The Trump meatpacking investigation is now underway as President Trump directs the Department of Justice to probe price gouging by major meatpacking companies. While that’s a positive move, the real solution lies closer to home — allowing small beef producers to process and sell locally, just as they already can with poultry.
What Just Happened?
On Friday, November 7th, 2025, President Trump announced that he’s directing the DOJ to investigate major meatpacking companies for “Illicit Collusion, Price Fixing, and Price Manipulation.” Ground beef hit a record $6.32 per pound in September, and American families are feeling the squeeze at the grocery store.
Trump specifically called out that American ranchers are being blamed for high prices when the real culprits are the “Majority Foreign Owned Meat Packers, who artificially inflate prices, and jeopardize the security of our Nation’s food supply.”
He’s not wrong. Just four companies—Tyson, Cargill, JBS, and National Beef—control over 80% of the beef market. Two of those companies (JBS and National Beef) are Brazilian-owned subsidiaries. These corporate giants have already faced multiple lawsuits for price-fixing, with Tyson and Cargill recently agreeing to pay $87.5 million in settlements, and JBS paying $83.5 million—all without admitting wrongdoing.
The Problem Runs Deeper Than Price-Fixing
While investigating these meatpacking monopolies is important, it won’t solve the underlying problem: small cattle farmers have no alternative.
Right now, if you’re a small cattle rancher, you have exactly two options:
- Sell to the Big Four meatpackers at whatever price they’re willing to pay (which keeps getting lower)
- Sell quarters, halves, or whole animals through custom exempt processing (which severely limits your market)
That’s it. Unlike poultry farmers, cattle ranchers can’t process their animals and sell individual cuts—steaks, ground beef, roasts—directly to their local community. They’re completely at the mercy of the corporate meatpacking monopoly.
The Solution Already Exists for Chicken—Why Not Beef?
Here’s what most people don’t know: small poultry farmers can already do exactly what cattle ranchers can’t.
Under federal law, a poultry farmer can:
- Process up to 1,000 or 20,000 birds per year (depending on the exemption level)
- Sell individual, packaged chicken cuts directly to consumers
- Sell at farmers markets, to local restaurants, and even to local stores
- Keep 100% of the retail value instead of getting squeezed by corporate processors
This poultry exemption has been a game-changer for small chicken farmers. It’s created thriving local food systems, kept more money in rural communities, and given consumers access to high-quality, locally-raised poultry.
So why can’t cattle ranchers do the same thing?
A Beef Exemption Would Be a Game-Changer
Imagine if small cattle ranchers could process a limited number of animals per year—say, 10 to 20 head—and sell individual cuts directly to their community.
Here’s what would happen:
For Farmers:
- They’d capture the full retail value of their cattle instead of getting pennies on the dollar from Big Four processors
- They could build direct relationships with local customers who value quality beef
- They’d have a real alternative when corporate buyers try to lowball them
- Small operations could actually stay in business
For Communities:
- Consumers would have access to locally-raised beef they can trust
- Money would stay in the local economy instead of flowing to Brazilian corporations
- Rural processing infrastructure would be rebuilt
- Local jobs would be created
For the Industry:
- Real competition would emerge, putting pressure on the Big Four to offer fair prices
- The stranglehold of the meatpacking monopoly would finally be broken
- American ranchers wouldn’t be “blamed for what is being done by Majority Foreign Owned Meat Packers,” as Trump put it
The Regulatory Burden is Already Crushing Small Operators
Right now, if a small farmer wants to sell individual beef cuts, they must use a USDA-inspected facility. There are only about 90 such facilities nationwide, and some states have none at all.
The cost and complexity of becoming USDA-certified is prohibitive for small processors—it takes at least two years and enormous capital investment. Meanwhile, the few USDA processors that exist often don’t value small producers, leading to scheduling nightmares, incorrect orders, and a “take it or leave it” attitude.
Custom processors, on the other hand, provide excellent service to small farmers. They’re careful, they’re local, and they care about quality. But under current law, meat processed at custom facilities can only be consumed by the owner of the live animal—it cannot be sold, even locally.
This makes no sense. The USDA has no records of any foodborne illness traced to custom slaughterhouses since 2012. These facilities are already regulated, already inspected periodically, and already following food safety protocols. They’re doing everything right—except they’re forbidden from serving the broader local market.
It’s Time for the PRIME Act—Or a Presidential Solution
The Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption (PRIME) Act has been introduced in Congress to address exactly this problem. It would allow farmers to use local custom processors and sell the meat within their state—direct to consumers, restaurants, and retailers.
But given President Trump’s clear concern about the meatpacking monopoly and his desire to protect American ranchers, he could push for this solution right now.
An executive order or regulatory change creating a limited beef exemption—similar to what already exists for poultry—would:
- Immediately give small ranchers an alternative to the Big Four
- Create competition that would naturally lower prices
- Support local food systems and rural economies
- Require no taxpayer money and no new bureaucracy
The Bottom Line
Investigating the Big Four meatpackers for price-fixing is necessary. But it’s not sufficient.
Even if these companies are forced to pay fines, they’ll still control 80% of the market. Small ranchers will still have no alternatives. Prices will still be dictated by corporate boardrooms in Brazil.
The real solution is to break their monopoly by empowering small farmers to process and sell locally—just like we already allow with chickens.
President Trump said it himself: “We will always protect our American Ranchers.”
If he’s serious about that, the path forward is clear: give cattle ranchers the same exemption that poultry farmers already enjoy. Let small farmers serve their local communities. Let competition work the way it’s supposed to.
The regulatory framework already exists. The local processors are ready. The customers are eager for local beef.
All we need is the political will to make it happen.
DRAFT LEGISLATION: Small Cattle Producer Exemption Act
For legislators ready to act, here’s a working draft based on the existing poultry exemption framework:
SHORT TITLE
This Act may be cited as the “Small Cattle Producer Exemption Act” or “Local Beef Act.”
PURPOSE
To amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act to provide an exemption from continuous inspection requirements for small-scale cattle producers who slaughter and process a limited number of cattle for direct sale within the state, modeled after existing exemptions under the Poultry Products Inspection Act.
FINDINGS
Congress finds that:
- Four meatpacking companies control over 80% of the beef market, creating an effective monopoly that harms both producers and consumers.
- Small cattle producers have no economically viable alternative to selling to large corporate meatpackers, who increasingly pay below-market prices.
- The Poultry Products Inspection Act currently allows small poultry producers to process up to 1,000 or 20,000 birds annually and sell directly to consumers, restaurants, and retailers within their state without continuous inspection.
- Custom-exempt slaughter facilities have demonstrated excellent food safety records, with USDA reporting no foodborne illness outbreaks traced to custom slaughterhouses since 2012.
- Allowing small cattle producers to process limited numbers of animals and sell individual cuts locally would strengthen local food systems, support rural economies, and provide meaningful competition to corporate meatpackers.
- Such an exemption would require no federal funding and minimal regulatory burden while providing immediate relief to struggling small ranchers.
EXEMPTION PROVISIONS
Section 1: Small Cattle Producer Exemption
A producer who raises cattle may slaughter and process those cattle for sale without continuous USDA inspection, provided that:
(a) Annual Limit: The producer slaughters no more than 20 head of cattle in a calendar year that were raised on the producer’s premises.
(b) Intrastate Sales Only: All products are sold within the state where the cattle were raised and processed.
(c) Allowed Sales Channels: Products may be sold:
- Directly to individual consumers
- To restaurants and food service establishments
- To retail stores
- At farmers markets and similar venues
(d) Processing Location: Slaughter and processing must occur:
- On the producer’s premises, OR
- At a custom-exempt processing facility that meets state and federal sanitation requirements
(e) Labeling Requirements: All packaged products must include:
- The name and address of the producer
- A statement reading “Exempt from Continuous USDA Inspection – Small Producer”
- Safe handling instructions
- Accurate product identification (cut, weight, etc.)
- The statement “Not for resale”
(f) Recordkeeping: Producers must maintain records for two years showing:
- Number of cattle processed annually
- Sales receipts
- Processing dates and locations
Section 2: Facility Requirements
Processing facilities used under this exemption must:
- Meet state and local health and safety requirements
- Have adequate potable water supply
- Have proper wastewater handling capabilities
- Maintain sanitary conditions to prevent adulteration
- Comply with humane handling requirements
- Be subject to periodic risk-based inspection by USDA or state authorities
Section 3: State Cooperation
States may:
- Adopt additional requirements for operations under this exemption
- Establish their own inspection programs that meet or exceed these standards
- Set lower annual limits (but not higher limits without separate federal approval)
Section 4: Prohibition on Sales
Products processed under this exemption may NOT be:
- Sold across state lines
- Resold by retailers to other retailers
- Sold online to out-of-state customers
- Exported internationally
Section 5: Implementation Timeline
This exemption shall take effect 90 days after enactment, allowing USDA time to issue guidance to producers and processors.
WHY THIS WORKS
This draft mirrors the proven poultry exemption framework while addressing beef’s specific considerations:
- 20 head annual limit is equivalent to approximately 12,000-14,000 pounds of beef—reasonable for a small operation serving a local community
- No new bureaucracy – uses existing custom processors and state inspection infrastructure
- Proven safety record – custom facilities already operate safely under similar rules
- Preserves federal oversight – periodic risk-based inspections continue
- Protects interstate commerce – products stay within state boundaries
- Immediate implementation – no waiting for new regulations or funding
- Economic impact – helps small farmers survive while creating local competition for Big Four meatpackers
CALL TO ACTION
To Legislators: This bill can be introduced in either the House or Senate. It requires no appropriations and faces minimal opposition from constituents who want access to local beef.
To Farmers: Contact your representatives and senators. Share your story about the squeeze you’re facing from corporate meatpackers.
To Consumers: Tell your elected officials you want access to locally-raised beef from farmers you know and trust.
The time to act is now. President Trump has opened the door by calling out the meatpacking monopoly. Let’s give him—and American ranchers—a real solution.