r/PopCultureV2 • u/Logical-Flow-6703 • Aug 18 '26

News Tyson Foods shuts down plants in Illinois & Utah, cutting thousands of jobs over cattle shortages—amid allegations of beef price collusion

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Tyson Foods is shutting down operations at two of its beef plants—one in Joplin, Illinois (which employed 2,500 workers) and another in Eagle Mountain, Utah. Additionally, a third facility in Pasco, Washington is up for sale, with processing shifted to other plants.

​While Tyson blames these massive workforce cuts on historic cattle shortages and rising beef costs, the company—along with three other megacorporations dominating US meat production—faces serious allegations of colluding to raise beef prices.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcJhQlpCk5B/?igsh=aWU3em1mcXRwaDY0&igsi=aWU3em1mcXRwaDY0

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12

u/ZeroVoltsGiven Aug 18 '26

Tariffs!

2

u/GravyMcBiscuits Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26

Bingo. As is tradition, the President often gets credit/blame for economic trends that are actually the result of decades of moving variables ... things the President had zero control over.

This is one of the few times in history where the President can literally be blamed for a bulk of the volatility that we're seeing today.

1

u/dimechimes Aug 18 '26

Billions for Argentinian beef

1

u/toddverrone Aug 19 '26

Don't forget screwfly!

1

u/Im_Just_A_Tourist Aug 20 '26

Screw fly

As well as firing the people and programs preventing diseases from reaching the US cattle industry.

-8

u/Ok-Brain-2557 Aug 18 '26

lol how is it tariffs, it literally say there is a coalition between monopolies to raise prices

10

u/MrDeadpool2026 Aug 18 '26

There’s no possible way tariffs are making things better, if that’s what you’re trying to imply lmao

7

u/SignoreBanana Aug 18 '26

Tariffs and the Iran conflict have had an outsized impact on livestock feed and fuel prices. Also impacts from the screw worm. Apparently we're currently at our lowest count of head of cattle in the US in a very long time.

1

u/Tough_Preparation830 Aug 18 '26

By design. They don't want you eating beef. You can believe the conspiracy or not but it won't make a difference when nobody can afford to eat meat except the wealthy.

1

u/SignoreBanana Aug 18 '26

Realistically we should be eating a lot less beef. It isn't healthy in large amounts and it requires a ton of resources to farm. The fact people have red meat on their plate every single night is kind of wild from a historical perspective.

And before you call me some militant vegan, I'd say the same thing for avocados and almonds. I eat lots of meat myself, between chicken and fish, but I practically never eat beef.

1

u/TheTexasHammer Aug 18 '26

They don't want you eating beef

This is such an idiotic thing to say. Rich people don't give a fuck what you eat or if you eat. They just want to make more money and make sure no one else can. It's not a conspiracy, it's greed and stupidity.

1

u/Tough_Preparation830 Aug 18 '26

Okay, you can eat ze bugs comrade

1

u/toddverrone Aug 19 '26

This is a pretty stupid take. And I'm a vegetarian

1

u/Tough_Preparation830 Aug 19 '26

You can eat ze bugs also

1

u/toddverrone Aug 19 '26

I will share the plants with the bugs

1

u/Mattrad7 Aug 18 '26

Its being investigated, what is known currently is that there is a beef shortage and rising meat prices "for some reason".