S. 1312 — Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act of 2025

This section (1) establishes in the Department of Agriculture the Office of the Special Investigator for Competition Matters, headed by a Special Investigator who is a senior career employee appointed by the Secretary, to (a) investigate and prosecute Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 (P&S Act) violations by packers and live poultry dealers concerning competition and trade practices in the food and agriculture sector using all available tools including subpoenas; (b) serve as a liaison to, and consult with, the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission on such matters; (c) consult with the Department of Homeland Security on national security and critical infrastructure security in the sector; (d) maintain a staff of attorneys and other professionals with relevant expertise; and (e) coordinate with the Office of the General Counsel and Packers and Stockyards Division of the Agricultural Marketing Service (the P&S Act promotes fair competition in livestock, meat, and poultry markets); (2) grants the Special Investigator authority to bring civil or administrative actions under the P&S Act against packers and live poultry dealers (notwithstanding title 28, U.S. Code), with notification to the Attorney General for federal district court actions and no alteration to the Secretary's subpoena authority under the P&S Act, limited to P&S Act-regulated entities; (3) authorizes the Secretary to carry out the new office; and (4) redesignates the first section 225 of subtitle A of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (relating to the Food Access Liaison, 7 U.S.C. 6925) as section 224A.