AUSTIN – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into the beef industry over potential anticompetitive conduct among the nation’s largest meatpackers.
Paxton said he will work alongside the U.S. Department of Justice, which also announced an antitrust probe to protect the nation’s beef supply chain.
The beef meatpacking industry is highly concentrated, with four companies – JBS S.A., Tyson Fresh Meats Inc., Cargill Inc. and National Beef Packing Co. – which control over 85% of the nation’s beef processing market. Paxton’s office says this level of consolidation has given these corporations significant market power over both cattle producers and consumers.
According to reports, these firms may have used their dominance to decrease the prices paid to cattle ranchers while simultaneously driving up beef prices for consumers. These four firms have reaped enormous profits at the expense of Texas cattle ranchers and consumers nationwide.
“Texans deserve fairly priced beef and our state’s cattle ranchers deserve to be paid fairly for their hard work,” Paxton said. “If major meatpackers manipulated the market to underpay ranchers while forcing families to pay higher prices at the grocery store, we will hold them accountable.
My office will aggressively investigate any violations of antitrust law to protect fair competition, ranchers and Texas consumers.”
Attorney General Paxton encourages industry participants with concerns about potential antitrust violations, including price fixing or market manipulation, to contact his office at antitrust@oag.texas.gov.
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Paxton’s office also has sent letters to more than 130 Texas cities to notify them that they are prohibited from raising ad valorem taxes above the no-new-revenue tax rate. This follows an AG investigation of more than 1,000 Texas cities to ensure none are unlawfully raising taxes.
During the 2025 legislative session, SB 1851 was passed and then enacted into law. This law bars cities from raising property taxes above the no-new-revenue rate if they do not meet Texas’s financial statement audit and transparency requirements.
Last month, Paxton demanded documents from more than 1,000 municipalities as part of an ongoing investigation to determine statewide compliance with SB 1851. That led to the identification of the cities that failed to comply with the statutory requirements for the new fiscal year.
Now, Paxton has notified those cities they are subject to the enforcement provisions and penalties established under SB 1851 and may not adopt property tax increases above the no-new-revenue rate. These letters are addressed to an initial list of non-compliant cities, and the investigation remains ongoing.
“I will not allow cities to unlawfully raise taxes on hardworking Texans,” Paxton said. “That is why I took aggressive action against over 130 Texas cities to hold them accountable and ensure they comply with state law.
“Cities cannot fail to abide by state audit requirements without consequences. My office will continue to aggressively enforce Texas law to protect taxpayers across the state.”
The following list of cities have been sent violation determination letters: Alpine, Aspermont, Baird, Balch Springs, Balmorhea, Bedias, Berryville, Big Spring, Bishop, Blooming Grove, Blue Mound, Briarcliff, Brookside Village, Buffalo Gap, Calvert, Cameron, Campbell, Centerville, Chico, Chireno, Clarksville, Clear Lake Shores, Combine, Corrigan, Crane, Cross Timber, Crowell, Crystal City, Cuero, Dalhart, Danbury, De Leon, Eagle Lake, Elkhart, Eureka, Eustace, Fairfield, Farwell, Flatonia, Franklin, Fritch, Fulton, Gordon, Grandfalls, Gregory, Groesbeck, Groom, Hale Center, Hamilton, Hearne, Hempstead, Higgins, Hillcrest Village, Horizon City, Howardwick, Howe, Huntington, Industry, Ingleside On the Bay, Jewett, Jonestown, Keene, Kemah, Kenedy, Kerens, Kermit, Lamesa, Livingston, Lott, Lumberton, Manvel, Marquez, McCamey, Megargel, Menard, Mertzon, Mexia, Miami, Midway, Miles, Mount Enterprise, Natalia, New Home, New Waverly, Newcastle, Oyster Creek, Paducah, Panorama Village, Pelican Bay, Pleak Village, Plum Grove, Port Lavaca, Quanah, Red Lick, Redwater, Rockdale, Rocksprings, Roma, Rusk, San Elizario, San Felipe, San Perlita, Seabrook, Shepherd, Smiley, Snyder, Somerville, Southmayd, Spring Branch, Spur, Sterling City, Stinnett, Sunray, Surfside Beach, Taft, Tehuacana, Texas City, Texline, Three Rivers, Tiki Island, Tom Bean, Tool, Turkey, Valley Mills, Valley View, Victoria, Weslaco, Weston Lakes, Wharton, Wickett, Wimberley, Wolfe City, Woodloch, Yantis and Yoakum.
