U.S. to Boost Beef Imports to Address High Prices, Trump Says
Category: News & Politics
Via: hallux • 3 months ago • 100 commentsBy: Patrick Thomas, Philip Wegmann and Gavin Bade - WSJ
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
President Trump announced a plan to temporarily allow more foreign beef imports into the U.S. without paying higher tariffs , his latest move aimed at easing a run-up in beef prices for American shoppers.
Trump, in a social-media post on Friday, said the Trump administration, for the next 90 days, will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of ground beef to be imported into the U.S. without triggering higher tariff rates. “We have a commitment that this beef will be sold at 25 percent below current market prices,” Trump said.
The White House and the Agriculture Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The administration hasn’t yet publicly released documents implementing Trump’s directive.
Even as the administration has been dogged by record-high prices, American cattle and rancher groups have pushed back against importing foreign beef. The U.S. started the year with the smallest herd since the 1950s, about 86.2 million cattle and calves, according to USDA data.
Reducing beef prices has been a priority for the Trump administration, which is feeling pressure to convince Americans that it is taking steps to tame food inflation . Beef has been one of the most stubborn sources of food inflation for U.S. consumers over the past year and a half.
The administration had planned in May to suspend the annual tariff-rate quota—which applies a higher tariff rate after a certain level of beef imports is reached—on all beef-exporting nations, The Wall Street Journal reported. Those plans were delayed following an outcry from some congressional Republicans and cattle rancher groups.
The shortage of cattle in the U.S. has been driving up livestock costs, making it expensive for meatpackers such as Tyson and JBS to process cattle. Last week, Tyson said it was closing a major beef processing plant in Illinois , the second one it has shuttered this year.
The cattle shortage has driven beef prices to record highs for consumers in recent months. Ground beef prices were $6.89 a pound in July, up 10% from a year ago.
The Trump administration has taken several other steps to lower beef prices.
The Justice Department launched an antitrust probe of the nation’s largest meatpackers after Trump called for one, and the administration unveiled plans to provide funding for smaller meatpacking operations to boost competition in the sector.
The Agriculture Department said last month that it would reopen ports along the southern border to Mexican cattle that had been shut out because of concerns about spreading a flesh-eating parasite called New World screwworm . Mexican cattle imports account for about 5% of the cattle processed in the U.S. and meatpacking executives had said it was the fastest way to potentially lower beef prices.
Beef-industry officials have said the only surefire way to lower beef prices is for ranchers to rebuild herds, a process that takes about two years. Ranchers sold off their herds after years of drought and poor financial conditions following the pandemic and have so far shown few signs of expanding their operations to previous levels.
Trump on Friday said the new imported beef would be sold at 25% below market prices. Before the July 4 holiday, an Agriculture Department official had called executives at some of America’s top supermarkets to lower the prices of beef sold to consumers, the Journal previously reported.
Despite high prices, consumer demand for beef hasn’t cooled. Americans are expected to consume about 29 billion pounds of beef this year, according to government data. The planned imports from the Trump administration equal about 2% of all beef consumed in the U.S.
It couldn’t be immediately determined which country the imported beef would come from or which grocery stores would sell the discounted beef.
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Not to worry, Trump knows the best kind of communism ...
Is there a treaty this Administration won't break? Even their own?
SMH
Is there anyone left at the FDA to test meat Imports?
meat packers are probably on the honor system now ...
especially the chinese and brazilian ones ...
Especially since Trump has repeatedly refused to divulge where this meat is coming from.
He was quite clear... "...other countries and territories." I mean, if that don't clear it up then you aren't patriotic enough... /s
mystery meat ...
I suspect it is worse than that. China recently rejected 22 metric tons of meat from Argentina due to it being contaminated with chloramphenicol.
...and the House will take up a new resolution to reimburse beef producers for lost income in the next spending spree.
But wait... That's.... SOCIALISM !!!
But probably not from Canada...
ground beef from Canada will likely be safer than the ground beef from south of the border with the new world screw worm problem .
personally i have been using alternative ground meats for over 2 years now even in a beef growing state .
Now trump wants to bring in the Argentinian beef that China rejects for a banned substance.
China blocks Argentine beef shipment over banned antibiotic detection amid tightened import scrutiny - Stonehaven Cozmix Group
More evidence of who is really making these decisions...
Morning Split..with China alot of their "banning" is more political than standards at times..
If Argentina has upset China in anyway or if China doesn't agree with them they resort to banning products and trotting out "does not meet our standards"..
China is very sensitive to any form of criticism and they chuck a wobbly over it and resort to banning that countries imports..
I don't eat anything made, produced or packed in China or any other Asian country...when you see how and where their food is produced I wouldn't touch it with a 44 foot pole...
I don't even buy anything from NZ now because China was sneaking their crap food into Australia via them...
Good luck with Mexico and Argentina...
