President Donald Trump confirmed that Brazil and Argentina will be the main suppliers of beef imported by the United States, within a strategy to increase supply and try to reduce prices in American supermarkets. During an event in the Oval Office with farmers and cattle ranchers, Trump said that American inspectors closely monitor production in the supplier countries and that the imported meat is "very clean" and "very good." The comment comes after weeks in which the White House avoided publicly confirming from which countries the reinforcement in meat supply would come, despite having already announced the temporary suspension of tariffs last month.
The American government temporarily opened space for the entry of 300,000 additional metric tons of lean beef with reduced tariff, for a period of 90 days, divided into three monthly batches. The imported meat is expected to be sold at a 25% discount in relation to market price and will be destined mainly for ground beef production. According to the White House, the objective is to ease prices for the consumer while the American cattle herd, currently at its lowest level in approximately 75 years, has time to recover after years of prolonged drought.
The strategy provoked strong reaction from American cattle ranchers and Republican lawmakers, who fear that the entry of cheaper foreign meat will harm local producers. Creators from Colorado reported immediate drops in prices negotiated at the commodities exchange after Trump's initial comments, in addition to concern about possible sanitary risks such as the reintroduction of foot-and-mouth disease, a disease that already devastated American herds decades ago. Trump responded to the criticism by classifying the measure as limited and necessary, stating that American producers "can handle" the impact.
The announcement occurred at the same event in which Trump met with Joesley Batista, one of the controllers of JBS S.A., the world's largest meat processor and one of four major companies that dominate beef processing in the United States. Simultaneously, the government signed executive orders to expand competition in the sector, allowing farmers and cattle ranchers to open, process, package, and sell their own meat directly between states, without depending exclusively on the large processors.
