Missouri farmer calls for country of origin labeling on imported beef

Key Points:

• Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is advocating for the PRIME Act to reduce federal barriers for small, local meat processors, aiming to address the meat processing bottleneck caused by a few large companies controlling the market.
• Massie criticized the current oligopoly of four major meat processors, some foreign-owned, for driving up beef prices while cattle prices remain low, and warned that importing more beef could discourage U.S. cattle producers from rebuilding herds.
• Missouri farmer Andy Kapp emphasized the financial pressures on producers and expressed a preference for locally sourced beef, while calling for mandatory country-of-origin labeling if imported beef continues to enter the U.S. market.
• Both Massie and Kapp support increased transparency about beef origins and want Congress to pass legislation giving states more authority over intrastate meat sales without federal inspection.
• Massie urged the Senate to include the PRIME Act in the upcoming farm bill, describing it as the key solution to improving competition and lowering beef prices.