American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on President Trump’s plan to import an additional 300,000 metric tons of beef in addition to already record-high beef imports.
“Farmers and ranchers are extremely disappointed to learn that President Trump plans to flood the American market with hundreds of millions of pounds of foreign-raised beef. The U.S. is already importing beef at record levels. This decision would be an unprecedented move and would translate to nearly an additional 60% increase in imports over the next 90 days.
“For almost a year now, we’ve been advising the administration that America’s ranchers are working to rebuild beef herds that had to be sold off due to drought. Despite high beef prices in grocery stores, prices paid to farmers and ranchers for their cattle have fallen sharply over the past two months, and beef packing plants are shutting down across the U.S. Further undercutting a fragile recovery by swamping markets with foreign products and attempting to manipulate prices threatens to wipe out any progress that has been made.
“We appreciate the president’s goal of reducing grocery costs, but short-term measures could have long-term negative effects for consumers and for ranchers who are making decisions on whether to retain or expand their herd. Growing dependance on foreign-grown food could ultimately lead to even higher grocery costs and reliance on other nations for our food security. We urge the president to strongly reconsider his plan.”
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Chief Executive Officer Colin Woodall issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s post regarding beef imports:
“NCBA is disappointed by the President’s statement. While America’s cattle producers share the goal of keeping groceries affordable for consumers, flooding the market with government-subsidized, below-market beef is not the way to rebuild the American cattle herd. Cattle markets have already turned sharply lower this morning, to the detriment of farmers and ranchers. This is a critical time of year for cattle producers, as we approach the season where they are making decisions regarding their herds. Cattle farmers and ranchers are responding to strong market signals and historically high demand, and we are already working to rebuild after years of ongoing drought, high input costs and other challenges that have reduced U.S. cattle numbers. Today’s announcement and other market interventions throw cold water on the prospect of herd expansion and sacrifices long-term stability for short term messaging.”
United States Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) is responding to President Trump’s latest social media post concerning upcoming trade actions to address US beef prices. According to the post, the Administration has decided to allow up to 300,000 metric tons of ground beef into the United States tariff‑free over the next 90 days—a move USCA warns would sideline U.S. producers, threaten cattle prices, and risk undermining consumer confidence in the beef supply.
For decades, USCA has advocated for the federal government not to intervene in cattle markets, yet policy decisions have steadily moved in the opposite direction. From recent tariff exemptions for Brazil after violating deforestation standards, tariff exemptions for Argentina after violating forced labor standards, to the expected reopening of the border to Mexican cattle on Monday in the face of additional New World Screwworm cases, each action on its own sends a troubling market signal.
U.S. ranchers are already facing historically high input costs, the same inflationary pressures affecting all of agriculture, as well as prolonged drought and extreme wildfires that have reduced access to grazing land in many states. These are the market signals that make rebuilding the U.S. cattle herd far more difficult than it appears on paper. Layering a sudden, government‑driven surge of imports on top of these conditions – especially in the fall, when many ranchers market their cattle – further erodes the economic confidence needed to invest in herd expansion. Taken together, they amount to a constant chipping away at our industry’s foundation and moving us closer to a breaking point.
“You don’t put America first by putting U.S. cattle producers last. This move will weaken our markets and gamble with food safety in the process,” said President Justin Tupper.
USCA underscores that there is no clear evidence that increasing beef imports in this manner will lower retail prices for consumers, while there is proof from prior trade actions that dumping additional foreign beef into the U.S. market can depress cattle prices paid to American producers. The recent recall of beef imported from Argentina, following a previous TRQ decision, was a warning sign that the supply chain and inspection system are already strained, and that rapidly increasing import volumes while suspending tariffs and guaranteeing discounted pricing heightens food safety risk. The X post did not detail where this product is expected to come from, nor which countries’ TRQs will receive relief, or which products specifically will be exempt.
The volume and timing here are also key. 300,000 metric tons represents roughly half of total U.S. beef export volume so far in 2026 – a significant volume shift to absorb in a short window. Major supply‑chain moves of this size, made on a compressed timeline, do not lend themselves to careful oversight. The 90-day window referenced would extend the effort to lower consumer prices through November’s uncertain midterm election.
“U.S. ranchers have endured years of low cattle prices and trade uncertainty, and now they are being used as pawns in a 90‑day political timeline. We rely on consumers’ trust in our product and flooding the supply chain with foreign beef on a price‑fixed basis risks eroding that trust and driving people away from beef,” President Tupper said. “The recent recall of beef from Argentina showed clearly that our current system is already strained. Imposing a blanket halt on tariffs and guaranteeing cheaper pricing on imports only adds risk for consumers and undermines confidence in our food system. We want Americans to be able to buy beef, but prices cannot be pushed down at the expense of food safety. That’s a sure way to make certain nobody wins.” View this press release on the USCA website HERE.
