潜水简介:
- AUSDA investigation reportfound thepandemic disrupted the market, production and sale of U.S. beef, but didn't detail任何违反联邦法律的行为。该机构开始调查大火在堪萨斯州的一家泰森工厂，然后扩大了调查，研究了爆发期间的反竞争性指控，随着肉类包装工厂关闭的关闭导致肉类价格上涨，而牛价格下跌。
- 该报告强调了提高牛价格和市场透明度的一些方法。美国农业部表示，较小的生产商可以更好地与包装工协商销售，并与较大的生产商竞争，如果他们可以获得更多的风险管理培训和赠款。
- The USDA also said legislation giving the agency more investigative and enforcement powers, including the ability to issue civil investigative demands, could be helpful in these probes.
潜水见解：
Although this report didn't detail any violations by the meat industry, the investigation is ongoing. In fact, as the Department of Justice and the USDA continue their probes, the agriculture agency is suggesting对肉类包装公司的更多报告要求和本身的额外执法能力。
In the report, USDA made suggestions for more transparency with pricing, including reshuffling reporting regions to expand the market data released to the public, which is a change that could be made without legislative action. However, there has yet to be industry consensus for that. The agency also said that amendments to the Packers & Stockyards Act, which assure fair competition, to give USDA the power to require written reports and answers to questions could be beneficial, but requires legislative action.
In June, the DOJ's antitrust division发送传票to Tyson Foods,JBSSA, Cargill and National Beef following anti-competitive accusations. The four companies are some of the biggestmeatpackers在国家，控制超过80％牛肉加工。司法部的调查来了几位参议员,11 state attorneys general和牛协会即使USDA已经在研究它，也推动司法部参与其中。司法部仍在调查这些指控，美国农业部在这份新报告中表示，两人一直在讨论这些主张。
"If any unfair practices are detected, we will take quick enforcement action,"美国农业部秘书Sonny Perdue在一份声明中说。
When coronavirus started to spread across the U.S.,meat sales increased和beef prices surged随着消费者的储存和爆发在加工厂中的蔓延，but didn't translate into producer profits.The USDA report says the largest gap between beef prices and cattle prices during the pandemic reached about $2.79 a pound, which was the biggest gap since this tracking began in 2001.
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said in a statement它正在审查报告中的政策建议，但重要的是要了解对市场的审查还没有结束。
"There’s little doubt that something is wrong when consumers are paying higher prices for meat and at the same time America’s farmers and ranchers are being paid less,"杜瓦尔说。
尽管美国农业部表示正在进行调查，但北美肉类研究所对该报告有不同的解释。NAMICEO Julie Anna Potts说在声明中it "found no wrong-doing and confirms the disruption in the beef markets was due to devastating and unprecedented events."
反托拉斯和定价指控和调查已经升级了the food industry in recent years involving乳制品,金枪鱼,鸡和porkwith someof these cases ending withguilty executives和大定居点。
Since the report confirmedthe pandemic pushed the difference between livestock prices and wholesale beef prices to a record level, m解决牛肉市场问题的矿石立法很快就会出现。参议员Deb Fischer（R-Neb。）在一份声明中说that USDA’s investigation shows the need to immediately reform and strengthen the cattle industry. She said the report confirms her "serious misgivings about the many factors that are working to destabilize the marketplace."
"In light of these events and this report, I will be introducing legislation soon in the Senate aimed at providing equity and transparency for all market participants," Fischer said.
