dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

Wheres tha beef!?

Ms Scanlon

0:00

Mr Gunther, can you talk a little bit from, you know, the boots on the ground?

0:04

perspective about how large meat processors are using their size to squeeze our independent farmers and how they're using that size and influence to shape new regulations in a way that hurts our smaller farmers and food producers.

0:20

Sure.

0:22

I think first of all, we have to look at the fact that I don't think most people realize about 25 beef slaughter plants, 40 pork slaughter plants and only 200 poultry slaughter plants slaughter almost all of the meat in this country.

0:38

It's 85 86% of the beef, 90% of the pork for those.

0:43

So this is a very real problem and I'm here to warn you today that this problem is not no longer just a United States problem.

0:51

These companies are multinational corporations that are doing this globally and they're taking this wealth that they're extracting from rural America right now to buy up processing and slaughter capacity globally.

1:03

This is going to be a monopoly worldwide unless we address it today.

1:08

So it causes consumers harm, it causes farmers harm it.

1:14

It creates a lack of opportunities in rural America.

1:18

If you look at the economic metrics of rural America, they're worse than the inner cities.

1:23

This is because of concentration and consolidation, taking away opportunities.

1:28

Most farmers nowadays don't even own the livestock or poultry on their farm.

1:34

We've returned to a feudal surf system.

1:38

Well, thank you really appreciate your insights particularly about how that monopolization is global and, and really hurting our American farmers.

1:47

So, thank you, I yield back.