Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act

This bill, the Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act (H.R. 1380), would amend the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 to create a new Office of the Special Investigator for Competition Matters within the USDA’s Packers and Stockyards Division. The Special Investigator would be appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture and would lead a team of attorneys and professionals. The office’s main duties are to investigate and prosecute violations of the Packers and Stockyards Act (using tools like subpoenas), serve as a liaison with the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission on competition and trade practices in the food and agricultural sector, and consult with the Department of Homeland Security on national security and critical infrastructure security related to food and agriculture. The Special Investigator would also have authority to bring civil or administrative actions under the Act, notwithstanding general federal court procedures. In short, the bill creates a dedicated, USDA-led enforcement office focused on competition in meat and poultry markets, with enhanced investigative tools and cross-agency coordination, and with the authority to sue to enforce the Act.