Nebraska Rural Radio Association: Legislation may aim to break up meatpacking monopoly
(Paul Pack/KRVN)
March 4th, 2026 | Steve White
Senate Democrats are preparing legislation aimed at breaking up large meatpacking companies.
Democratic lawmakers have met with groups including R-CALF USA and the National Farmers Union.
Mike Callicrate, a member of R-CALF said following that meeting that “It’s past time to enforce anti-trust laws and break up the meat monopolies like Congress did in the 1920s. Otherwise, consumer prices will remain disconnected from prices paid to producers and will likely keep rising.”
The effort follows a new report from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer highlighting the so-called “Big Four” meatpackers — Tyson Foods, JBS, Cargill and National Beef.
Schumer’s report argues that farmers and ranchers are being squeezed by higher input costs and fewer buyers for their livestock.
“When farmers make less and consumers pay more, the winner is clear: the monopoly in the middle,” the Schumer report states.
According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Schumer plans to introduce legislation to break up what he sees as a monopoly while increasing scrutiny of foreign-owned firms
Republicans and industry groups have pushed back on similar claims in the past, arguing consolidation has also brought efficiencies and lower costs. The proposed legislation has not yet been formally introduced.
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