Washington DC - The Trump administration doubled down on its investigation into alleged anti-competitive practices by meat industry giants on Monday, calling on whistleblowers to come forward as prices of the food remain stubbornly high.
"The current market structure and high concentration in the industry indicate anticompetitive activity," acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told a press conference in Washington.
He promised whistleblowers hefty rewards if they came forward – as much as 15 to 30% of criminal penalties recovered, if they are in excess of $1 million.
President Donald Trump's government launched an investigation into the meatpacking industry over high beef prices in November, with affordability a key political concern for the Republican.
At the time, Trump accused meatpacking companies of "driving up the price of beef through illicit collusion, price fixing, and price manipulation."
A pound of ground beef had an average price of $6.70 in March, according to official data, down from a recent peak but up 16% over the same time last year.
The Texas Farm Bureau noted last year that the US cattle herd is at its lowest level in more than 70 years, leading to a drop in domestic supplies.
Costs have been up for various reasons, including drought and lower imports from Mexico due to a pest in herds there. Climate change has also been a factor, with recurring droughts scorching pastures.
The Justice Department's investigation is targeting four companies that control 85% of the market: JBS, Cargill, Tyson Foods, and National Beef.
Trump administration blames "radical left" for skyrocketing prices
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said two of the four were "either foreign-owned or have significant foreign ownership and control."
JBS and National Beef are both owned by Brazilian companies.
This made them "a threat, not just to our cattle producers, but a threat to America itself," she said.
White House adviser Peter Navarro, the architect of many of Trump's protectionist policies, also focused on the foreign ownership issue, linking it to "national security."
"It's not just price gouging and price fixing we have to worry about," he said. "It's also the influence of foreigners on our supply chain and the national security issues that are associated."
Rollins and Navarro also frequently blamed Democrats for the issues in the meat sector.
"The biggest [reason for ranches shutting down], at least from our perspective, is the radical left's ongoing assault against ranching as a way of life," said Rollins.