Law Addresses Anti-Trust Issues in the Cattle Industry

Recently there has been considerable attention on movement regarding the failure to enforce the antitrust laws in the cattle industry, prompting the Federal Trade Commission and the US Department of Justice to rewrite the horizontal merger guidelines, which decide the approval of mergers for meat packers. R-Calf United Stockgrowers of America, CEO Bill Bullard has the details.

"Right now, we've got considerable attention all across government and in the public about the problems with our failure to properly enforce our antitrust laws. And very recently, Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri has introduced a bill to address the antitrust issues and it is to address mergers and acquisitions."

Senator Josh Hawley issued a press release explaining how he plans to use an index to determine how concentrated a market is.

"If the index is above 2500. You have a highly concentrated market. If the index is between 1500 and 2500 You have a moderately concentrated market. Well, Senator Hawley has picked right in the middle he says if the index goes above 1800 The merger is on the surface to be deemed anti-competitive, to reduce competition to violate the Clayton Act and Sherman Act, and as a result, no further mergers that would accrue."

Hawley's bill is called the Strengthening Antitrust Enforcement for Meatpacking Act and it would retroactively break up current meat packers if their index is above the 1800 threshold.