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DOJ Antitrust Chief Flags Rising Concerns Over Competition in Agriculture

By  |  November 20, 2025

A senior U.S. Department of Justice official says federal antitrust laws “exist for a reason,” emphasizing that her division is scrutinizing possible monopolistic practices affecting farmers’ incomes and operating costs. According to a statement referenced during her remarks, the DOJ is examining whether dominant companies in key agricultural sectors are suppressing the prices producers receive or influencing what they pay for essential inputs.

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    Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater, who leads the DOJ’s antitrust division, addressed students and faculty at Drake University on Wednesday. “I chose Iowa very intentionally because we’ve been tasked at the DOJ antitrust division with a few things here and there regarding agriculture,” she said. Her appearance comes amid renewed federal attention to agricultural competition issues, per a statement made during the event.

    The renewed scrutiny follows a recent directive from President Trump ordering the DOJ to investigate the four major firms that control most of the nation’s meatpacking capacity. Slater noted that the Justice Department is also partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to review rising input costs for farmers. “According to USDA’s data, since 2020 seed expenses have risen 18%; fuel and oil costs increased 32%; fertilizer expenses increased 37%, and interest expenditures for farmers spiked by 73%,” she said. According to a statement during her visit, those cost increases are a central focus of the inquiry.

    Related: Federal Agencies Sign Agreement to Tackle Agriculture Market Competition

    In her remarks, Slater discussed the regulatory philosophy that gained traction in the 1980s, which encouraged a “soft law” approach to overseeing corporate behavior. She suggested that this mindset is being reevaluated, pointing to recent high-profile antitrust cases in the technology sector as evidence that market concentration can, in fact, harm competition. Slater told the audience that the DOJ will pursue evidence of “bid rigging, price fixing and other anti-competitive business conduct” wherever it may arise.

    Source: Radio Iowa