Open Markets Publishes First Major Policy Paper Tackling America’s Agricultural Monopoly Problem
Washington, D.C. — As the debate about corporate power in rural communities heats up, Open Markets Institute released its first major policy paper documenting concentration in America’s agricultural sector, providing an in-depth breakdown across sectors from meat processing to groceries.
The report, “Food and Power: Addressing Monopolization in America’s Food System,” includes insights as to how monopolistic corporations exercise and abuse their power, profiles the corporations that are often hidden behind dozens of brands and subsidiaries in each sector, and lays out policy solutions that would help protect independent farmers and agricultural workers.
To rebalance the equation of power, Open Markets’ calls for breaking up big agribusiness corporations, reinvigorating the Packers & Stockyards Act, cracking down on anti-competitive practices in food retailing, and increasing food chain workers’ protections, among other policies.
“There is nothing natural or inevitable about corporate consolidation; it is the result of policy decisions that have left corporate power unchecked and failed to protect farmers and workers,” says Open Markets reporter and researcher Claire Kelloway. “Congress and executive agencies have the power to build more fair and competitive agricultural markets in order to begin the process of restoring wealth and power to American farming communities."