The Justice Department is reportedly pursuing a criminal antitrust investigation of large meatpacking companies after President Donald Trump called for them to face a probe over the higher prices facing consumers.

The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the matter, that while the DOJ indicated it was investigating beef companies following the president’s request, the criminal nature of the probe hasn’t been disclosed previously.

Trump claimed in November that beef companies were manipulating the purchase price of cattle they bought from ranchers while raising prices on consumers. The report noted that criminal antitrust cases typically focus on allegations related to market collusion or price fixing.

The Journal reported that although Trump’s comments placed blame on “majority foreign owned meatpackers,” the investigation is looking at four major companies that sell beef in the U.S. 

TRUMP TEAM PLEDGES TO DRIVE BEEF PRICES DOWN BY 2026 AS USDA CHIEF PUSHES BACK ON $10-PER-POUND WARNING

President Donald Trump called for meatpacking companies to be investigated over beef prices last year. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle/Getty Images)

The report noted that Tyson Foods, Cargill, JBS and National Beef are the four leading companies operating in that portion of the U.S. market, with Tyson and Cargill both U.S.-headquartered firms, while JBS and National Beef are from Brazil.

Antitrust regulators have looked into the contracts used by beef companies to acquire cattle from ranchers which reference a pricing benchmark that some ranchers have claimed is manipulated, one of the Journal’s sources told the outlet.

BEEF PRICES HIT RECORD HIGHS AS NATIONWIDE CATTLE INVENTORY DROPS TO LOWEST LEVEL IN 70 YEARS

The Justice Department is reportedly investigating meatpacking companies over their dealings with ranchers. (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Additionally, the Journal reported that leading beef processors were the subject of an investigation that began in Trump’s first term and continued through Biden’s term, but was closed by the Justice Department weeks before it launched its most recent probe on similar grounds.

Beef prices have surged over the last year amid strong demand from consumers while the U.S. cattle industry is facing a shortage with the cattle supply at its lowest level in over 70 years.

BEEF PRICES IN FOCUS AS TRUMP SIGNS ORDER AIMED AT CONSUMER RELIEF

Beef prices have surged over the last year amid the national cattle shortage. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Drought contributed to the decline in the cattle supply, as it impacted grasslands in states like Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and parts of the Southeast that were used by cattle ranchers’ herds. The loss of those foraging areas caused ranches to liquidate cows and shrink their herds.

Ranchers are also facing rising overhead costs, as items like feed, labor, fuel and equipment expenses have trended higher.

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The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ data from the March release of the consumer price index (CPI) showed that beef and veal prices were up 12.1% over the last year. Within that category, ground beef prices are up 11% while prices for beef steaks have risen 15.2% over that period.

Rising beef prices are drawing renewed scrutiny as federal investigators examine whether market dynamics or potential misconduct, are driving costs higher for American consumers.

FOX Business’ Jeff Flock joined FOX Business’ Stuart Varney on “Varney & Co.” to report on a new Justice Department criminal investigation tied to the surge in beef prices as households continue to feel the strain at grocery stores.

Beef on display at a grocery store in Chicago. (John Gress/Corbis / Getty Images)

POPULAR BABY FOOD BRAND HIT BY ‘CRIMINAL ACT’ AS RAT POISON FOUND IN SEIZED JAR

Government data shows ground beef prices have surged, with the Consumer Price Index putting a pound at $6.86 in March, up from $4.64 in 2021, an increase of roughly 50%. Prices are also about $1 higher than a year ago. Steak has climbed as well, reaching about $12.73 per pound.

These concerns have reached Washington. President Donald Trump, in November, called for action on rising prices and industry practices in a post on Truth Social.

“Action must be taken immediately to protect consumers, combat illegal monopolies, and ensure these corporations are not criminally profiting at the expense of the American People,” he said.

At Lombardi’s Prime Meats in Philadelphia, butcher Rob Passio said customers are adjusting their spending habits as prices rise.

“It is what it is. We gotta eat… Maybe they’re saving on other aspects… Maybe they are not going out to dinner as much. Maybe they’re… saving on their utilities,” Passio said.

PEPSICO REVENUES SOAR AFTER SLASHING PRICES ON LAY’S, DORITOS AMID ‘HOLISTIC’ COMPANY TRANSFORMATION

Industry pressures extend beyond the checkout counter. Passio pointed to rising operational costs affecting businesses across the supply chain.

“Having two businesses, everything’s high. Insurances went up, payrolls up, utilities are up. So could the meat packers at this time be like, you know what, we have to make some extra money. We have to raise the prices to cover these added expenses,” he said.

The investigation comes as the U.S. cattle herd remains at historically low levels and drought conditions continue to impact key livestock regions, factors that have contributed to tighter supply and elevated prices.

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For most metal finishing businesses, energy is one of the largest operating costs on the books. Plating lines, rinse tanks, coating systems, and drying stages all run continuously, and the cumulative electricity bill reflects it.

What many operations do not realise is that a significant portion of that energy spend goes toward one of the least efficient tools on the production floor: compressed air.

