Ag News

White House hints at purchasing beef from Argentina

On Oct. 19, President Donald Trump suggested that the U.S. buying beef produced in Argentina might be a way to reduce consumer food costs, according to multiple published reports.

Major agricultural groups expressed concern that purchasing beef from other countries could worsen an already challenging economic landscape for U.S. beef producers.

In an Oct. 20 statement, American Farm Bureau (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall noted that America’s beef producers have been losing money for several years, and the U.S. cattle herd is at its lowest point in decades due to weather challenges and low farm gate prices.

“Weakened cattle prices are the last thing needed in farm country, where farmers are being paid historically low prices for crops across the board while expenses remain high,” Duvall said.

Duvall urged the White House to take adverse consequences for American farmers under consideration before importing beef and cattle from other countries.

“Flooding markets with foreign-grown beef could affect our nation’s ability to be food independent in the long-term. We look forward to learning more about the president’s plan, and we stand ready to work with him to ensure farmers and ranchers can survive this economic storm,” Duvall said.

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Colin Woodall echoed AFBF’s sentiments and added that purchasing beef from other countries would interfere with the free market and intensify the U.S. beef trade deficit with Argentina.

“This plan only creates chaos at a critical time of the year for American cattle producers, while doing nothing to lower grocery store prices,” Woodall said. “Additionally, Argentina has a deeply unbalanced trade relationship with the U.S. In the past five years Argentina has sold more than $801 million of beef into the U.S. market. By comparison, the U.S. has sold just over $7 million worth of American beef to Argentina.”

The NCBA noted Argentina’s history of foot-and-mouth disease in cattle and voiced concerns that if introduced to the U.S., it could decimate domestic livestock production.

The NCBA has initiated a messaging campaign for producers to contact their congressmen regarding any purchase of Argentinian beef. That campaign can be accessed here.

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