Southeast Cattle Producers Watch Beef Import Debate
Cattle producers across the Southeast are paying close attention to reports that President Donald Trump may approve an executive order allowing more imported beef into the United States at lower tariff rates.
A new Market Intel report from the American Farm Bureau Federation says the administration is considering a 200-day suspension of limits under the U.S. beef tariff-rate quota system. The move would temporarily allow several countries to ship unlimited volumes of beef into the U.S. market at reduced tariff rates.
Farm Bureau economists say the U.S. cattle industry is operating in one of the tightest supply environments seen in decades. Years of drought, rising feed and operating costs, herd liquidation, and disruptions tied to New World screwworm restrictions have all contributed to shrinking cattle numbers.
AFBF President Zippy Duvall says ranchers are only beginning to recover after years of losses and warned that increased imports could put the economic sustainability of rural America at risk.
You can read the full Market Intel report at https://www.fb.org/market-intel/relaxing-beef-import-quotas-sends-mixed-signals-to-ranchers
