U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer visited Butcher Boys in Monticello, NY on Memorial Day. While mentioning the higher price of a typical Memorial Day barbecue, Schumer highlighted his bill to break up monopolies in the beef industry across the United States.
Just four companies control 85 percent of the beef market in the nation. Those companies also control 67 percent of the pork market and 60 percent of the chicken market. Schumer explained that a major driver of high meat prices is a food system rigged in favor of corporate monopolies. According to the Urban Institute, across the 19th Congressional District over the past 10 years, grocery prices have increased by more than 40 percent.
Schumer’s Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act would break up dominant meatpackers and stop unfair pricing that drives up grocery bills for American families. The landmark legislation would restore competition to bring better choices at the meat counter. The bill would force the biggest meatpackers to choose a line of business instead of beef, pork and chicken all at once.
Schumer’s legislation would also give New York farmers a higher profit by giving them new buyers for their products.
Local government officials attending the event included Sullivan County District Attorney Brian Conaty and Sullivan County Legislature Chair Nadia Rajsz. Also attending were Regional Food Bank Senior Public Affairs Officer Barry Lewis and Sullivan County Federation for the Homeless Program Administrator Kathy Kreiter. Representing the Sullivan County Democratic Committee were Bill James, associate chair, and Al Dumas, vice chair. The senator reminisced with crowd members who attended school with him in Brooklyn.
Sullivan County Democratic Committee
Kiamesha Lake, NY
Keywords
Chuck Schumer,
monopoly,
Butcher Boys,
Monticello,
Memorial Day,
beef industry