For Immediate Release
Contact: R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard
Phone: 406-252-2516; r-calfusa@r-calfusa.com
BILLINGS, Mont., March 5, 2026 —Today, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) introduced the “Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act” that aims to deconsolidate the U.S. beef-packing industry, address foreign ownership of beef-packing facilities, and focus on eliminating unfair and unjustly discriminatory pricing practices in retail and wholesale meat markets.
R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard issued the following statement in response to the legislation.
“For decades, R-CALF USA has been rigorously fighting on behalf of cattle feeders and ranchers for free and fair competition in the cattle markets. We welcome Congress’s recent effort to address the competition crisis plaguing our nation’s cattle markets.
“Senator Schumer’s legislation targets the same concentration problems that President Trump has also prioritized. President Trump directed the Department of Justice to investigate the nation’s largest beef packers for potential collusion, price-fixing, and price manipulation — and issued an executive order directing the DOJ and FTC to form task forces to determine whether beef prices are being distorted throughout the supply chain. Senator Schumer’s bill similarly calls on the FTC to address concentration-driven distortions in retail beef prices.
“The administration and Congress are aligned: Both recognize the scope of the crisis facing the U.S. beef supply chain, which has seen the alarming contraction of the American cattle herd and a steady loss of the farmers who care for those animals.
“This bipartisan attention is exactly what is needed to spark a meaningful, nationwide debate on restoring competition in cattle and beef markets. R-CALF USA looks forward to working with both the administration and Congress to advance measures that ensure unrestricted market access, price transparency, price discovery and truly competitive prices for cattle producers and consumers alike.
“We will closely analyze Senator Schumer’s bill, engage actively in the debate over its passage and potential improvements, and treat it as a serious proposal to address the broken market conditions that have harmed America’s cattle producers for far too long.”
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Ranchers Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) is the largest producer-only cattle trade association in the United States. It is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle and sheep industries. For more information, visit www.r-calfusa.com or call 406-252-2516.