Up till recently, my Walmart and Lidl have mostly resisted the rising cost of foods, including meats. So, I was kinda shocked at how much pre-made burger patties had gone up. Probably around $2 from normal. Fortunately, #LetsGoBrandon has a Plan
I'm sure going to war with companies responding to market cost pressures will solve the inflation issue… https://t.co/wsSPGtHlDY
— AG (@AGHamilton29) January 3, 2022
I’m sure his plan can’t be that bad, right?
(Reuters) The United States will issue new rules and $1 billion in funding this year to support independent meat processors and ranchers as part of a plan to address a lack of “meaningful competition” in the meat sector, President Joe Biden said on Monday.
The initiative comes amid rising concerns that a handful of big beef, pork and poultry companies have too much control over the American meat market, allowing them to dictate wholesale and retail pricing to profit at the expense of their suppliers and customers.
“Capitalism without competition isn’t capitalism. It’s exploitation,” Biden said. “That’s what we’re seeing in meat and poultry industries now.”
Yeah, it’s that bad, and divorced from reality.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) will spend the $1 billion from American Rescue Plan funds to expand the independent meat processing sector, including funds for financing grants, guaranteed loans, and worker training, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who was speaking at an event with Biden.
And how long will that take? Years? Who’s going to be able to step up? Seems like a plan without anyone involved
Attorney General Merrick Garland, also speaking at the event, said “too many industries have become too consolidated over time,” and that the antitrust division of the Department of Justice has been chronically underfunded.
Right, that will help drive down inflation. Maybe we shouldn’t be printing even more more to try and deal with inflation.
North American Meat Institute spokesperson Sarah Little said staffing plants remains the biggest issue for meatpackers and that the White House plan would not address it.
“Our members of all sizes cannot operate at capacity because they struggle to employ a long-term stable workforce,” she said. “New capacity and expanded capacity created by the government will have the same problem.”
How headline should read: Our government prints trillions of dollars out of thin air creating inflation of our currency and then blames companies for adjusting their prices to reflect the weakened dollar.
— Mike Walls (@Mike_Walls) January 3, 2022
How about putting a ton of those illegal aliens to work?
