Adds no comment from Cargill in paragraph 6; reaction from cattle producers' group in paragraph 7; details on antitrust enforcement in paragraphs 13-18

By Jody Godoy and Tom Polansek

WASHINGTON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. is investigating meatpacking companies, the attorney general said on Friday, after President Donald Trump accused the companies of using price manipulation and collusion to drive up beef prices.

The probe shows the Trump administration is seeking to tackle high food prices that have outpaced inflation. The Department of Justice is already probing whether egg producers conspired to inflate the price of eggs.

Beef prices set records in 2025 after a years-long drought burned up pasture lands and hiked feeding costs for cattle, forcing ranchers to slash the nation's herd to the smallest level in nearly 75 years. Consumer demand has remained generally strong despite high prices.

"I have asked the DOJ to immediately begin an investigation into the Meat Packing Companies who are driving up the price of Beef through Illicit Collusion, Price Fixing, and Price Manipulation," Trump said in a post on Truth Social, without naming companies.

Ranchers have long complained about consolidation in the packing industry, where Tyson Foods TSN.N, Cargill, JBS USA and National Beef Packing Company slaughter about 80% of U.S. grain-fattened cattle that are made into steaks, beef roasts and other cuts of meat.

Cargill declined to comment. Spokespeople for the other companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

"This entire industry is highly concentrated and well beyond the level that's normally considered a harm to the economy," said Bill Bullard, CEO of cattle producers' group R-CALF USA.

JBS USA is owned by Brazilian meatpacker JBS, while Brazil's Marfrig Global Foods SA MBRF3.SA holds a controlling stake in National Beef Packing Company.

The administration of former President Joe Biden also blamed meatpacking companies for rising food prices.

PRICE-FIXING LAWSUITS

Tyson, Cargill and JBS have paid tens of millions of dollars to settle lawsuits accusing the companies of conspiring to inflate U.S. beef prices by restricting supply. They have denied wrongdoing.

The DOJ has already begun an investigation, Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater, who leads the DOJ's antitrust division, are working together on the probe, Bondi said.

The antitrust division has both civil and criminal investigative authority, and can issue subpoenas for documents and witness testimony in its investigations into suspected anticompetitive conduct.

Slater, a former economic adviser to Vice President JD Vance, has said the DOJ's antitrust division will focus on "pocketbook issues" facing consumers, such as food, housing and transportation.

MEATPACKERS UNDER SCRUTINY

Bipartisan calls for antitrust enforcement in the packing industry have mounted in recent years.

At a hearing in June, Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, and Cory Booker, a Democratic senator from New Jersey, called for antitrust enforcement in the sector.

"We need transparency, accountability, and a fair market that rewards those who actually raise and produce our beef — not the corporate middlemen gaming the system," Rollins said in a post on X.

Trump recently angered ranchers by urging them to lower cattle prices and suggesting the country could increase low-tariff imports of Argentine beef to lower U.S. beef prices. Economists said increased imports from Argentina would not meaningfully reduce grocery store prices for U.S. consumers.

In August, Trump implemented a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods that has slowed imports of a major source of beef that was mixed with U.S. hamburger meat, further tightening supplies.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington, Bhargav Acharya in Toronto, Tom Polansek in Chicago and Jody Godoy in New York; editing by Chris Sanders, Costas Pitas, Rod Nickel)

((Bhargav.Acharya@thomsonreuters.com;))