The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is conducting an intense antitrust investigation into the 'Big 4' meatpacking companies including JBS, Cargill, Tyson Foods, National Beef (Marfrig) due to concerns over high beef prices and market concentration.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized that the DOJ is using all available tools to combat anticompetitive behavior and lower food prices, hinting at potential criminal and civil actions. The investigation follows earlier pandemic-era inquiries into worker safety and previous price-fixing allegations in the poultry industry.
The probe, which was launched following a presidential directive, focuses on allegations of price-fixing, collusion, and anticompetitive behavior, with over 3 million documents already reviewed. The administration has framed this action as a crucial step for food security and restoring a fair marketplace for producers and consumers. Trump made meatpacking investigation a campaign promise but after being elected, the antitrust staff was gutted.
The key aspects of the investigation concern four companies control over 85% of the US beef market, raising concerns about competition and fairness to producers, possible collusion to manipulate prices and reduce options for independent ranchers. Ranchers have accused large packers of tampering with scales and using market power to pay farmers less than the fair value of their cattle.
JBS, the world's largest meat packer, pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court to paying nearly $180 million in bribes to officials to secure state-backed financing for its U.S. acquisitions. JBS S.A. is controlled by the Batista family in Brazil through their holding company, J&F Investimentos. JBS owners, brothers Joesley and Wesley Batista, have a heavily documented history of major corruption, including paying over $150 million in bribes to roughly 1,900 Brazilian politicians, leading to a record $3.2 billion fine.
Through their holding company, J&F Investimentos, they have faced charges for insider trading, money laundering, and using bribes for government- subsidized loans.
U.S. lawmakers have criticized the USDA for allowing a foreign-owned company involved in corruption scandals to receive funds meant for American farmers. JBS received approximately $62.4 million in 2019 from USDA funds aimed at helping farmers impacted by retaliatory tariffs. The USDA also awarded a $22.3 million contract to JBS USA in 2019 to purchase pork, according to. Some reports indicate that over several years, JBS has received hundreds of millions of dollars in USDA procurement contracts.
Marfrig Global Foods S.A., which holds a 51% controlling stake in National Beef Packing Company, LLC, is controlled by founders Marcos Antonio Molina dos Santos and Márcia dos Santos. Marfrig Global Foods and its leadership have faced accusations of corruption, including a 2018 bribery investigation ('Cui Bono') regarding irregular loans from a state-run bank, and allegations of insider trading.
The company has also faced allegations of purchasing cattle from illegally deforested areas.
In response to Marfrig purchasing an almost onebillion- dollar stake in the National Beef Packing Company, U.S. Cattlemen’s Association sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and the Committee on Foreign Investment asking that the purchase be reviewed. The letter claimed the acquisition threatened American food security by opening the door for inferior quality meat from Brazil as well as alleging Marfrig used bribes to obtain loans from the Brazilian National Development Bank, which funded its purchase of National Beef.
The acquisition made Marfrig the second largest beef processor in the world, with a slaughtering capacity of 8.3 million per year with the combined operations and consolidated sales of $13 billion. Also, gaining control over National Beef opened the gates to exports markets such as Japan and South Korea, which were then closed to Brazilian beef. But the problems have existed for years, with many problems left untouched by legislation.
In 1906, Upton Sinclair's famous exposé revealed horrific unsanitary conditions and corrupt practices, such as processing spoiled meat for sale. This led to directly to the first major federal oversight laws to combat industry corruption – the Federal Meat Inspection Act. In 2018, the USDA dissolved its independent oversight agency for the meat industry (GIPSA), a move seen by advocates as catering to agribusiness interests.
Agribusiness interests spend hundreds of millions to influence legislation, with over $500 million spent on lobbying efforts since the 2018 Farm Bill. Large, often foreign-owned packers like JBS have been accused of spending millions in the U.S. political system to prevent regulation.
Proposed legislation to break up major packers often faces partisan divides, with some bills lacking bipartisan support in the Senate, leading to uncertain futures for reform efforts.
More recently, the DOJ has been urged to dig deeper into potential collusion following years of soaring beef prices despite stagnant cattle prices. In early 2026, major processors reached a $202.7 million settlement over allegations they conspired to keep worker wages illegally low.