In 2019, a single Tyson-owned beef processing plant in Kansas, which processed around six percent of American beef on its own, was closed for months following a large fire. The COVID-19 pandemic caused processing and packing plants to close, which led to additional shortfalls and interruptions in an already uneasy market. Finally, JBS was hit by a ransomware attack that shutdown their plants and stopped production for days.

The fact that these three disruptions impacted our supply chains so severely highlights the problems created by over consolidation in this industry. Anticompetitive practices in the American meatpacking industry, especially in the beef cattle industry, have grown as a threat to both our food supply and national security. Consumers are seeing higher prices at the store, but Iowa’s producers are still losing money. This is unacceptable.