Big Four' meatpackers under fire as beef prices soar

"It's a terrible thing to know that we won't be able to pay rent, won't be able to pay the electricity, our cars all the bills coming our way, said Constancio Perales, a 64-year-old worker born in Durango, Mexico, who has worked at the plant since 1996 the last 25 years cutting the bone out of chuck steaks."

"Tyson is one of four beef producers along with JBS, Cargill and National Beef, known collectively as the Big Four that control 85% of the industry, and their profit margins are at their highest levels in years as consumer prices soar. Tyson had just announced that its profits were up 6.5% over the previous year."

"A class action lawsuit brought in 2019 by a coalition of cattle ranchers and feedlot owners, led by the Ranchers-Cattlemen Legal Action Fund (R-CALF), claimed that the Big Four were engaged in an illegal scheme of price-fixing, market manipulation and unfair practices, carried out by constricting production, including plant closures."

Tyson Foods abruptly closed its Lexington, Nebraska beef processing plant on November 21, terminating 3,200 workers with minimal notice. The closure devastated employees like Constancio Perales, a 25-year veteran unable to pay bills. The decision puzzled observers because Tyson's profits had increased 6.5% and the company cited optimization of production across its network. The Big Four beef producers—Tyson, JBS, Cargill, and National Beef—control 85% of the industry with record profit margins despite rising consumer prices. Independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn questioned the closure, noting a pattern consistent with allegations in a 2019 class action lawsuit claiming the Big Four engaged in price-fixing, market manipulation, and unfair practices through production restrictions including plant closures.

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