Episode Details

Beef prices are up, the meatpacking industry is dominated by a handful of major processors, and President Trump says he has a solution: give farmers and ranchers more freedom to process their own meat. But will the proposal actually address the problem—or is it another executive action that falls short of meaningful reform?

David & Joe dig into how America’s meatpacking industry became so consolidated in the first place, tracing the story back to The Jungle, the creation of federal meat-processing regulations, and the increasing difficulty smaller processors face competing with massive corporations.

They compare Trump’s proposal with the PRIME Act, which would give states more flexibility over locally processed meat, and question whether an executive order can accomplish reforms that ultimately require Congress. They also discuss why Trump hasn’t backed similar legislation despite having opportunities to do so for years.

The conversation ultimately comes back to affordability: with beef increasingly expensive and major fast-food companies dependent on cheap meat, who actually benefits from Washington’s proposed solutions—and what would it take to create a genuinely competitive meat industry again?

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CREDITS

Produced and presented by ⁠Sheehan Works - https://www.sheehan.works

Edited by Jake Bennett - https://www.bennettstudios.co/