Trump eases tariffs on ground beef imports for 90 days

President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the United States will temporarily allow a greater volume of foreign beef imports, in an effort to lower costs for American consumers ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. The shrinking US cattle herd, in part due to drought and international competition, has pushed cattle prices higher.

"For the next 90 days, the United States will allow up to 300,000 metric tonnes of product for ground beef to be imported with no out of quota tariff," Trump stated on his Truth Social platform. The president did not disclose which countries would be exporting the beef, but mentioned that there is a commitment to sell it at 25 per cent below market prices.

Higher beef prices have become a symbol of high living costs in the world's biggest economy, prompting the Trump administration to take action to bring costs down. However, US cattle and rancher groups have been resistant to importing more beef. Trump claimed to have "concluded a deal to substantially lower the price of ground beef for working American families," although he provided limited details.

In September, Trump had urged ranchers to cut their prices and later expanded imports of beef trimmings from Argentina to cool the prices of ground beef. The latest move comes as American households grapple with persistent inflation, driven by an energy crisis linked to conflict in Iran. After US-Israel strikes targeting Iran in late February, Tehran retaliated by virtually blocking access to the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial energy transit route, driving up fuel and transport costs and squeezing consumers.

Despite higher beef prices, US consumer demand remains strong. The US Department of Agriculture estimates that total beef consumption this year will reach 29.4 billion pounds, up from 2025 levels. However, the American Farm Bureau Federation warned in May that Americans are consuming more beef than US farmers and ranchers can currently supply, and that ranchers need to rebuild the US cattle herd to prevent prices from rising further.

Nonetheless, economist Bernt Nelson of the federation noted that cattle producers still face significant uncertainties in rebuilding the herd, including threats to animal health such as the New World screwworm.