After reports that President Donald Trump would suspend tariffs on beef imports from all major exporting countries, the White House delayed planned executive orders on the tariffs after pushback from ranch groups and others.
Trump was expected to sign an executive order Monday waiving annual tariff-rate quotas on beef imports—the volume threshold at which higher tariffs kick in. As of late afternoon Monday, the White House had not released specifics on the order.
According to the Wall Street Journal, tariffs on beef products would be suspended for 200 days, essentially through the end of November. Meanwhile, beef imports are already soaring compared to last year. Australia, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and New Zealand are the countries most likely to see export volumes to the U.S. jump as a result.
Bill Bullard, CEO of the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA), criticized the proposal as an experiment that would give meatpackers and retailers greater control.
“At the very least, the White House should provide domestic cattle farmers and ranchers with the tools they need to mitigate the financial harm they will likely incur from an increase in price-depressing imports, and it should empower consumers to choose which countries’ beef they wish to consume,” Bullard said.
Along with that, Bullard pressed for a return to country-of-origin labeling and for a stop to requiring domestic cattle producers to promote foreign beef through mandatory checkoff dollars.
Based on USDA data, beef imports are steadily rising and account for about 18% of domestic beef consumption. Removing tariffs for most of the year will likely push that volume higher.
Trump has repeatedly pressed for ways to lower beef costs. He raised the issue on social media last fall and has continued to press his administration to find some solutions. As of March, the Federal Reserve priced the average pound of ground beef at $6.70/lb., up about $1.15/lb. since Trump took office. Prices have steadily risen as the size of the U.S. cattle herd continues to decline.
Regulatory moves
To counter the likely complaints from cattle producers about higher imports, Trump was also expected to sign a second executive order seeking to reduce some regulatory issues for cattle ranchers. The White House moved to reduce protections for gray and Mexican wolves under the Endangered Species Act. That comes after Congress voted in December to delist gray wolves from protected status.
Along with that, the White House’s executive order would roll back mandatory electronic identification (EID) ear tags for beef cattle. Since late 2024, livestock producers have been required to use EID tags for sexually intact cattle and bison over 18 months of age, as well as all dairy cattle and cattle or bison used for rodeos or exhibitions.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) also plans to expand access to loans for ranchers, though SBA and the White House made a similar announcement last month to open SBA loans to farmers and ranchers. By backing lenders with guarantees, producers can get higher loan amounts than offered by USDA loan guarantees, though SBA-backed loans can also come with higher interest rates than USDA loan guarantees.
The executive orders were scheduled to take effect just a week after Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins held a news conference with the Department of Justice (DOJ), announcing that DOJ continues to investigate potential antitrust violations in the meatpacking industry. Rollins has criticized foreign ownership of packers by Brazilian companies and said more must be done to boost domestic beef production.
The White House’s executive order on beef tariffs was to come after the president, in February, waived tariff-rate quotas specifically on beef from Argentina.
Beef imports on the rise
USDA export-import data released last week showed beef imports at $4.5 billion through March, up 28% from a year ago. That comes after a record $13.75 billion in beef imports in 2025, up nearly $2.5 billion from a year earlier.
In comparison, U.S. packers last year exported $9.3 billion in beef, down nearly 11% from 2024. So far, the dollar value of U.S. beef exports is down 13% for the first quarter of 2026.
USDA import data shows that import volumes continue to rise, including in the first three months of this year.
USDA’s Global Agricultural Trading System data shows import totals based on dollar values:
• Australia, $3.6 billion total in 2025; $1 billion in 2026, up 30% from a year ago.
• Canada, $2.8 billion in 2025; $730 million in 2026, up 4%.
• Mexico, $2.2 billion in 2025; $654 million in 2026, up 37%.
• Brazil, $1.75 billion in 2025; $795 million in 2026, up 21%.
• New Zealand, $1.28 billion in 2025; $465 million in 2026, up 18%.
• Uruguay, $870.5 million in 2025; $303 million in 2026, up 31%.
• Nicaragua, $412 million in 2025; $138.5 million in 2026, up 69%.
• Paraguay, $278 million in 2025; $96 million in 2026, up 53%.
• Argentina, $327 million in 2025; $170 million in 2026, up 112%.
Farm Action criticism
The group Farm Action on Monday said the White House move is a failed approach because previous increases in beef imports have not lowered the prices for American consumers. Farm Action said consolidation in the meatpacking industry remains the central problem. Farm Action also said Brazilian packer JBS is likely to benefit from the expanded imports, given Brazil is now the world’s largest beef exporter.
Given the volume of imports, Farm Action also called for reinstating mandatory country-of-origin labeling on beef and pork. — Chris Clayton, DTN ag policy editor
