The United States federal government allocates a staggering $38 billion annually to prop up the meat and dairy industries. These subsidies significantly reduce the price of meat products, including hamburgers. Research from 2015 reveals that these subsidies slash the price of a pound of hamburger meat from $30 to the $5 we see today
How do you know? These subsidies need not be direct. For example, cattle feed could be subsidised. Not even the farmer might know that he’s actually getting a subsidy.
Having said that, I know that at least in the EU, farmers are given very generous direct subsidies, propping up an unsustainable and ecologically destructive industry.