As millions of Americans face an affordability crisis, the Justice Department is homing in on the agriculture industry, focusing on the rising costs faced by farmers and ranchers and soaring prices of key grocery staples like beef and eggs.
The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation in recent months into how prices are set in cattle auctions, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The DOJ lawyers investigating
The beef investigation — which also involves a separate probe by a team of civil DOJ attorneys — comes after President
The criminal aspect of the probe raises the stakes considerably for the companies and their executives, who face the prospect of steep fines and prison time.
Neither the companies or their employees have been accused of any wrongdoing and probes don’t always lead to charges or lawsuits being filed. A previous investigation
A spokesperson for JBS said the company wasn’t aware of any criminal investigation. The company, which is the world’s largest meat processor, holds a majority stake in Pilgrim’s Pride and is part of the joint venture that acquired Hickman’s Egg Ranch last fall.
A Justice Department spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
National Beef, Cargill and Tyson didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The DOJ opened a civil antitrust probe of the four meatpackers during Trump’s first term that was continued by the Biden administration, though it never filed a lawsuit.
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US beef prices have skyrocketed to record levels as herds have dwindled, challenging Trump’s promise to make groceries more affordable. In February, Trump signed an executive order allowing increased imports from Argentina. That sparked mixed reactions, with ranchers criticizing the move and the meat industry welcoming the prospect of additional shipments.
“I am asking the DOJ to act expeditiously,” Trump said in a
Sarah Little, vice president for communications at industry group Meat Institute, declined to comment on the Justice Department probe, but said beef processors have been losing money for the last 20 months as they pay producers higher prices for cattle.
“Beef packing companies have been losing money while paying producers record prices for their cattle because there are simply not enough cattle to meet strong consumer demand for beef,” Little said.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department is also drafting a civil antitrust lawsuit against egg producers, according to the people. The companies include
The eggs investigation followed record-breaking prices in early 2025, when the average price of a dozen eggs reached over $6, as bird flu outbreaks forced farmers to slaughter millions of egg-laying hens. Prices have since fallen to $2.35 per dozen, a 62% drop, according to USDA data. A lawsuit could be filed as soon as next month, though no final decision has been made, some of the people said.
The lawsuit is focused on whether the egg suppliers coordinated through Expana, an industry data service formerly known as Urner Barry, according to some of the people and a document viewed by Bloomberg News. A case could be filed in the coming weeks, the people said.
No final decision has been made on whether to file a lawsuit, the possibility of which was reported earlier by the Wall Street Journal.
Cal-Maine, Versova and Hickmans and the Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Stimulating competition in the agriculture sector has stymied the US government for years. Over the past two decades, every administration has said it is focused on making agriculture markets more competitive. But few have made progress amid a steady stream of mergers in the industry.
President
During the first Trump administration, the Justice Department filed charges alleging a criminal conspiracy to fix prices for broiler chickens after Tyson, the biggest US chicken producer, agreed to cooperate in exchange for not being prosecuted.
Greeley, Colorado-based
That led the Biden administration to take aim instead at
Agri Stats declined to comment. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Antitrust enforcers are also nearing a decision on whether to challenge a merger between two companies that specialize in the artificial insemination of cows amid skyrocketing prices for genetic material, according to people familiar with the matter.
Ranchers frequently use artificial insemination to ensure specific traits such as high-milk yield as they breed replacements in dairy and beef cattle herds. The deal, between Ohio-based
In a July 2025 annual report, Select Sires said it was again looking to link up with Inguran, hoping for better chances with the second Trump administration. STGenetics owns patented technology used to sort bull semen by sex, allowing ranchers to quantify how many male or female calves to expect.
Select Sires and Inguran didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The DOJ is also investigating pricing of fertilizer, seeds and other services and materials used by farmers, federal officials have said. The fertilizer probe comes as the prices of common ingredients including urea, ammonia and phosphate, have risen sharply since the beginning of the Iran war and effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The investigation is focused on phosphate and potash suppliers
Earlier this month, US Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden
(Updates with JBS statement in sixth paragraph, industry group in 12th.)
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