MAGA ranchers revolt as beef firm demands firing after Trump pledge
A pro-Trump beef firm is evidently unimpressed with the president's latest pledge to try to win back favor with angry cattle ranchers, MSNBC's Ja'han Jones wrote on Monday — and they put out a statement calling for a key U.S. Department of Agriculture official to be removed.
The controversy stems from President Donald Trump's announcement last week that he would launch a criminal investigation into whether meatpacking companies are illegally colluding to fix beef prices, which comes as the cost of beef rises rapidly around the country, driven by both record-low cattle herds and added costs to ranchers from Trump's tariffs.
"We will always protect our American Ranchers, and they are being blamed for what is being done by Majority Foreign Owned Meat Packers, who artificially inflate prices, and jeopardize the security of our Nation’s food supply," wrote Trump on his Truth Social platform. "Action must be taken immediately to protect Consumers, combat Illegal Monopolies, and ensure these Corporations are not criminally profiting at the expense of the American People. I am asking the DOJ to act expeditiously."
Meriwether Farms, however, had a skeptical response to that announcement.
"Dear Secretary Rollins: Now that President Trump has formally requested an investigation into the meat packing companies who have committed price fixing and price manipulation, does this mean you are going to fire the former Tyson Foods (a company that just settled an $85M price fixing lawsuit for pork consumers and $55M price fixing lawsuit for beef consumers) executive you hired who oversees every packing plant in the country?" wrote the brand's account on X. "Asking on behalf of every producer and consumer in the country."
This refers to the recent controversial hiring of Justin Ransom, a former Tyson Foods executive who pushed for "climate-friendly" beef labeling, which consumer watchdogs warn is misleading, to oversee meat label regulations for the USDA.
Meriwether Farms, despite its longtime pro-Trump posture, has been outraged over the president's plan to import vast amounts of beef from Argentina, calling it a "betrayal." This move also earned the anger of many Republican senators whose state economies rely heavily on cattle ranching.