R-CALF Supports Tariffs

R-CALF United Stock Growers of America is backing the President's tariff strategies, saying they could help make the US a producing nation. Once again, CEO Bill Bullard shares his perspective, particularly on how these tariffs could impact the sheep industry, including a formal request for a Section 232, investigation.

“That's an investigation to determine if imports are causing a threat to our national security. And of course, for the sheep industry, our military relies on wool, and obviously it's an important protein source. So we submitted a request that included not just tariffs, but a tariff break quota system. What our goal is is to rebuild the desolated sheep industry in the United States. We've lost over 60% of the producers, over 60% of our inventory of sheep.”

The tariffs would gradually limit the volume of imports entering the US each year. Some something Bullard says could help level the playing field for American producers.

“We're accumulating a huge deficit. That is the leveraging down our domestic prices. So we have high prices right now in the cattle industry, but every time our prices reach this, this price point where it makes sense to reinvest and to expand, what happens is the meat packers just bring in more imports, thus reducing that price point below what is necessary for the industry to do what needs to be done."

Bill Bullard with R-CALF, USA.