Trump moves to allow ranchers to process their own beef amid industry concentration concerns
The White House announced plans to let farmers and ranchers process meat for sale, aiming to reduce reliance on a few large meatpackers while also addressing high beef prices.
President Donald Trump said on Friday that his administration will draft legal measures to give farmers and ranchers the right to process meat for commercial sale, a step intended to lessen the influence of a small number of large meat-packing firms. The proposal follows criticism from cattle producers and some members of Congress over a separate plan to temporarily permit tariff-free imports of up to 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef.
Four companies—Cargill, Tyson Foods, JBS USA and National Beef Packing—currently handle about 85% of U.S. meat-processing capacity, a concentration that ranchers say limits their market options and forces smaller operations to use distant, federally inspected facilities. Existing regulations allow ranchers to slaughter animals for personal use, but meat sold commercially must be processed in facilities that meet federal safety standards.
The administration has not released the specific language of the initiative, and it is unclear how far an executive action can alter current rules. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins indicated that the government will begin outlining beef-processing actions on Monday, including measures to reduce regulatory hurdles, support smaller processors and expand the ability of ranchers to sell meat across state lines.
"We are working to give ranchers more flexibility and to break down barriers that have limited competition in the meat industry," Rollins said.
The move comes as beef prices remain high and the national cattle herd is at its lowest level in about 75 years, a situation attributed to drought, high production costs and a prolonged reduction in herd size. Officials say the new policy aims to help lower grocery costs without further harming domestic producers.