WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), along with five other cosponsors have reintroduced the Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act of 2025. The bill was introduced in 2022 and 2023, moving out of committee in 2022 and voted on the Senate floor.
The legislation would create the “Office of the Special Investigator for Competition Matters” within the Packers & Stockyards Division at USDA and addresses anticompetitive markets and vertical consolidation in the meatpacking industry. The Office of the Special Investigator would hold legal powers to address violations of the Packers and Stockyards Act taken by large meatpackers. The office would also serve as a liaison to the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of Homeland Security.
“Producers have gone too long without fair options when it comes to processors and
meatpackers. The industry is much more consolidated than is equitable, with the four largest beef packers controlling 85 percent of the space. USCA is grateful to Senators Wyden, Grassley, Rounds, Hyde-Smith, and Hoeven and their counterparts for championing this bipartisan bill that is vital to the longevity of small, independent processors,” U.S. Cattlemen’s Association President Justin Tupper said.
The House released their version of the bill, introduced by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), on March 20.
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USCA
