Trump targets dominant meatpackers, eases beef imports
Washington: President Donald Trump has signed two executive orders aimed at restructuring America’s beef industry and lowering consumer prices, while saying the United States was importing limited quantities of ground beef primarily from Argentina and Brazil.
The measures seek tougher enforcement against dominant meat-processing companies, wider interstate sales by small producers and a review of mandatory country-of-origin labelling. They also call for reconsidering federal protections for grey wolves and Mexican wolves.
Asked by reporters where beef covered by a tariff suspension would come from, Trump said: “It’s coming from Argentina, it’s coming from Brazil, it’s coming from a couple of other places. We have our inspectors down, it’s very clean, it’s very good.”
Trump said the imports were being allowed on a limited scale as domestic producers rebuilt cattle herds that had fallen sharply.
“Well, there could be other countries, but right now it’s primarily Argentina, Brazil, but there could be other countries. And we’re doing it in a very limited fashion because our ranchers can handle it,” he said.
The White House said the national herd was at a 75-year low while consumer demand for beef had grown almost 10 per cent over the past decade.
Trump said allowing ranchers to process meat closer to their operations would reduce their dependence on large processing companies.
“Our ranchers are going to be able to do their own food processing, and they’ll have inspections, they’ll have inspectors, they’ll have everything just like these big plants at them,” he told reporters.
“I think it’s going to make a big difference when you can do your own processing, and you don’t have to drive hundreds of miles away,”z Trump added.
One order directs the agriculture secretary to prioritise investigations into possible violations of the Packers and Stockyards Act. It also calls for more enforcement staff and closer coordination with the Justice Department on possible anti-competitive conduct.
The White House said the four largest beef packers now account for 85 per cent of purchases of steers and heifers, compared with 36 per cent more than four decades ago.
The administration also plans a guaranteed-loan programme for small and regional beef processors. The order calls for streamlined inspection programmes, technical assistance and expanded interstate market access for eligible meat products.
A separate order requires federal agencies to review regulations and policies affecting ranchers within 90 days. The agriculture secretary must also examine whether existing law permits mandatory country-of-origin labelling for beef and assess its economic impact.
The interior secretary has been directed to determine whether grey wolves and Mexican wolves meet the criteria for removal or reduced protection under the Endangered Species Act. The administration could also encourage states to revise their protections and standards governing the lethal removal of wolves.
