Trump delays suspending beef tariffs amid criticism

President Trump has delayed issuing an executive order to lower beef tariffs as part of an effort to reduce beef prices, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The reduction in beef tariffs was planned in conjunction with another executive order to reduce regulations that apply to American beef products, but ranch and farm leaders criticized the proposal to reduce tariffs on foreign beef.

“It’s no secret that America’s farmers are suffering,” American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said. “Despite a historic drought limiting the supply of water and feed, the lone bright spot in farm country has been the cattle business. Ranchers are finally starting to recover from years of losses. Any plans to increase beef imports are extremely worrisome and could undermine the fragile recovery ranchers are experiencing.

“We appreciated the president’s efforts to enhance the farm economy earlier this year. We now urge him to consider the economic impact an executive order would have on rural America. Increased imports put at risk the economic sustainability of the men and women who grow the food every family in America relies on.”

Duvall made the statement after the release of a Farm Bureau Market Intel analysis of the situation.

“The United States cattle industry is navigating one of the tightest supply environments in decades,” Market Intel stated. “The domestic cattle herd remains near multi-decade lows following years of drought, elevated feed and operating costs, herd liquidation and ongoing disruptions tied to new world screwworm restrictions along the southern border. At the same time, beef imports have already climbed sharply. During the first quarter of 2026, the U.S. imported 562,000 metric tons of beef and beef products valued at nearly $4.5 billion, up 18% from the same period last year and 122% higher than five years ago.”

A proposed 200-day suspension of quantitative limits under the U.S. beef tariff-rate quota system, allowing several countries to temporarily ship unlimited volumes of beef into the U.S. market at lower tariff rates, “may increase beef supplies in the short-term, but it would weaken incentives for ranchers to rebuild domestic herds,” the report written by Farm Bureau economist Daniel Munch said.

Farm Action Research and Policy Director Sarah Carden said the Trump plan would benefit JBS, a Brazilian-based meatpacking company, rather than American consumers.

“The company most likely to benefit from expanded imports is JBS, the Brazil-based meatpacking giant owned by billionaire brothers Joesley and Wesley Batista,” Carden said in a news release. In 2017, investigations revealed that the Batistas spent years bribing Brazilian politicians to secure government-backed loans and favors that helped finance JBS’ expansion into U.S. meatpacking.

“Reports that Joesley Batista helped broker recent U.S.-Brazil trade discussions raise serious questions about whether this policy is meant to lower grocery bills or reward one of the most corrupt corporations in the global food system.

“Expanding imports into a rigged and consolidated market will not lower prices for consumers or create a fairer market for ranchers. What it will do is strengthen multinational meatpackers like JBS while putting renewed pressure on independent U.S. cattle ranchers, who are finally beginning to recover after years of being in a deficit.”