An Iowa senator says there’s something fishy about falling cattle market prices at a time when beef is a top seller among consumers stocking up during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Republican Charles E. Grassley, a senior Judiciary Committee member, told reporters Tuesday he will ask the Justice Department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to look into live cattle future prices that declined in March as meat packers saw prices rise for the boxed beef they sold to grocery stores and other retailers.

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“In the last three weeks, live cattle futures have dropped three-and-half percent on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange,” Grassley said. “That may be understandable in a normal situation, but this is happening while American consumers bought 77 percent more meat year over year in the month of March. The spike in grocery buying has caused higher beef values for the big four meat packers and a decrease in the value for Iowa farmers.”

Grassley followed Montana Sen. Steve Daines, North Dakota Sens. Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven, South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds, all Republicans, and Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in noting potential irregularities in an industry where four companies control 80 percent of meat processing. The companies are Tyson Foods Inc., JBS USA Holdings, Cargill Inc. and National Beef Packing Co.