President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Wednesday that aims to lower ground beef prices by boosting imports from other countries, reports Politico. This is despite outrage from the beef industry. Trump’s proclamation will remove tariffs from 300,000 metric tons of imported lean beef trimmings for 90 days. He said the countries supplying the beef would sell it at 25 percent below current market prices. Industry backlash comes from the American Farm Bureau Federation, Livestock Marketing Association, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and United States Cattlemen’s Association. A joint letter from the groups warns that the policy will devastate domestic cattle markets, discourage herd-rebuilding, and ultimately compromise food security, reports Drovers. The coalition wrote that the announcement has already driven cattle markets sharply lower, and it undermines producers at a critical time of year when they are marketing cattle and making herd-building decisions.
Cattle groups protest as trump signs beef import plan
