Trump vows legal order to break up 'nasty monopoly' in food processing

Meat is inspected by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, which posts inspectors at meat processing plants to ensure products meet federal standards. Ranchers are generally prohibited by federal law from selling meat from animals they have slaughtered and processed themselves, with some exceptions.

Farm and ranch groups have argued for years that consolidation in the meat processing sector has made it difficult for small producers to stay afloat because there are not many companies competing to buy their cattle and they must transport their animals to USDA-inspected meat processing plants, sometimes at a high cost.

The Meat Institute, an industry group that represents meatpacking companies, said food safety could be at risk if more ranchers process their own meat.

"Allowing uninspected meat to be sold to unwitting consumers is the wrong approach, and risks undermining this country’s reputation for producing the safest meat products in the world," the group said. "If the goal is to lower beef prices for American families, lowering food safety standards is the wrong response."