Despite its clever name, Sen. Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) so-called “Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act” won’t provide relief for grocers or producers, or consumers for that matter. Instead, it will make things worse by inserting the federal government into the dynamic, highly sophisticated, and competitive meat, livestock, and poultry markets.   

First, Schumer’s bill makes it unlawful for a major meatpacking company to produce more than one kind of meat — beef, pork, or poultry — by directing the Federal Trade Commission to design and enforce divestiture plans. Many packers, however, spread their business activities across multiple proteins as a hedge against tight or negative margins in one sector.