[Dig1t]

RFK put out a video explaining how this consolidation occurred in the pork industry: https://twitter.com/RobertKennedyJr/status/16865387973102428...

It was basically a case of a politician, Wendell Murphy, who helped pass 28 laws making it illegal to sue a factory farm, then left office and went into partnership with Smithfield Foods, a Chinese-owned company (which according to Wikipedia was "the largest Chinese acquisition of an American company to date"). Smithfield and Wendell used the factory farming model to undercut and put out of business almost all of the smaller pork farms. They now control 80% of pork US production and put 28,000 independent farmers out of business.

I personally do not understand why China controlling 80% of pork production in the US is not a national security issue. But, that aside, this seems pretty bad for the country.

*Edit, I remembered the video wrong, they control 80% of pork production _in North Carolina_. They control 26% of all US pork processing and 15% of pork production. They also have been found guilty of price fixing: https://www.reuters.com/legal/pork-consumers-75-million-pric...

[tyrfing]

> It was basically a case of a politician, Wendell Murphy, who helped pass 28 laws making it illegal to sue a factory farm, then left office and went into partnership with Smithfield Foods, a Chinese-owned company

Said politician was in office (NC House/Senate) in the 80s, and his company was bought in 1999 by Smithfield Foods. Smithfield was bought by WH Group, a Chinese company, in 2013.

> They now control 80% of pork US production

This appears to be fiction. The closest I can find is that 6 large companies control 80% of the wholesale market, Smithfield being one of them.

[Dig1t]

>Smithfield was bought by WH Group, a Chinese company, in 2013.

Correct, Smithfield seems to have consolidated the market _before_ being acquired by WH Group. Which he says in the video. But the fact that they are still controlled by China and that they have a massive market share of the industry is still true.

>This appears to be fiction

I just went back and rewatched the video, sorry my bad. They control 80% of hog production _in North Carolina_.

They control 26% of all US pork processing and 15% of pork production.

It's hard to remember this stuff when posting on here casually during work.

However Smithfield was in fact guilty of price fixing:

https://www.reuters.com/legal/pork-consumers-75-million-pric...

Which means they are big and powerful enough to manipulate markets like this.

[corinroyal]

I'm not sure I'd want to admit in public that I follow RFK Jr. If he said it, it's unlikely to be true.

[Dig1t]

I mean, if there's something specific that he says that's untrue in this video I'd love to discuss it, but I think it's possible to listen to what people say with a skeptical ear and an open mind. I don't have to agree with everything he says but sometimes he says some interesting things that are worth thinking about and discussing.