President Trump pledged Friday to allow farmers and ranchers to process their own meat in a salvo aimed at the industry's four dominant meatpackers, calling them a "nasty Monopoly." Why it matters: The president is under pressure to help a constituency his own policies have squeezed — increasing farmers' costs while raising prices for consumers on products like beef.

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins vows to cut red tape starting Monday, but leading beef organizations warn that bypassing federal meat inspections could jeopardize the global "gold standard" of U.S. food safety.

A proposal to allow farmers and ranchers to process their own animals immediately drew criticism from agriculture groups over food safety concerns.

To help lower food prices ahead of the midterms, Donald Trump is allowing an increase in beef imports — a move that has drawn Republican backlash. Now, after a suggestion from a conservative radio commentator,

President Trump took to social media early Friday morning to announce the authorization of allowing farmers and ranchers to process their own food. In his post, Trump said, “Ranchers and Farmers have always been