News Brief
The Biden administration it would use $1 billion from the American Rescue Plan to help small and independent meat processors.
The funds are intended to counteract corporate consolidation across the industry. Only four companies own about 85% of the beef processing market. Top hog and chicken processors have majority market control, too.
Early in the pandemic, the companies鈥� large processing plants slowed down as workers got sick. With so many animals needing processing, and limited alternatives to the major companies, livestock prices for farmers and ranchers sunk while consumer prices soared.
Still, the big processors profited, as an recently published by the White House shows.
鈥淐apitalism without competition isn鈥檛 capitalism. It鈥檚 exploitation,鈥� President Joe Biden said on Monday.
The issues with large processors and a move towards smaller butchers didn鈥檛 start when COVID-19 came to the U.S., though.
鈥淭here were already bottlenecks,鈥� said Dawn Thilmany, a Colorado State University professor of agricultural economics.
鈥淪o of course, when the shock happened almost two years ago, it only exacerbated the issue. And, in addition, we鈥檝e seen some additional interest from consumers in wanting to support local businesses.鈥�
Instead, she says the pandemic was the impetus for state and federal agencies to finally start taking action.
鈥淚t was the market driving it anyway, and it鈥檚 just the government stepping in to help support and grow something faster than the market could get there entirely by itself,鈥� she said.
Already, Thilmany says efforts last year (bothand federal) helped increase competition. And she says the new federal grants and loans could help even more small processors open up shop.
鈥淪ome people have concerns about the government getting too involved in the private sector, but in places like this where there was clearly some supply chain disruptions and bottlenecks 鈥� I think that gives people a little less concern,鈥� she said.
The funding also includes job training and bolstering related industries, like cold storage. Beyond that, federal plans include on what they consider unfair competition among producers.
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