President Donald Trump has sparked anger among his rural supporters by opening American markets to foreign beef in an attempt to lower supermarket prices.
Trump announced on Friday that the United States will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of imported beef to enter the country without tariffs over the next three months. The president claimed the policy would drive down the cost of ground beef, saying the foreign meat would sell at 25 percent below current market rates because of a commitment from importers.
The decision prompted an immediate backlash from cattle ranchers, agricultural groups and Republican politicians from farming states, who warned the policy would damage the domestic meat industry.
Trump blamed President Joe Biden for the rising cost of beef, although prices have continued to climb since the change in administration. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the federal agency that measures inflation and consumer prices, ground beef cost $3.96 a pound when Biden took office in January 2021.
The price reached $5.60 a pound by the time Biden left office, and has hit $6.80 under the Trump administration.
Ranchers condemn market intervention
Colin Woodall, chief executive of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, a trade group representing American meat producers, criticised the tariff suspension.
"Today's announcement and other market interventions throw cold water on the prospect of herd expansion and sacrifices long-term stability for short term messaging," Woodall said.
Individual producers also expressed frustration. Meriwether Farms, a beef producer based in Wyoming, reacted to the president's statement on social media by writing "Betrayal".
Amanda Radke, a South Dakota rancher and agricultural speaker, also responded online. "This was very difficult to read this morning from President Trump. Frustrated and disappointed is an understatement," she wrote.
The meat company Good Ranchers warned the policy was a "short-term price fix" that would hurt domestic producers "dealing with years of drought, high feed costs, and a shrinking herd."
Alex Clark, a conservative social media influencer involved in the Make America Healthy Again movement, described the decision as a "total slap in the face" to American farmers.
Political backlash from Republicans
The tariff suspension also drew criticism from within Trump's own party. Senator Tim Sheehy, a Republican from Montana, said he had warned the White House about the policy.
"I've advised President Trump against this course of action for a year because American ranchers have been struggling against the packer monopoly for decades, and this will further harm them - most of whom are MAGA Republicans," Sheehy wrote on social media.
Four large meat packing companies control the majority of the beef processing market in the United States. Ranchers have long argued this consolidation suppresses the prices they receive for their cattle while keeping consumer prices high.
Trump defended the policy when challenged by reporters on Friday about the rural backlash.
"I love the ranchers, they've done a fantastic job, but they admit they need a little help in order to get the prices down," Trump said. "That's what the people want, that's what the voters want, and that's what I want."
