Trump faces pushback over meat processing pledge

Driving the news: Trump said on Truth Social that he is "authorizing legal documents to be drawn in order to allow Farmers and Ranchers to be given the right to PROCESS THEIR OWN FOOD."

• He blasted the four "Big Processors" without naming them: Tyson, Cargill, JBS and National Beef.
• "They make life miserable for our wonderful Farmers and Ranchers, and I can't let that happen, can I?" Trump said.

The big picture: Farmers have been bludgeoned by Trump's trade and Iran wars, with the latter causing a prolonged spike in energy and fertilizer costs after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane.

• Coupled with pressure from Trump's tariffs and retaliatory measures by trading partners, including China, farmers are facing the most challenging time they've experienced since the 1980s, according to Mark Mueller, a northeast Iowa farmer and president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association.

The latest: Trump's announcement Friday comes a week after he laid out plans to temporarily ease restrictions on beef imports, irking U.S. cattle farmers.

• That move was aimed at easing beef prices, which have been soaring amid a global drought that has led the U.S. inventory of cattle to near-record lows.

Catch up quick: The argument behind Trump's announcement Friday is that federal regulations in place since 1967 make it impossible for smaller meat processors to compete, leaving ranchers with few alternatives to the Big Four.

• "These small packing plants have significant regulatory hurdles to commence operations," Bill Bullard, CEO of R-CALF, a group that advocates for independent U.S. cattle producers, told AG publication Capital Press this week.
• A bill introduced last year in the House, the PRIME Act, would let states allow meat processed at small custom slaughterhouses to be sold in-state without federal inspection. It has not advanced.

While Trump's announcement Friday provided few details of his plan, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on X that USDA would begin announcing measures Monday "waiving red tape" in processing, supporting small processors and expanding ranchers' ability to sell meat across state lines.

Friction point: Food safety advocates say measures in place from the 1967 Wholesome Meat Act are crucial to protecting consumers.

• The Meat Institute — which represents the industry's leading meatpackers — said Friday in a statement that, while it is waiting to see the details in Trump's Executive Order, "it is critical that expanding processing opportunities does not come at the expense of food safety."
• "Federal and state inspection requirements exist for a reason: to help ensure that meat sold to American families is safe, wholesome and properly labeled," it said.

The intrigue: The largest U.S. cattle industry trade group blasted Trump's announcement Friday, warning that — while it supports more competition, smaller processors and less regulatory red tape — weakening federal meat inspection and food safety standards would be a "serious mistake."

• In a statement, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association took aim at Trump's recent "government intervention," including last week's move on beef imports.

What they're saying: "Constant government interference creates uncertainty for producers making long-term decisions about their businesses and the future of the cattle herd," the NCBA said.

• "If the Administration wants to help cattle producers, it should focus on reducing legitimate regulatory burdens, lowering fuel and fertilizer prices, protecting the U.S. cattle herd from foreign animal disease, and expanding opportunities for mid-size and regional cattle processors," the NCBA said.

The bottom line: Trump is scrambling to lower beef prices while winning over cattle producers — some of whom increasingly just want Washington to get out of their way.