The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) made a strong protest against President Trump’s lifting of all tariffs to let 300,000 tonnes of beef enter U.S. ports and roads, mainly from Brazil and Argentina, in order to curry favor with voters who are upset that ground beef prices have gone over $7/pound in most supermarkets. Trump promised loudly to rebuild the cattle herd “ruined by Biden,” but experts say that will take years, and not under current policies.
The NCBA pointed out that this was Trump’s second swipe in 12 months at reducing beef tariffs to zero to placate consumers/voters. It said, “Incentivizing additional foreign imports undermines America’s producers at a critical time as they make decisions about rebuilding numbers [of cattle herds] for next year. U.S. farmers and ranchers need stability.”