Trump called the Big Four meatpacking plants foreign cartels.

"Immediate action is needed to protect consumers, combat illegal monopolies, and ensure these corporations do not profit criminally at the expense of the American people," Trump wrote on his social media account. The Big Four themselves chose not to comment on the investigation or the president's accusations. However, the Meat Institute, a trade group representing meat and poultry processors, stated that beef producers are suffering losses due to limited cattle supplies and high demand. Recent actions by the Trump administration have worried many American farmers, particularly the trade standoff with China, which prompted China to stop purchasing American soybeans, and Trump's threat to import more beef from Argentina.

President Trump may have won back some support from farmers by attacking four of the biggest names in agribusiness: Minnesota-based Cargill, one of the largest privately held companies in the country; Tyson Foods, a major meat and poultry producer based in Arkansas; andJBS in Colorado and National Beef Packing Company in Missouri. The latter two are owned by Brazilian companies, but their U.S. headquarters are located in those states. According to an analytical articleBLOOMBERG , the U.S. beef market was valued at more than $108 billion in 2024 .