Last Friday, President Trump announced via Truth Social his plan to lower the tariff on 300,000 metric tons of ground beef imports in order to lower costs for consumers. However, this has generated a largely negative reaction from cattle producers as the U.S. cattle herd sits at a 75-year low, with industry leaders like Iowa Cattlemen’s Association President Craig Moss saying the decision is “extremely disappointing” and creates “unnecessary market volatility.” During her media availability at the Iowa State Fair, United States Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said the reopening of a port in Arizona will allow beef cattle that were kept out of the country due to New World Screwworm to trickle back into the U.S.
Rollins said the 300,000 metric tons of ground beef should not have a long-term impact on the rebuilding of the U.S. cattle herd.
Rollins claimed that recent data indicated that there is already positive momentum towards rebuilding the herd.
Rollins added that the Trump administration is also working in several other ways to strengthen the beef industry for producers.
For more information, visit usda.gov.
