Justice Dept. Investigates Meatpackers for Price Manipulation

0:00It's April 20th, from breaking headlines to national stories. This is US News Today, powered by AI. The Justice Department is digging into big meat packers, checking if they rig cattle prices or teamed up to manipulate the market. Trump kicked us off back in November, pointing fingers at mostly foreign-owned companies for short-changing ranchers while jacking up what we pay at. The store. Beef prices are still climbing, with ground beef hitting $6.32 a pound, last September, and stakes at $12.62. Since, newer numbers show ground beef in the upper $6 range, and stakes following suit, keeping the squeeze on families. Ranchers have long griped about shady contracts tied to pricing benchmarks that seem easy to game. Officials like agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins blamed the last administration's cattle policies, plus droughts that shrink herds, and in eight. Percent jump in beef demand. Many Secretary Scott Besson added that diseases linked to illegal immigration, like the

1:02new world's grew worm from South America, forced import, restrictions and worsened the supply crunch. It's all hitting at once, what they call a perfect storm. The admins not stopping there, probing eggs, fertilizer, seeds, and even prepping a case against egg producers. Trump also signed an order to cut tariffs on imported beef and other goods, aiming to cool things down for consumers fast.