National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) member and chairman of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association (TCFA) Robby Kirkland testified before the House Ways and Means Committee earlier this week, and Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays is featuring portions of Kirkland’s comments during the hearing titled American Trade Negotiation Priorities.
Kirkland highlighted the benefits of past trade agreements for U.S. cattle producers and the need for greater access to foreign markets. “The United States has some of the safest and most efficient production practices in the world,” he said. “We utilize science and technology to produce 18 percent of the world’s beef with 6% of the world’s cattle, while generating only two percent of the U.S.’s greenhouse gasses.”
He highlighted the trust that consumers near and abroad have in U.S. beef and that 85% of it is consumed stateside. However, certain cuts, such as short ribs, tongues, livers, and other organ meats, are in high demand in Asia and Latin America.
“Even facing global economic headwinds, demand for U.S. beef remains strong,” Kirkland noted. “In 2024, we exported 10.45 billion dollars’ worth of beef, which equates to a value of $415 per head of fed cattle.”
He highlighted that Korea, Japan, and China accounted for 58% of total beef exports, while the U.S. government has done little over the past few years to expand foreign markets, allowing competing countries to secure those neglected markets.
“We need to re-engage and level the playing field,” Kirkland urged. “Unfortunately, U.S. Beef faces a fifty percent tariff in Thailand, a thirty percent tariff in Vietnam, and many non-tariff barriers in Australia, Europe, and China. We need Congress and the Trump Administration to ensure fair trade in these markets while securing new agreements with allies like the United Kingdom.”
Emphasizing how much Americans love ground beef, he pointed out that the U.S. doesn’t produce enough lean ground beef to supply domestic demand and imports beef from other countries.
“We must ensure that any country that is granted access to the U.S. consumers does not put them or the U.S. cattle herd at risk,” Kirkland insisted. “This is a major concern with Brazil, Paraguay, and other countries that have had a history of foot and mouth disease and a highly questionable record on food and animal health.”
He compelled Congress and the Trump administration to hold those partners accountable so that the safety of U.S. consumers and the U.S. cattle herd can be preserved.
“There is a long, mutually beneficial history of cattle and beef trade between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada,” he said. “This partnership is competitive due to the success of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.”
He detailed that most of the cattle feeding and processing capacity in North America is located in the United States, and live cattle imports from Canada and Mexico represent 2 percent of our overall cattle herd,11 and only 6.5 percent of total annual slaughter. Cattle imports fill seasonal lows in feedlots and packing plants and keep those segments of production running at optimal capacity, especially in the Southwest.
“Demand for U.S. beef is on the rise because of its strong reputation for safety, quality, and positive eating experience,” Kirkland pointed out. “America’s farmers and ranchers have benefitted from market-driven, science-based, trade policies, and we must continue to remove the trade barriers so that U.S. cattle producers can capitalize on overseas consumer demand.”
When asked about the imbalance of imports from and exports to Australia over the past 20 years, 29 billion dollars’ worth of beef has been sold to America while no U.S. beef has been exported to Australia. “Australia has exhausted all of their approval processes over the past twenty years, and we believe in science-based protocols,” Kirkland said. “We don’t believe there are any science-based protocols there. We fully believe that the U.S. deserves full access to the Australian market.”
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