President Trump said Friday his administration is preparing legal action aimed at giving farmers and ranchers more freedom to process and sell meat, a move he says would increase competition in the highly concentrated meatpacking industry.
The announcement comes after a presidential proclamation on August 26th that will allow an additional 300,000 metric tons of lean beef trimmings into the U.S. at reduced tariff rates beginning September 1st.
Trump said legal documents were being prepared quickly, following comments earlier last week questioning federal restrictions on beef processing, according to Reuters.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said additional announcements are expected Monday, including efforts to expand interstate sales and support smaller processors. Currently, four companies, Cargill, Tyson Foods, JBS USA, and National Beef Packing Co., control about 85% of U.S. meat processing.
Federal law generally requires meat sold commercially across state lines to be processed under federal inspection.
The Meat Institute warned that weakening inspection requirements could jeopardize food safety. USDA has previously expanded programs allowing qualifying state-inspected processors to participate in interstate commerce.
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