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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, appeared on America’s Newsroom on Fox News, where she outlined the severe consequences of the outbreak of COVID-19 on agriculture and called for an investigation into possible anticompetitive behavior in the beef supply chain.

“Right now, we are seeing great prices for the packers. I understand that markets cycle up and down but when you have such a discrepancy in prices compared to the family farmer working on his ranch to produce that critter which is going to end up as a good steak, that needs to be looked into…We want to make sure we have a supply chain that works well for all participants—and we also want to make sure we have good protein on our shelves,” said Senator Fischer during the interview.

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Senator Fischer has taken steps in recent months to protect Nebraska agriculture and ensure integrity in the beef supply chain. This week, she supported a letter written by 10 state attorneys general calling for the Department of Justice to investigate potential anticompetitive activity in the cattle industry.

Senator Fischer also wrote to Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee leadership calling for a public hearing to examine competition and claims of possible market manipulation. Consequently, Chairman Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) wrote their own letter to the DoJ calling for investigations into potential anticompetitive activity.