# Explainer: How four big companies control the U.S. beef industry

> Reuters explained that four companies slaughtered about 85% of US grain-fattened cattle in 2018, and that lawmakers are seeking more oversight of the beef sector. Officials are pushing for more processing capacity, and ranchers are opening new slaughterhouses after the pandemic plant shutdowns.

- Date: 2021-06-17 · published 2021-06-17T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: policy · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/46714-explainer-how-four-big-companies-control-the-u-s-beef-industry
- Commodities: [Live Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/LCATTLE.md), [Feeder Cattle](https://feedsoft.ai/c/FCATTLE.md)

## Why it matters

Concentration and the push for new packing capacity bear on the fed cattle price and packer margins, which in turn shape feeder cattle demand, though this is background rather than a new price shock.

## Read by commodity

- FCATTLE: neutral
- LCATTLE: neutral

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LCATTLE | 2021-05-04 | [Beef Week attracts biosecurity commitment - Industry Queensland](https://feedsoft.ai/events/47035-beef-week-attracts-biosecurity-commitment-industry-queensland.md) | +1.0% | +0.6% |
| LCATTLE | 2021-05-04 | [Scomo swoops into Beef21 with $371m budget reveal – The Country Caller](https://feedsoft.ai/events/47033-scomo-swoops-into-beef21-with-371m-budget-reveal-the-country-caller.md) | +1.0% | +0.6% |
| LCATTLE | 2021-10-01 | [Biden v Big Meat: Can the US tackle rising beef prices?](https://feedsoft.ai/events/44702-biden-v-big-meat-can-the-us-tackle-rising-beef-prices.md) | +1.5% | +1.9% |
| LCATTLE | 2024-09-20 | [CME Reduces Price Limits In Cattle Contracts \| Industry News \| feedlotmagazine.com](https://feedsoft.ai/events/28436-cme-reduces-price-limits-in-cattle-contracts-industry-news-feedlotmagazine-com.md) | +1.7% | +3.2% |
| LCATTLE | 2017-09-29 | [Companies' ‘zero deforestation’ pledges: everything you need to know \| Guardian sustainable business \| The Guardian](https://feedsoft.ai/events/68988-companies-zero-deforestation-pledges-everything-you-need-to-know-guardian.md) | +0.3% | +3.5% |
| FCATTLE | 2024-09-20 | [CME Reduces Price Limits In Cattle Contracts \| Industry News \| feedlotmagazine.com](https://feedsoft.ai/events/28436-cme-reduces-price-limits-in-cattle-contracts-industry-news-feedlotmagazine-com.md) | +0.1% | +0.6% |
| FCATTLE | 2020-08-06 | [U.S. farm state senators in a beef over livestock bill](https://feedsoft.ai/events/51748-u-s-farm-state-senators-in-a-beef-over-livestock-bill.md) | +0.3% | -4.2% |
| FCATTLE | 2021-07-30 | [Economists, Academics, Industry Agree: Supply, Demand, Labor, Economies of Scale  Drive Beef and Cattle Markets \| meatinstitute](https://feedsoft.ai/events/46207-economists-academics-industry-agree-supply-demand-labor-economies-of-scale.md) | -0.5% | +0.6% |

## Sources

- reuters.com: https://www.reuters.com/business/how-four-big-companies-control-us-beef-industry-2021-06-17/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.