DOJ Launches Antitrust Probe into Meatpacking Companies Over Alleged Price Fixing and Collusion

ASHINGTON — The Department of Justice Antitrust Division has opened a criminal investigation into major meatpacking companies accused of illicit collusion, price fixing, and market manipulation that has driven up beef prices for consumers while suppressing prices paid to American ranchers.

The probe follows President Donald Trump’s direct order in November 2025, when he publicly directed the DOJ to act against what he called “majority foreign-owned meat packers” artificially inflating boxed beef prices. Trump stated: “I have asked the DOJ to immediately begin an investigation into the Meat Packing Companies who are driving up the price of Beef through Illicit Collusion, Price Fixing, and Price Manipulation.” He added, “We will always protect our American Ranchers, and they are being blamed for what is being done by Majority Foreign Owned Meat Packers, who artificially inflate prices, and jeopardize the security of our Nation’s food supply.”

The Wall Street Journal first reported the criminal nature of the inquiry on April 20, 2026, confirming the DOJ is examining whether packers coordinated to limit cattle supply, suppress prices paid to producers, and inflate downstream consumer prices.

The investigation targets the industry’s concentrated control. The “Big Four” — JBS (Brazilian-owned), Tyson Foods, Cargill, and National Beef — process roughly 85% of U.S. beef. Beef prices have soared nearly 50% since July 2020, with ground beef and steak costs remaining elevated, while cattle prices paid to ranchers have dropped sharply — a gap Trump described as “fishy.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi reposted Trump’s directive and confirmed the DOJ is working jointly with the USDA on the matter. The probe focuses on potential violations of Section 1 of the Sherman Act, including capacity controls, coordinated purchasing, and sharing of market intelligence.

This marks the second major DOJ review of the sector under Trump. A prior investigation launched in his first term was closed without charges shortly before the new order.

For American families struggling with record-high grocery bills and ranchers squeezed by decades of industry consolidation, the investigation represents a long-overdue effort to restore fair competition in the food supply chain and protect consumers and producers from what the administration calls illegal monopolistic practices. The DOJ has not named specific companies in public statements, and no charges have been filed.