President Donald Trump’s new plan to temporarily allow more tariff-free foreign beef into the U.S. in an effort to bring down prices has only ramped up tensions with domestic cattle ranchers, who warn the policy could hurt both U.S. producers and consumers.
The backlash comes as Republicans face mounting pressure over the cost of living ahead of November’s midterm elections. Trump has been hemorrhaging support among rural voters since the beginning of his second term, which isn’t a good trend for a demographic Republicans need in their corner come November.
On Friday, Trump posted to social media his intention of removing tariffs from up to 300,000 metric tons of imported lean beef trimmings for ground beef production. Trump said he secured a commitment with foreign beef exporters “that this beef will be sold at 25 percent below current market prices.”
But ranchers and farm groups are pushing back against the announcement, arguing that coupled with the absence of mandatory country-of-origin labeling and safety screening for beef, it could make it harder for consumers to distinguish imported meat from domestically raised cattle — giving imported products a competitive advantage while also drawing in questions of quality.
