A schism in the beef sector: JBS has exited a major beef lobbying group

Ongoing tensions between cattle producers and meatpackers bubbled to the surface last week when JBS, the world’s largest meatpacker, exited the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), an industry lobby group that has shifted its tone on market consolidation, Politico reports. Throughout the pandemic, cattle prices have remained low even as meat prices have soared—a trend that suggests high profits for meatpackers while cattle farmers struggle to stay afloat. In the past, critics have accused NCBA of putting meatpackers’ interests over those of its producer members, but rising resentment among cattle farmers recently prompted the lobby group to join a call for greater industry transparency. Unsurprisingly, JBS exited stage left. “This shows that we are right—that one organization simply cannot represent the interests of both the cattle producer and the meat packer that buys cattle,” said Bill Bullard, CEO of an independent rancher group. “We’ve never understood how a producer group could have packers on their governing board.”