Trump Pauses Beef Tariffs and Signs Rancher-Friendly Executive Orders

President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs covering 300,000 metric tons of beef, allowing imports at a 25 percent discount below market price. The pause targets shipments from Brazil, Argentina, and “a couple of other places,” with U.S. inspectors stationed at entry points. At the same time, Trump signed executive orders that let ranchers butcher, process, package and sell their own products, (2) require country-of-origin labeling on all foreign beef, and direct the Interior Department to consider removing gray-wolf protections under the Endangered Species Act. The move follows a report that Trump met with Joesley Batista, co-owner of JBS S.A., the world’s largest meatpacker, the day before the announcement. A recent recall of nearly 30,000 pounds of Argentine beef in Texas and Florida was cited as unrelated.

The HillPolitico

Trump framed the tariff pause as a “limited fashion” measure to help ranchers keep herd sizes while lowering consumer prices. He characterized the four largest U.S. meat processors—Tyson Foods, JBS S.A., Cargill and National Beef Packing Co.—as a “monopoly” that harms farmers. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who had opposed earlier versions of the plan, acknowledged the policy as a “gut punch” to ranchers but praised Trump as a champion for them. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told GOP lawmakers that Brazil and Paraguay are best positioned to supply the imports.

The Hill

• “It’s coming from Argentina. It’s coming from Brazil,” — President Trump

The Hill

• “We’re doing it in a very limited fashion because our ranchers can handle it, but our ranchers really needed a little bit of help, and our ranchers want the prices to be down too,” — President Trump

The Hill

Trump said the country-of-origin labeling requirement will be placed before Congress “right away,” indicating that legislative action will be needed to make the rule permanent. Further regulatory changes to enable direct-to-consumer sales by ranchers also await USDA and congressional approval.

Politico