Trump Moves to Let Ranchers Process Own Meat

President Donald Trump announced on Friday that his administration will take steps to allow farmers and ranchers to process their own food, a move aimed at breaking the dominance of four major meatpacking companies in the U.S. beef industry. The announcement, made via a post on Truth Social, comes amid growing criticism from agricultural producers over industry consolidation and recent tariff policies.

In his statement, Trump described the current market as a "nasty Monopoly" controlled by four companies, which he said makes life miserable for farmers and ranchers. He stated he is "authorizing legal documents to be drawn in order to allow Farmers and Ranchers to be given the right to PROCESS THEIR OWN FOOD," adding the effort "should move quickly." The four dominant firms identified across multiple reports are Cargill, Tyson Foods, JBS USA, and National Beef Packing Co., which together handle approximately 85 percent of U.S. beef processing.

The president's announcement followed an interview on Wednesday with conservative commentator Glenn Beck, who owns a ranch and urged Trump to address what he called a "meat-processing cartel." Beck argued that stringent federal regulations...