Jeff Eppenbach
Robert Reich4 corporations dominate the U.S. meatpacking industry.
In 1977, they owned just 25% of the market.
Today, they control 85%.
Meanwhile, cattle ranchers used to receive 62 cents for every consumer dollar spent on beef.
Now, they receive just 37 cents.
Zaku@rbreich well, if the price increases by 16% and, as a consequence, the profit increases by 300%, doesn’t that mean the original profit margin is quite thin?
Jason Lee
Cakesniffer@rbreich And yet those rural ranchers overwhelmingly vote fucking Republican. The party least likely to help break up monopolies.
PersonalEscrito
Graham@rbreich Who owns the vegetables? #askingforaveganfriend
meowomonAnd how many immigrants without green cards do they hire under the table and exploit their labor while supporting the GQP and their hatred for immigrants? Money grubbing pigs.
climate voter/radical oldie@rbreich Not a fan of meat so if the industry closes down, that's fine.
GATEKEEPERGood. This is another corporate hot mess. End the murder.
MadCounselor@rbreich what happened to antitrust laws? Aren’t they still on the books?
sandywb14
Groms@rbreich seems meat industry eats itself #autophagy
@rbreich but is that a comparison of apples to apples? These days, ranchers sell their cattle to feed lots after a year instead of running them on grassland until they're sent to slaughter. Not that feed lots aren't nasty-ass places, of course... So, is that statistic a valid, fair comparison?
sodalis@rbreich Can't the cattle ranchers just drive Uber part time or cut out all that avocado toast they eat?
The sad thing is, most of these cattle ranchers voted for this.
Red states have no clue that the boot on their neck is their own.
jmfs 🐀 
@rbreich I shop at a local grocery coop that carries locally raised and produced meat, dairy, eggs, and produce. Not everything I buy is produced locally, but we definitely have local foods. Check your area for CSAs, farmer's markets, and grocery coops.
Str8nger
John Bailey
(no title)
a book about why creative labor markets are rigged - and how to unrig them Competition is supposed to be fundamental to capitalism. Over the last four decades though, greedy robber barons have worked out how to lock in customers and suppliers, eliminate competitors, and shake down everyone for more than their fair share. This…
Left Field Farm@rbreich How's that capitalism working out for ya?
Dr. Eric J. Fielding, PhD@rbreich Another example of “Chokepoint Capitalism” where the companies in the middle extract all the profits.
Scott Paton@rbreich And beef is becoming beyond the reach of many consumers.
DemocracyMatters 
@rbreich They certainly passed no scale economy savings down to the consumer, either. Producers and consumers are screwed for the benefit of stockholders.
AsISeeIt@rbreich
I buy directly from farmers. To hell with the corporate farming conglomerates.
I buy directly from farmers. To hell with the corporate farming conglomerates.
BeckyBSF@rbreich go vegetarian and stop funding them.
@rbreich You always deconstruct very difficult concepts effortlessly. Bravo!
lagaya@rbreich "Meat" is such a filthy business from start to finish. Nasty.