Farm Action issued the following response to President Donald Trump’s proposal that the U.S. purchase Argentinian beef to bring down beef prices.
This statement can be attributed to Christian Lovell, Farm Action’s Senior Director of Programs and an Illinois cattle producer:
“President Trump’s plan to buy beef from Argentina is a betrayal of the American rancher. Those of us who raise cattle have finally started to see what profit looks like after facing years of high input costs and market manipulation by the meatpacking monopoly.
After crashing the soybean market and gifting Argentina our largest export buyer, he’s now poised to do the same to the cattle market. Importing Argentinian beef would send U.S. cattle prices plummeting—and with the meatpacking industry as consolidated as it is, consumers may not see lower beef prices either. Washington should be focused on fixing our broken cattle market, not rewarding foreign competitors.”
With these actions, President Trump risks acting more like the president of Argentina than president of the United States.”
The U.S. beef industry is dominated by four major meatpackers that control roughly 85% of the market. This consolidation allows them to suppress prices paid to ranchers while keeping consumer prices high. Importing more beef into this rigged system will not lower costs for families or restore fair markets for producers.
To fix this structurally flawed system, the Trump administration should reinstate Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (MCOOL) for beef and pork, restore competitive markets by enforcing antitrust laws, and rebuild the U.S. cow herd to achieve national self-reliance in beef production.
Trump’s announcement also comes after Argentina took hold of the soybean market after China stopped buying from U.S. farmers. Meanwhile, Washington is looking at sending another $20B lifeline to support Argentina’s economy.
Media Contact: Emma Nicolas, [email protected], 202-450-0094
