Trump announces plan to let ranchers process their own beef amid import controversy
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President Donald Trump said he will permit U.S. cattle producers to process their own meat while facing criticism over a temporary suspension of tariffs on foreign beef imports.
President Donald Trump said his administration will issue legal documents that allow U.S. cattle ranchers and farmers to process their own meat, a move announced after criticism of a plan to temporarily import up to 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef without higher tariffs. Republican lawmakers have warned that a surge of imported beef could depress domestic prices and hinder herd rebuilding, which is already at a multi-decade low.
"For years I have heard that they have had a tremendous problem with the Big Processors, who many say are a nasty Monopoly," Trump wrote on his social-media platform, adding that the policy aims to break the concentration of processing firms, several of which are owned abroad.
The president’s agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, said the Department of Agriculture will make “big announcements” next week to streamline regulations, waive certain processing requirements, and expand the ability of ranchers to sell meat across state lines, describing the effort as a matter of national security.
The legal basis for the changes is unclear, as existing USDA inspection rules require congressional action to ease requirements for small producers. A bipartisan bill that would modify USDA inspections remains stalled in Congress. Representative Thomas Massie, a co-sponsor of the bill, praised the president’s initiative but said it should be enacted through legislation rather than an executive order.