The Trump administration is allowing more imported beef into the U.S. for 90 days. The move has drawn concern from the PA Farm Bureau.
PENNSYLVANIA, USA — The Trump administration is temporarily allowing more foreign beef into the U.S., a move the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau says could hurt local cattle producers.
The policy allows more than 300,000 tons of imported beef into the country over 90 days. The Farm Bureau says increased supply could put downward pressure on beef prices at a time when farmers have already paid high prices for replacement cattle.
Tommy Nagle, president of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, says farmers could feel the effects if beef prices fall while their costs remain high.
“You start importing beef this way, then it lowers the price,” Nagle said. “Then it does not make it economical for farmers to keep building a herd.”
Nagle said farmers who recently purchased replacement cattle could be especially vulnerable if beef prices fall.
“Farmers have purchased cattle at the high beef price, so their input costs are at a high level right now,” Nagle said. “So now if the price of beef falls, you could have beef farmers that may be breaking even or less than breaking even.”
But Bob Boyce, a local cattle farmer with Lil Ponderosa Beef, said he is not concerned about the policy’s effect on his operation.
Boyce, who has been raising cattle for 40 years, says he continues to see strong demand for the animals he sells.
“I think the term oftentimes is much about nothing,” Boyce said.
At Lil Ponderosa Beef, Boyce sells both beef and breeding livestock, including Angus cattle. The imported beef, he believes, serves a different market than his products.
“The beef that’s coming in … does not compete with me because it’s gonna be sold in grocery stores,” Boyce said. “It’s a low-end product. We sell a premium product.”
The Trump administration’s import plan is set to last 90 days.
The temporary policy comes as farmers, industry groups and consumers watch how the additional supply affects the broader U.S. beef market.