Tester talks meat packing in press call

Montana Sen. Jon Tester held a rural press call Thursday primarily about his and his colleagues' recent efforts to curtail anticompetitive practices and consolidation in the meat packing industry.

"Capitalism has helped to make America the greatest nation the world has ever seen - but capitalism only works if we have competition - and right now a lack of competition, specifically in our beef markets, is making it harder and harder for our family farms and ranches to succeed," Tester said.

He said the state of the market, influenced in large part by an increasingly monopolistic meat packing ind...