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R-CALF joins national coalition calling on Trump to protect competition in ag markets

The CEO of R-CALF USA says strong antitrust enforcement is needed from President Trump to help restore competition in the livestock markets.

Bill Bullard says the organization recently joined a letter to the president regarding the issue, which was signed by hundreds of independent businesses across 43 states and nearly 100 national and state organizations representing farmers, ranchers, small businesses, energy marketers and consumer advocates.

“Unfortunately, we have not properly enforced our antitrust laws for decades,” he said. “The Trump administration had made indications that they were going to be tough on antitrust. And so this letter was encouraging President Trump to stay the course.”

He tells Brownfield antitrust enforcement is a direct concern for livestock producers.

“We believe we must restore competition to the U.S. livestock markets if we are going to reverse the ongoing contraction that we’re experiencing in both the cattle and sheep industries.”

Bullard says the letter emphasizes that competition policy is not about punishing success but about ensuring open markets where businesses compete on merit.