Senators Jon Tester, Chuck Grassley, and Mike Rounds reintroduced their ?Meat Packing Special Investigator Act? to fight consolidation and enforce the national anti-trust laws. The bill would create the ?Office of the Special Investigator for Competition Matters? within the USDA. The office would be made up of a team of investigators that have subpoena power and would be responsible for targeting and preventing anti-competitive practices among large players in the meat and poultry industries. ?Anti-competitive behavior in the meat packing industry hurts both consumers and producers,? Rounds says. ?Unfortunately, packer concentration in the beef industry today is more consolidated than it was when the Packers and Stockyards Act was first signed into law over 100 years ago.? Only four companies operate 18 of the top 20 beef slaughter facilities in the country. ?It?s time we beef up the available tools to protect farm families and folks at the meat counter,? said Grassley.
Senators reintroduce bill to defend cattle producers
