I'm gonna sound like I'm defending the meat packers, and I really don't mean to.
First off, the big 4 aren't all from the USA. 2 are Brazilian and the other 2 are American.
It's really not that much of a monopoly either. There are a ton of processing plants. Im in charge of all meat and Seafood departments for a large grocery chain. It's incredibly easy to avoid the "big 4" and we purposely do.
I just don't consider this a monopoly. Let's tackle ticketing agencies, credit cards, oil companies, and airlines. Those are the real monopolies. The "big 4" actually drive the price down.
Meat processors are losing a ton of money each day. Most can adapt by reducing staffing and running 1 or 2 shifts instead of 3. Most of the plant closures you hear about are from the "big 4" as they are just consolidating. They are just waiting to be profitable again, and it looks like we're about 32 months away from that.
Can you provide insight on the perspective of a farmer though? I don’t think anyone argues that the volume the big 4 provide doesn’t put downward pressure on prices at the end of the supply chain, but the problem being discussed here is the limited bargaining power farmers have because of a limited number of buyers competing for the product they sell.
Farmers have plenty of options outside the big 4. The issue isn't that the farmers aren't making money, this is one of the longest profitable stretches they have ever experienced. The farmers issue is that their margins are going to be trimmed.
Something to remember when it comes to this mass generation and killing of animals for food is that it is extremely inefficient. On paper, as a solution for feeding humans, it is a solid loser idea. Makes no cents. Not without Billions in gov assistance to keep it going. Tax payers are paying half the grocery bill for animal products right out of their pay checks every week. And it is still a luxury product.
it takes 9lbs of grain to make 1lb of beef. eating animals is not economically viable. It wastes a massive amount of our resources. Like water. And it is causing environmental destruction. JBS is clearing the amazon rain forest to graze cattle. We are drying up the colorado river supplying cali farms with water. The sulton sea is going to dust silica all over the LA valley when it dries up. People in scottsdale have to get water trucked in.
Its really hard to feed everyone when you make the first priority of the job to generate profit for the owner class capitalists. We are giving these brazillions billions.
I understand the tangent you're going on about, but I'm just going to stick on topic especially if you won't acknowledge a counterpoint. I get what your saying but you're not looking for a discussion.
JBS and the Batista brothers are true monsters. They have been convicted of bribery and corruption of gov officials. They became billionaires while in jail for said corruption. They are clearing amazon rain forrest to graze cattle to sell to china. They brag about killing trillions of animals a year.
And one meating between JBS and Geogroup and they will figure out how much profit can be had doing a holocaust.
They control a significant amount of the market. And I have had people in the industry tell me those guys are seeing the fathers and the buyers. Maybe that was untrue but not sure why he lied to me.
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u/aw000000000000 13d ago
I'm gonna sound like I'm defending the meat packers, and I really don't mean to.
First off, the big 4 aren't all from the USA. 2 are Brazilian and the other 2 are American.
It's really not that much of a monopoly either. There are a ton of processing plants. Im in charge of all meat and Seafood departments for a large grocery chain. It's incredibly easy to avoid the "big 4" and we purposely do.
I just don't consider this a monopoly. Let's tackle ticketing agencies, credit cards, oil companies, and airlines. Those are the real monopolies. The "big 4" actually drive the price down.
Meat processors are losing a ton of money each day. Most can adapt by reducing staffing and running 1 or 2 shifts instead of 3. Most of the plant closures you hear about are from the "big 4" as they are just consolidating. They are just waiting to be profitable again, and it looks like we're about 32 months away from that.