PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — President Donald Trump is pausing tariffs on foreign beef imports for 90 days in an effort to lower prices, a move that is raising concerns among cattle ranchers in Florida and across the country.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said there is a “commitment that this beef will be sold at 25% below current market prices.” Federal data shows the average price of beef is nearly $7 a pound.

Joe Planz, owner of Providence Cattle Company, said the tariff pause could make it harder for local ranchers to compete if imported beef is sold below market prices.

“Something like they’re proposing, if that goes longer than 90 days, it’ll put ranchers like me out of business,” Planz said.

Providence Cattle Company supplies beef to local restaurants and hotels across Tampa Bay. Planz said local ranchers also support their communities in ways foreign companies don’t.

“Our beef goes into our community, and we hire people from our community. We donate things to our community. Foreign countries, they’re just dumping beef,” Planz said.

According to the Department of Agriculture, the U.S. cattle herd inventory is about 86 million, the lowest level in 75 years.

Abby Hall, a professor of economics at the University of Tampa, said U.S. consumers eat about 33 million metric tons of ground beef every year, while the tariff pause covers 300,000 metric tons.

“Given the magnitude of our beef consumption and the relative small provision that this would allow for, I wouldn’t anticipate that prices would maybe come down significantly,” Hall said.

Planz said he can handle a 90-day pause, but he is concerned the policy could be extended.

“Sometimes when things start, they just never stop. And that’s what I think everybody’s worried about,” he said.

The Florida Cattleman’s Association released a statement opposing the tariff pause, saying, “Artificially interfering with the cattle market is not sound policy. Strong markets are encouraging cattlemen to rebuild their herds, and government intervention that disrupts those market signals threatens both producer confidence and the long-term stability of America’s beef supply,” the statement said.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association also expressed disappointment in the policy.