"4 Large Mega Corporations Now Own 85% Of The Entire Industry. 2 Of Them Are Foreign Owned, 1 Of Them Is Chinese
“50% or more of the beef processing be controlled by countries outside of the US. It comes down to our own food source security.”
“We used to make fair amount of return on my cattle, but the industry has changed dramatically with the government allowing the consolidation of the meat processing business.
4 companies, giant companies got together and decided to roll that up, consolidate it, and that's just business. But when we get on the other side of it and we take into account the ramifications on our national economic health. It has a very detrimental effect.
Our government allowed 2 giant companies controlled by foreign governments to come in and acquire.
One of them is controlled by the Chinese, and they bought Smithville out of North Carolina. And the other one was a Brazilian company that came in and bought up one of the other major players.
So now we have an industry, 85% of it actually has been consolidated and rolled up and controlled by 4 companies. Four companies now are dictating who gets what, where, and when. Do you see?
But nobody thought our government would let 50% or more of the beef processing be controlled by countries outside of the US. It comes down to our own food source security.
The geopolitical situation we find ourselves in, why would we want to have an antagonist on 25% of our meat processing? It makes no sense at all.”"
US exports to foreign countries. US imports from Brazil. Inspected in US. Packaged in US label gets slapped on it. Same with other commodities. Corn and soybean in particular.
This is all nothing new. I was yelling about this years ago. It does need to change. I haven't bought beef in the store for many many years. Grew my own. Now buy from local, small herd cattle growers.
Not true, actually. These lovely folks seem to have gotten some regs changed such that if meat is in some ways handled (cut, packaged, whatever) in the USA then it can be labeled "Product of the USA" or something to that effect (am going on memory here), so then they are producing pork in China, shipping it to the USA and packaging it and the packaging does not say "Made in China" and on the contrary says "Product of the USA".
"4 Large Mega Corporations Now Own 85% Of The Entire Industry. 2 Of Them Are Foreign Owned, 1 Of Them Is Chinese
“50% or more of the beef processing be controlled by countries outside of the US. It comes down to our own food source security.”
“We used to make fair amount of return on my cattle, but the industry has changed dramatically with the government allowing the consolidation of the meat processing business.
4 companies, giant companies got together and decided to roll that up, consolidate it, and that's just business. But when we get on the other side of it and we take into account the ramifications on our national economic health. It has a very detrimental effect.
Our government allowed 2 giant companies controlled by foreign governments to come in and acquire.
One of them is controlled by the Chinese, and they bought Smithville out of North Carolina. And the other one was a Brazilian company that came in and bought up one of the other major players.
So now we have an industry, 85% of it actually has been consolidated and rolled up and controlled by 4 companies. Four companies now are dictating who gets what, where, and when. Do you see?
But nobody thought our government would let 50% or more of the beef processing be controlled by countries outside of the US. It comes down to our own food source security.
The geopolitical situation we find ourselves in, why would we want to have an antagonist on 25% of our meat processing? It makes no sense at all.”"
This does not add up to your meat is being imported.
It's domestic meat. Being processed at US based plants.
The plants are owned by foreign companies but what they are describing is the domestic supply chain
US exports to foreign countries. US imports from Brazil. Inspected in US. Packaged in US label gets slapped on it. Same with other commodities. Corn and soybean in particular.
This is all nothing new. I was yelling about this years ago. It does need to change. I haven't bought beef in the store for many many years. Grew my own. Now buy from local, small herd cattle growers.
Not true, actually. These lovely folks seem to have gotten some regs changed such that if meat is in some ways handled (cut, packaged, whatever) in the USA then it can be labeled "Product of the USA" or something to that effect (am going on memory here), so then they are producing pork in China, shipping it to the USA and packaging it and the packaging does not say "Made in China" and on the contrary says "Product of the USA".