Senate bill proposes breaking up large meatpacking companies
A group of U.S. senators has introduced the Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act, a bill intended to address concentration in the American meatpacking industry. According to a press release announcing the legislation, the proposal would require structural changes in the sector, including limits on how much market share large meatpacking companies can control and restrictions on companies operating across multiple major meat categories.
The legislation would direct the Federal Trade Commission to enforce those limits and, if necessary, require companies to divest processing plants or business units to restore competition. The bill also proposes caps on beef market concentration, restrictions on foreign control in the domestic meat sector, and measures aimed at preventing discriminatory pricing practices that smaller grocers say disadvantage them in wholesale markets.
Additional provisions would authorize federal financial support for cooperatives and small businesses seeking to acquire or expand meatpacking facilities, with the stated goal of increasing competition, strengthening supply chains, and improving market access for farmers and ranchers.
Watch the announcement:
