Trump announces plan to let farmers process their own food
Published in Political News
President Donald Trump said he plans to authorize farmers and ranchers to process their own food in the administration’s latest bid to lower the price of beef ahead of the U.S. midterm elections in November.
Trump posted Friday on social media that he would direct legal documents to be drawn up in order to “break this powerful monopoly” among processors. It is unclear if Trump has the authority to make such changes, and the practical effect of any coming directive remains unclear.
“I am authorizing legal documents to be drawn in order to allow Farmers and Ranchers to be given the right to PROCESS THEIR OWN FOOD. This should move quickly,” he posted.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said there would be more announcements Monday, including on plans to “waive red tape in processing” and “expanding ranchers ability to sell across state lines.”
Trump has sought to find ways to lower the price of beef as the cost of living dominates voters’ concerns ahead of the election, including by boosting foreign imports and launching an antitrust probe into meatpackers. The president’s announcement came days after he said was urged by a conservative media personality to change federal regulations on beef processing. But he has declined to offer details of what he is considering.
Earlier this week, Trump signed an order to ease tariffs on ground beef imports beginning on Sept. 1, a move that triggered backlash from some ranchers and Republicans who said it would damage the domestic industry.
Friday’s comment is the latest from Trump as he tries to address consolidation in agriculture, particularly in the beef industry. The Justice Department already has an ongoing antitrust probe into the meatpacking industry as beef prices have skyrocketed to records. About 85% of the U.S.’s cattle are purchased by just four companies, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The U.S.’s Tyson Foods Inc. and Cargill Inc., as well as Brazilian-owned JBS NV and National Beef Packing Co., dominate the market. The USDA is also trying to encourage competition and earlier this summer committed as much as $500 million in payments to help mid-size beef processors weather elevated cattle prices.
JBS shares fell as much as 1.8% in New York. Tyson shares fell as much as 0.6%.
A cattle shortage has pushed beef prices up while also hurting the margins of meatpackers. Sales volumes are also weakening as Americans are finally showing signs that they have reached their limit after two years of surging beef prices.
MBRF Global Foods Co., which owns National Beef, declined to comment. JBS, Tyson and Cargill didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Justice Department has also been investigating whether several leading producers of commercial fertilizers colluded to raise prices. Only a handful of companies control the supply of most fertilizer in the U.S., which has raised concern among farmers and government officials as prices have spiked in part due to the war in Iran.
Trump first announced his plans to provide the tariff relief on Aug. 21, saying the U.S. would allow as much as 300,000 metric tons of ground beef product to come into the country without being subject to duties for imports that exceed a certain quota.
(With assistance from Jeff Sutherland and Dayanne Sousa.)
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