Coastal Plains Meat Company announced Monday a $3.5 million capital investment in the acquisition and expansion of a meat processing facility in Eunice.

Gov. John Bel Edwards and Coastal Plains owner and Chief Operating Officer Chip Perrin made the announcement on September 13​​.

The company says it plans to create 13 new direct jobs and retain 19 employees.

The President understands that families have been facing higher prices at the grocery store recently. Half of those recent increases are from meat prices—specifically, beef, pork, and poultry. While factors like increased consumer demand have played a role, the price increases are also driven by a lack of competition at a key bottleneck point in the meat supply chain: meat-processing. Just four large conglomerates control the majority of the market for each of these three products, and the data show that these companies have been raising prices while generating record profits during the pandemic. That’s why the Biden-Harris Administration is taking bold action to enforce the antitrust laws, boost competition in meat-processing, and push back on pandemic profiteering that is hurting consumers, farmers, and ranchers across the country.

Secretary Vilsack and Director of the National Economic Council Brian Deese will be joining White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki for today’s White House Press Briefing at 2:00pm ET. They will discuss competition in agriculture and assistance for farm and food workers, as well as small producers, processors, distributors, and farmers markets. You can watch the briefing at 2:00pm ET here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yilI-1ggXw.