Trump called the Big Four meatpacking plants foreign cartels

A Bloomberg article published over the weekend reported that President Trump called on the US Department of Justice to investigate the so-called “Big Four” meatpacking companies, “which have complete control over the processing, distribution, and pricing of beef in the US.” Trump’s allegations are serious: price fixing and market manipulation by the so-called “foreign-owned meatpacking companies.” Collectively, the “Big Four” control 85% of the US beef market, which, according to the White House, amounts to a monopoly, allowing the companies to drastically cut payments to farmers, reduce livestock herds, inflate consumer prices, and threaten the nation’s food supply, Bloomberg stated.

“Action must be taken immediately to protect consumers, combat illegal monopolies, and ensure these corporations do not profit criminally at the expense of the American people,” Trump wrote on his social media account. The Big Four themselves chose not to comment on the investigation or the president’s accusations. However, the Meat Institute, a trade group representing meat and poultry processors, stated that beef producers are suffering losses due to limited cattle supplies and high demand. Recent actions by the Trump administration have worried many American farmers, particularly the trade standoff with China, which prompted China to stop purchasing American soybeans, and Trump’s threat to import more beef from Argentina.

President Trump may have regained some of his support among farmers by attacking four of the most prominent names in agribusiness: Minnesota-based Cargill, one of the largest private companies in the country; Tyson Foods, a major meat and poultry processor from Arkansas; as well as JBS in Colorado and National Beef Packing Company in Missouri. The latter two are owned by companies from Brazil, but their U.S. headquarters are located in those states. According to a Bloomberg analysis, the US beef market was valued at over $108 billion in 2024.

Tags: Beef cattle, USA