Washington, D.C. — The American Economic Liberties Project today released the following statement in response to President Biden’s “Action Plan for a Fairer, More Competitive, and More Resilient Meat and Poultry Supply Chain.”

“American farmers and ranchers have been fighting for decades for a President to acknowledge and address the abusive power of the meatpacking and poultry cartels. With his Action Plan today, President Biden is starting to do that,” said J.D. Scholten, Senior Advisor at the American Economic Liberties Project. “The President’s plan strengthens financing options for small and independent processors – and makes inspections more affordable. It promises more robust “Product of USA” labeling rules. And crucially, it calls on the USDA, DOJ and FTC to work together. These policies are important, but to build a fair, sustainable agriculture sector, the President must also take aggressive action to dismantle the monopoly power of meatpacking and poultry giants. We will fight with farmers and ranchers, workers, and everyday Americans to ensure he does.”

Severe corporate concentration in agriculture is shuttering smaller farms and ranches, crushing workers, and leaving families across the country unable to afford sky-high grocery bills. To learn more, read “Courage to Learn: Agriculture.”

###

The American Economic Liberties Project works to ensure America’s system of commerce is structured to advance, rather than undermine, economic liberty, fair commerce, and a secure, inclusive democracy. Economic Liberties believes true economic liberty means entrepreneurs and businesses large and small succeed on the merits of their ideas and hard work; commerce empowers consumers, workers, farmers, and engineers instead of subjecting them to discrimination and abuse from financiers and monopolists; foreign trade arrangements support domestic security and democracy; and wealth is broadly distributed to support equitable political power.