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State cattle groups ask DOJ to conduct investigation

Twenty-three state cattle groups are urging the Department of Justice to investigate the extreme market shifts negatively affecting beef pricing margins.

Their letter sent Friday to Attorney General William Barr says the Holcomb, Kansas packing plant fire last summer and the COVID-19 pandemic have caused “extreme market degradation to the producer segment” followed quickly by “sharp increases and unseasonal profitability to the packing segment” through boxed beef prices.

The cattle groups tell Barr they understand there is a pending USDA investigation but they believe the Justice Department (DOJ) would be the appropriate agency to open an investigation while supporting the USDA’s.

They say the undue financial burden for all cattle producers is hurting rural America both now and in the long term.

Nebraska Cattlemen’s was one of the first to call for an investigation (Oregon Cattlemen’s Association was first, on March 31, 2020) – Read our story below:

Nebraska Cattlemen’s group calls for DOJ investigation of packer practices