Nebraska Among 11 States Urging Meatpacking Investigation

LINCOLN- Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson has joined 10 other Midwestern state attorney generals urging the Justice Department to investigate market concentration and potential price fixing by meatpackers in the cattle industry during the coronavirus pandemic.

The state attorneys general wrote in a letter dated Tuesday to U.S. Attorney General William Barr that the concentrated market structure of the beef industry makes it particularly susceptible to market manipulation, particularly during times of food insecurity, such as the current COVID-19 crisis. Peterson said in a statement that now, more than ever, states need to dedicate their collective resources to promote competition and protect consumers.

The letter was also signed by attorney generals in North Dakota, Missouri, Colorado, South Dakota, Montana, Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wyoming.