Trump Signs Executive Order to Allow Ranchers to Process Meat Independently

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on September 5, 2026, aimed at facilitating the ability of ranchers and farmers to process their own meat and sell it directly to consumers. Trump described the order as a measure to decrease the industry's dependence on a few large meat-packers. "For the first time ever, we’re going to give farmers and ranchers the right to process their own food," Trump stated during the signing event. The executive order permits certain smaller ranches to bypass USDA-inspected processing facilities and other intermediaries, which Trump criticized for monopolizing the industry. This initiative follows a petition from Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who urged the president to take action against major meat-packers, claiming they impose higher costs on American farmers compared to overseas producers. Trump asserted that the new policy would enable ranchers to sell meat directly to consumers at lower prices, although he did not provide specific estimates regarding its impact on pricing. Regarding food safety, Trump assured that small ranchers who establish their own processing facilities would be subject to similar federal regulations as large processing plants currently licensed under USDA rules. "They’ll have inspectors. They’ll have everything, just like these big plants," Trump said, adding, "I would be willing to say that our ranches will be more sanitary than those plants. I think it’s going to be a great thing."