investments

NCBA Applauds Letter Urging DOJ Investigation

Dan Cattle

ncba

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) applauded a bicameral letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland about a potential Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into anti-competitive practices in the meatpacking industry.

Senator John Thune (R-SD) and Representative Dusty Johnson (R-SD-AL) led the letter. “We have a high supply of cattle at one end of this equation and a high demand for U.S. beef at the other, but the middle is being absolutely choked by the lack of processing capacity. It’s in the best interests of both producers and consumers for the Department of Justice to get to the bottom of the current market dynamics and assess why they seemingly always result in producers getting the short end of the deal,” said NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. “Cattle producers deserve to know whether or not the price disparity that has plagued our market is the result of anti-competitive or other inappropriate practices in the packing sector. We thank Senator Thune and Congressman Johnson for keeping up the drumbeat on this critical issue. We hope their bicameral request for a progress report will be met at DOJ with the urgency it warrants, and we hope to see results from the Attorney General soon.”

Click here to read the full text of the letter.