WORC and our allies are fighting to keep common sense rules that protect farmers and ranchers from discriminatory, retaliatory, and deceptive practices by meatpackers.
On April 1st, 2025, WORC, along with a coalition of farmers, ranchers, and advocacy organizations, stepped forward to defend crucial protections under the Packers & Stockyards Act in the face of a lawsuit filed by industry groups. Food & Water Watch filed a motion to intervene on behalf of WORC, the Ranchers Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA), Latino Farmers and Ranchers International, and the Alabama Contract Poultry Growers Association, in response to a lawsuit that seeks to undermine newly enacted safeguards for America’s independent producers.
At the heart of the lawsuit is a 2024 rule from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) designed to protect livestock and poultry producers from discriminatory, retaliatory, and deceptive practices by meatpackers. The industry groups, including the National Chicken Council and the Meat Institute, argue against the rule, hoping to roll back these important protections that aim to curb the growing dominance and abuse of power by transnational meatpackers, including their ability to crush any independent producer who pushes back.
“What’s at stake here is the rights of ranchers to speak up against bad actors in the market,” said WORC board member Dena Hoff, a farmer from Glendive, Montana.
The century-long fight against consolidation and corporate power in agriculture
The fight over market fairness is nothing new. For more than a century, U.S. producers have struggled against highly concentrated meatpackers who have raked in huge profits by manipulating the market, forcing out smaller operations and driving up costs for consumers. The Packers & Stockyards Act of 1921 was enacted to level the playing field, giving producers legal recourse when subjected to such abuses. At that time, five meatpackers controlled 49% of the market. Over the last century, intense lobbying by the packers has weakened P&SA. Since the 1980s, concentration has taken off, handing even more power to corporations than a century before, resulting in a host of anti-competitive practices. In the last five years alone, 107,000 beef cattle farmers and ranchers have disappeared according to R-CALF USA. As consolidation worsens, the number of American farmers going out of business is projected to accelerate, destabilizing the already brittle U.S. cattle market. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2024 Inclusive Competition and Market Integrity Rule was meant to bolster producers’ power to push back on unfair behavior.
Keep up to date with grassroots organizing in the West with WORC’s newsletter.
“Over 100 years ago, Congress realized that U.S. producers had no recourse when subjected to marketing abuses by highly concentrated meatpackers,” said Bill Bullard of R-CALF USA about the historical context of the struggle. “Though conditions for producers have worsened since Congress passed the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 and hundreds of thousands of livestock producers have been forced to cease operations, this rule is a meaningful step taken by USDA to remedy this untenable situation. We view it as critical to the livelihoods of our nation’s remaining livestock producers.”
The USDA’s 2024 rule aims to provide much-needed clarity on what constitutes unfair practices and protects farmers from retaliation if they speak out against mistreatment or advocate for better conditions. In a landscape where just four corporations control 81% of the beef market and 65% of the pork market and virtually all (99.5%) of broiler poultry production value occurs under contract, the rule has been heralded as a critical tool to defend the rights of farmers and ranchers.
Defending the rule and establishing fair markets
WORC and the other intervenors are determined to defend the rule. “America owes our independent ranchers and farmers a fair playing field,” said Tyler Lobdell, Staff Attorney at Food and Water Watch. “That’s exactly what Congress intended to safeguard when it enacted the Packers and Stockyards Act over a hundred years ago. The world’s biggest meat and poultry companies have spent decades taking advantage of farmers and ranchers, all to enrich their coffers and consolidate control over our food system. Now, they are asking the court to greenlight continued mistreatment. We’re not going to let that happen without a fight.”
The lawsuit also highlights a critical issue: the rights of ranchers to speak out without fear of retaliation. “This rule would protect ranchers from retaliation and discrimination from packers when they fight for fair treatment, even if they simply make a public comment in support of a rule like this one, or sign onto a legal defense like in this very case,” said Hoff.
Hoff, who has experienced firsthand the pressures placed on independent ranchers, continued, “We have a responsibility to our neighbors, independent ranchers who are subject to deception, retaliation, and discrimination from the ‘Big 4’ packers who up until now have acted as if they are above the law. We are excited to join this case and defend these important rules.”
Market consolidation’s impacts on farmers and consumers
The lawsuit comes at a time when consolidation in the meatpacking industry has reached alarming levels. This dominance has had a severe impact on consumers and independent producers alike, as prices rise while farmers and ranchers see very little of the profits. As of recent estimates, only 15.9 cents of every food dollar spent goes to farmers and ranchers.
Despite these troubling trends, the court granted a stay on the meat industry’s suit in February 2025, following a request from the Department of Justice, while the Trump Administration decides whether to defend the rule. The case remains ongoing, and the intervenors, represented by Food & Water Watch and Hilder & Associates, are committed to ensuring that the protections for farmers and ranchers remain intact.
Work protecting independent farmers and ranchers will continue
The case, National Chicken Council et al. v. Rollins et al., No. 4:24-cv-03786 (S.D. Tex.), will have significant implications for the future of the meatpacking industry and the livelihoods of America’s family farmers and ranchers. As the legal battle continues, WORC and our allies are standing firm in our defense of the rule, ensuring that producers are protected from further exploitation by powerful corporations.
For farmers and ranchers, the stakes couldn’t be higher. As Bullard puts it, “This rule is a meaningful step toward addressing the abuses of power that have been allowed to flourish unchecked for too long. It’s not just about protecting farmers—it’s about ensuring a fair, transparent food system for everyone.”
Learn more:
Fact-check: Meatpackers are lying to you about Country of Origin Labeling
Myths busted: Meatpackers are STILL lying to you about Country of Origin Labeling
Yes, I want to help WORC elevate Western voices and hold decision-makers accountable!