has said it is investigating whether meatpacking companies were illegally driving up consumer beef prices.
Upcoming Administration Announcements and Industry Pushback
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins posted on X that there would be big announcements
beginning on Monday related to beef processing to facilitate the president’s plan. Rollins said it was a matter of national security
that the U.S. was able to feed and fuel ourselves,
outlining that her department would waive red tape in processing,
expand ranchers’ ability to sell across state lines,
provide added support for smaller meat processors, and rescind outdated guidance.
Both the Biden and Trump administrations have steered funds towards supporting smaller meat processors in an attempt to offer more options to ranchers, though the Trump administration has indicated it will rescind rules implemented by former President Joe Biden that attempted to promote competition and fairer pay for chicken farmers.
Meatpacking representatives raised alarms regarding food safety standards.
“Allowing uninspected meat to be sold to unwitting consumers is the wrong approach, and risks undermining this country’s reputation for producing the safest meat products in the world. If the goal is to lower beef prices for American families, lowering food safety standards is the wrong response.”
The Meat Institute
Regulatory Authority and Congressional Roadblocks
Legal and regulatory hurdles stand in the way of the administration’s stated goals. Meat is inspected by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, which posts inspectors at meat processing plants to ensure products meet federal standards, and ranchers are generally prohibited by federal law from selling meat from animals they have slaughtered and processed themselves, with some exceptions. It is not clear what authority the administration has to enact these changes since there are strict regulatory requirements in place.
A bill that would ease USDA inspections for small ranches and farmers to sell meat directly to consumers is now stalled in Congress. Thomas Massie, a Republican congressman from Kentucky and one of the bipartisan sponsors of the bill, said the president’s action was “greatbut stated that
it should be a law, not just an executive order.”
