Texas Joins DOJ in Antitrust Probe of Large Meatpacking Companies

Attorney General Ken Paxton claims major companies could be manipulating the beef market to underpay ranchers.

FILE PHOTO: Fausto Salinas, Jr.’s cattle is being fed at his property as U.S. cattle ranchers are slowly starting to rebuild their herds after slashing the nation’s inventory to its lowest level in more than 70 years, in Rio Grande City, Texas, U.S. July 16, 2025. Reuters/Gabriel V. Cardenas/File Photo

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation into the beef industry over potential anticompetitive conduct among the nation’s largest meatpackers, joining a federal probe to protect the beef market, he announced May 15.

“Texans deserve fairly priced beef and our state’s cattle ranchers deserve to be paid fairly for their hard work,” Paxton said in a statement. “If major meatpackers manipulated the market to underpay ranchers while forcing families to pay higher prices at the grocery store, we will hold them accountable.”