President Donald Trump signed a new executive order on Nov. 13 rolling back tariffs on a wide range of agricultural products, including certain beef items, in a move aimed at easing high prices and meeting domestic demand.
The order updates earlier tariff actions taken under Executive Order 14257 issued in April, when Trump declared that large and persistent U.S. trade deficits posed an unusual and extraordinary threat to national security and justified reciprocal tariffs on imported goods. After months of negotiations, recommendations from officials and an evaluation of domestic supply and production capacity, the administration determined that it was necessary to exempt certain agricultural products from those duties.
The revised Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States lists hundreds of tariff-exempt goods, ranging from high-value beef cuts and preserved bovine products to a broad assortment of fruits, nuts, vegetables, spices and processed foods. Beef exemptions include both fresh and frozen products, bone-in and boneless cuts, offal and prepared items such as corned beef and preserved meats. The list also covers imported produce staples, including tomatoes, avocados, coconuts, oranges, pineapples and a long list of tropical and specialty crops.
Alongside food items, the schedule includes a wide range of spices and flavoring products, including coffee, tea and vanilla beans. The exemptions are not limited to food but apply to a broader set of agricultural commodities and extend into minerals, oils, ores and industrial compounds.
The announcement comes on the heels of the Trump administration securing framework agreements with Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador and Argentina. The deals are designed to expand opportunities for U.S. companies to sell industrial and agricultural goods in those markets, while also reducing tariffs on agricultural products and other products not manufactured in the U.S.
Tariffs remain
The framework agreement with Argentina does not address the beef tariff-rate quota. Still, Politico reported that a White House official said the existing 10% tariff on Argentine goods is expected to be lifted for beef. Currently, imports beyond 20,000 metric tons (mt) per year face an additional 26.4% tariff. The White House reportedly had been considering raising that quota to 80,000 mt after Trump floated the idea of increased Argentine beef imports to ease high U.S. beef prices.
Under the new trade framework, Argentina has agreed to open its market to U.S. live cattle and allow access for U.S. poultry within one year. It will also streamline registration for U.S. beef, beef products, beef offal and pork, and will no longer require facility registration for U.S. dairy imports.
Despite the tariff rollbacks, Beef Central reported that Brazilian beef will continue to face a substantial tariff burden, including a 40% additional duty imposed in August and a 26.4% duty that has been in place since mid-January. Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin told reporters that exports of coffee, beef and tropical fruits to the U.S. will still be taxed at 40%, noting that even after a 10-point reduction, the remaining rate “is still very high.”
According to Beef Central, the Meat Import Council of America asked the White House for clarification and currently believes that while the 10% reciprocal tariff was removed, the 40% additional tariff on Brazilian beef remains in force.
Australia cautiously welcomed Trump’s rollback of tariffs on beef, while urging the U.S. to remove all remaining duties on Australian goods, Reuters reported.
“We welcome the lifting of these tariffs. That’s a good thing for Australian beef producers,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Australia has exported between 150,000 and 400,000 tons of beef annually to the U.S. since 1990. After Trump highlighted the trade imbalance earlier this year, Australia later announced it would ease restrictions on U.S. beef imports.
Industry reactions
Bill Bullard, CEO of Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, USA, said his organization supported the reciprocal tariffs imposed in April and the later 40% tariff on Brazil because they were necessary steps toward reducing the nation’s cattle and beef trade deficit and rebuilding domestic production.
Bullard noted that Trump’s decision to remove the 10% tariff was based partly on concerns that the U.S. cattle industry lacks the capacity to meet domestic beef demand, a concern Bullard called valid. Bullard argued that the industry now faces a critical dilemma in which heavy beef imports and unfair market practices threaten producers, and he said the solution is to rebuild domestic capacity, curb monopolistic control and manage imports so they do not hinder long-term industry growth.
The Iowa Cattlemen’s Association said it understands the intent behind Trump’s decision to cut beef tariffs. Still, it warned that the move introduces uncertainty and volatility that could disrupt markets, according to local news outlet WOI.
The group noted that U.S. producers rely on a balanced import-export strategy, including lean trim imports that help meet domestic demand for ground beef. They emphasized that it is still unclear how lifting tariffs will affect this balance and said they will continue working with government officials to ensure Iowa producers’ perspectives are represented. While acknowledging the president’s recent focus on beef prices, the association cautioned that such public comments could create instability that ultimately harms producers. — Charles Wallace, WLJ contributing editor
