The increasing concentration of food and agriculture has had significant impacts on the well being of family and small-scale farms, as well as on food chain workers, our food, our communities, and our natural environment. This bill would impose a moratorium on mergers and acquisitions between large farm, food, and grocery companies and establish a commission to study antitrust enforcement in the agribusiness industry. This will stop acquisitions and mergers between large food and farm companies and will establish a commission to investigate whether concentrated control in the agribusiness industry creates negative, monopolistic impacts on our country/economy.
Over the last three decades:
- The top four largest pork packers have obtained control of 71 percent of the market, up from 36 percent
- The top four beef packers have obtained control of 85 percent of the market, up from 32 percent.
- The top four flour millers obtained control of 64 percent of the market, up from 40 percent.
- The top four soybean crushers have obtained control of 79 percent of the market, up from 54 percent.
- The top four wet corn processors have obtained control of 86 percent of the market, up from 63 percent.
Our communities, our health, our environment, and our food system workers need better support and protections. Congress must act to address the monopoly power in the agriculture industry.
Call your U.S. Congressperson and U.S. Senators ask them to co-sponsor the Food and Agribusiness Merger Moratorium and Antitrust Review Act of 2019! (H.R.2933/S.1596)
Find your U.S. Senator or Congressperson and call them today! If you live in Missouri, find their contact information here.