Compressed air has been a default blowoff and drying method in metal finishing for decades. It handles the job well enough, but the efficiency picture is less flattering when you examine it closely. Generating compressed air typically requires ten times more energy than the actual pneumatic work being performed. Most of that energy dissipates as heat, leaks, and pressure loss before the air ever reaches the part surface.

For businesses managing tight margins in a competitive sector, this is not a theoretical concern. It is a recurring overhead cost that compounds across every shift, every month, every year.

Where the Loss Actually Happens

The physics of compressed air blowoff explains why the system is so wasteful. A compressed air nozzle at 80 PSI delivers high-velocity air at the nozzle tip, but pressure drops dramatically with distance. At six inches from the tip, a standard flat jet nozzle operating at 80 PSI retains only a fraction of its original impact pressure. Beyond that point, the air has spread and slowed to the point where its blowoff effectiveness drops sharply.

This means that for any application where parts need drying or blowoff at a working distance, the compressed air system has to work significantly harder than the actual process requires, consuming far more energy to compensate for the pressure loss inherent in the technology.

Add to this the losses from system leaks (industry estimates put average leakage rates at 20 to 30 percent of total compressed air output in typical facilities), pressure drop across long pipe runs, and the energy required to run the compressor itself, and the total cost of compressed air as a blowoff method becomes considerably higher than the electricity meter alone suggests.

The Alternative That Precision Manufacturers Are Moving To

Centrifugal blower systems paired with engineered air knives work on a fundamentally different principle. Rather than generating high-pressure air and accepting the energy losses that come with it, a blower system generates high-velocity, low-pressure airflow and delivers it through a precision-machined knife slot as a continuous, laminar curtain across the full width of the part or product.

The result is more uniform coverage, better impact efficiency at working distance, and dramatically lower energy consumption. Whereas a compressed air system might require hundreds of horsepower to dry a wide product format, a properly sized blower and air knife installation can achieve equivalent or superior drying performance at a fraction of the energy input.

In metal finishing specifically, where parts move through rinse and plating stages before reaching drying or blowoff points, the uniformity of air knife coverage also reduces defect rates. Spotting, streaking, and residual moisture that cause problems in downstream painting, coating, or inspection stages can often be traced back to inconsistent compressed air coverage. Properly engineered air knife systems for metal finishing address this by delivering an even, controlled sheet of airflow that covers the entire part surface consistently, regardless of part geometry.

What the Numbers Look Like in Practice

The energy savings from switching to a blower-based air knife system are substantial enough that payback periods are often measured in months rather than years, particularly in high-throughput finishing operations.

Consider a continuous drying application where compressed air currently requires 150 to 200 horsepower to maintain adequate blowoff across a production line. A centrifugal blower system sized for the same application might achieve the same result with 20 to 40 horsepower. At typical UK industrial electricity rates, that gap translates to tens of thousands of pounds in annual savings on a single line.

Beyond direct energy savings, businesses also report reductions in compressed air system maintenance costs, fewer part rejects due to inconsistent drying, and in some cases, the ability to increase line speeds because the blower system maintains effective coverage at higher throughput.

Sizing and Specification: Where Businesses Go Wrong

The most common mistake when evaluating a switch from compressed air to a blower and air knife system is treating it as a straightforward product selection rather than an engineering exercise. The blower model, knife slot dimensions, working distance, attack angle, and airflow velocity all need to be matched to the specific application. A system specified correctly for one application will not necessarily perform well in a different process, even if the parts look similar.

Key variables to establish before specifying a system include:

• Part width and geometry, including any contoured surfaces that require angled airflow
• Line speed and throughput requirements
• The nature of what is being removed: water, rinse solution, shot blast media, or surface debris
• Required working distance between the knife and the part surface
• Whether the application requires ambient air, heated air, or temperature-controlled airflow

Suppliers who provide application-specific engineering rather than a catalogue recommendation will generally produce better outcomes. The difference between a correctly engineered system and an off-the-shelf approach becomes apparent quickly once production starts.

A Practical Starting Point for Metal Finishing Businesses

For operations currently running compressed air across plating lines, rinse stages, or post-coating drying, the most useful first step is an energy audit of the existing compressed air blowoff stages. Calculating the horsepower currently being consumed specifically for blowoff and drying, separate from other compressed air uses in the facility, gives you a realistic baseline against which a blower system proposal can be measured.

From there, a reputable supplier should be able to provide an application assessment and a projected energy comparison. The capital cost of a centrifugal blower and air knife installation is typically recoverable within one to two years in a high-use finishing environment, making it one of the more straightforward capital investment cases available to manufacturing businesses looking to reduce operating costs without compromising output quality.

In a sector where margins are tight and energy prices remain elevated, that kind of return on investment deserves serious attention from any business still relying on compressed air as its primary drying and blowoff method.

Running a digital business is tough. Now try doing it with a government watchdog scrutinising your every move, click, and transaction. That’s daily life in the UK’s online gambling sector.

Despite drowning in red tape, it remains a wildly profitable juggernaut. If you want a masterclass in turning strict compliance into a competitive edge, this industry is your blueprint. Let’s break down the tech, the rules, and the survival tactics keeping these companies on top.

How the Consumer Market Works

Step into the shoes of a UK punter, and the sheer volume of choice is dizzying. Hundreds of licensed operators are fighting one another to offer the best slots, live tables, and sportsbooks. Because the market is so saturated, comparison sites have become the undisputed gatekeepers. Think of them like Compare the Market, but for casinos. Players don’t just blindly sign up anymore. They use these aggregators to stack up welcome bonuses, check payout speeds, and verify licenses before parting with a single penny.

To see how this works in practice, this guide offers an example of the comparison model – listing licensed casino sites by payment methods, bonus terms, and licensing authority for UK players.

The actual customer journey usually kicks off on one of these comparison hubs. Once a player finally picks a site, they hit a brick wall of mandatory identity checks, i.e., the infamous Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols. Nobody gets to deposit cash via their debit card or e-wallet until they’ve passed these strict verifications. Add these onboarding hurdles to the intense competition and heavy advertising limits, and you get a brutal reality: the cost of acquiring a new customer in UK gambling is among the highest in the entire digital economy. Operators are burning through cash just to get players through the virtual door.

Navigating the Regulatory Minefield

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) does not mess around. As the industry’s apex predator, they enforce compliance with an iron fist. Between 2023 and 2025, the government dropped a massive Gambling Act White Paper that completely rewrote the rulebook. We are talking hard limits on online slot stakes, invasive affordability checks, and even tighter ID rules. Keeping up with this is not just a headache. It is an exorbitant expense. Companies have to field massive, dedicated compliance teams just to survive the daily administrative grind.

This crushing regulatory weight is actively mutating the market. Smaller, independent casinos simply cannot afford the overhead needed to stay out of trouble. The result is a massive wave of consolidation. Corporate giants are gobbling up the smaller brands because they have the deep pockets required to absorb the costs of endless regulatory audits. If you are a small player, maintaining your profit margins under this much red tape is practically impossible.

Then you have to market the site. The industry is boxed in by increasingly strict advertising rules. There is a voluntary “whistle to whistle” ban on TV ads during live sports, and targeting users on social media is a minefield. Operators have to tread incredibly lightly. One wrong move does not just earn a slap on the wrist. It triggers seven-figure fines or the outright loss of an operating license. It is a landscape that demands constant vigilance and the agility to pivot the second new guidelines drop.

Technology and Innovation Behind the Scenes

To survive this pressure cooker, casinos have quietly morphed into elite tech companies. The games themselves have evolved from clunky digital slots into slick, immersive experiences powered by complex random number generators and live-streamed dealers. But the real magic is happening under the hood. Responsible gambling is now driven by artificial intelligence. Operators deploy sophisticated AI to watch player behaviour in real time. If the algorithm spots someone chasing losses, making unusual deposit patterns, or playing for too long, it triggers an instant intervention. It is a strict regulatory mandate, but smart brands are using it to demonstrate their commitment to player safety.

The way money moves has also been completely overhauled. When the UK banned credit cards for gambling, players shifted toward digital e-wallets and open banking tech like Trustly. Crypto casinos are making noise globally, but they mostly operate in grey markets outside the UKGC’s reach. That leaves mainstream UK operators constantly refining their traditional payment gateways to make deposits and withdrawals as smooth as possible. In a market where loyalty is razor thin, a delayed payout can damage a brand’s reputation overnight.

Fuelling all of this is a massive reliance on data. Operators are walking a tightrope. They use deep player analytics to deliver targeted marketing, while simultaneously using that same data to spot problem gambling. It is a fascinating tension. The companies winning the market are the ones using advanced analytics to predict what players want while keeping them safe. They are proving that consumer protection and commercial success can coexist.

Business Lessons from a Regulated Digital Market

If there is one major takeaway for the wider business world, it is this: high regulatory barriers create powerful competitive moats. The cost of getting things wrong is enormous. When regulatory fines routinely hit the millions, compliance is not just an HR issue. It dictates every priority from the boardroom down. A single failure can wipe out months of profit and damage a brand’s reputation. Because of this, proactive risk management has shifted from an optional extra to the core of the business.

The compliance frameworks and identity verification tools forged in the online gambling sector are becoming increasingly relevant to other industries. Fintech, cryptocurrency, and age-restricted e-commerce are all facing similar regulatory scrutiny. They could learn a great deal from how gambling operators manage their obligations. Building a robust compliance engine should not be viewed as a tax on doing business. It is a strategic advantage. It protects companies from catastrophic fines and builds trust with a sceptical public. Businesses that adopt these standards now will be far ahead when regulators inevitably tighten their grip.

The UK casino market proves that heavy regulation does not have to suffocate a digital industry. By treating compliance as a feature rather than a burden, these companies have built resilient empires. As governments tighten control over the broader internet, the survival tactics perfected by gambling operators will become the standard playbook for everyone else.