Ive also been reading many folks want to bring back more stringent labeling requirements , such as country of origin , I dont think having that on a label is a bad idea, the real issue i have is in how they define country of origin , i have seen meat products raised out of the country , promoted as a US product simply because of how it came into the country . if it comes in on pallets its not if it comes in alive . it can be claimed to have come from the US. I look at that and say I dont think so .
How about raised in the USA but packaged in Singapore?
Ive seen that as well , something produced here , shipped out of the country for final preparation and packaging . My cheap cashews are a starting product in the US , but processed in China yet it carries a US label .
Morning...or supposedly made where ever but sourced from local and imported ingredients..which usually means Asian countries..
Here they have to show how much is Australian and how much are imported ingredients..
Works well I think and all seafood and meat has to say country of origin...
bloody hell, thank god for that ...
"Do you have a little Australian in ya? If not, do ya want some?"...
I hope you like the taste of horse.
had my first taste of horse over in Europe in 1985 while i was in the military , other places in the world dont seem to have the problem people from the US do with using it as a food source . We here in the US do seem to be food snobs when it comes to what we consider exotic meats .
or pets
I've teased my DIL about some south american delicacies by telling her they're only available at pet shops, pets are more expensive than groceries, and disclosing the reason for wanting the pet would probably terminate any negotiations for it.
The French love eating snails.
And frog legs.
I do not buy beef from a grocery store and have not for almost a decade. I usually go to a local farm and purchase my beef, chicken and pork. I guess my problem now is bacon & sausage. I will have to be careful about where I get that.
Could you get from the same place you get your pork?
I am hoping. I never looked at those items when I went to shop. I am going to now.
I have gone to making my own sausage, people likely dont take just how labor and time intensive it is and that is not even considering the equipment needed to go through the process.
I have been doing it all with the wild game i harvest during my hunting seasons , elk , white tailed deer and antelope, those 3 ingredients and necessary seasoning and spices and i am not far from being both organic and free range .
I personally make my own italian and polish sausages , different breakfast sausages , kielbasas , summer sausages and trail bolognas and brats, just made a 6 pound batch of spicy trail bologna monday . took all day to process and slow cook in the smoker .
When my husband still hunted we always made deer sausage. I preferred it to plain ground venison.
If ya get the chance, try bison sausage - OMG.
I know the specialty meat store that I buy from has, but have not yet had the guts to try it. I guess it is time.
I came 'face to face' with Bison sausage yesterday evening while out. . . and oh my, I passed on it. 'Small world' that you would mention it today! You say it is good to the taste? Honestly, I 'chickened' out. Sometimes I have so many 'experimental' foods in my diet that my better self tells me to slow down or miss out on one or another 'new' food source.
I muse sometimes to myself about wanting a 'different' meat (bear; snake; rabbit (had it when I was a 'lad'), deer) than what I am accustomed to, and then for the first time I see 'ground' packaged bison meat. . . and I walked away leaving it on the 'table'. . . (Sigh.)
Bison, is a high-fat content meat?
Morning...yes they do that here with Kangaroo..just can't quite come at Skippy snags or steaks..
It is meant to be excellent meat but the thought of eating Skippy just doesn't quite appeal to me..
The Kooris have lived on it for 60,000 years and up north can buy kangaroo tails in the supermarket...
We also have Emu as well again meant to be excellent meat..
They say we are the only country in the world that eats it's National Coat of Arms..
As for fat content , most wild game or what is considered wild game , is a lot leaner with less fat and marbling . the thing i like about the wild game i chase is its protein content compared to what is now considered normal table fare . it all is much higher in content than say beef or pork .
Something to remember though , any game meat labeled for sale , did not grow up in the wild , it is specifically ranch raised , that bison , has to go through the same things a beef cow does , such as vet check inoculations , vaccines , it has to conform to all those same regulation if it is to be sold to the consumer . So it has the same issue for me as to why i tend to stay away from store bought meats , you never know what was put into it in some form or another , chemically .
We've got a grocery mart/store next to the university that stocks Elk, Buffalo, Pronghorn, Rabbit, Deer, etc. that usually sells out rapidly primarily because of the protein/low fat content, and, believe it or not, because of the "range" taste - gamey, but tasteful.
I dont doubt it , there is a big market for this type of commodity , but my initial point is they are all ranch raised , following USDA regulations not like someone , like me who walks out their back door and shoots it themselves . with wild game , most states it is illegal to sell something like that , market hunting , for now is a thing of the past , for what some call game meat conforms to modern regulations and controls , the only way to get truly "wild " game , is to go harvest it yourself .
side note , i have a spot , that i have permission to hunt , ranchers alfalfa field , best tasting antelope i have had , has come from that field . They get just the right mix of natural and cheating feed i will call it .
I could ask you: What is a 'bad' experience with game meat you have dealt with that comes to mind? Here is why I ask. . .
I do not hunt, never had to do so. And that speaks volumes about why we, as citizens, can and do develop different perspectives about life (in general and specifics).
You hunt and kill. I consume what has been marketed. Never shot or killed another living creature of any kind for consumption.
This year I mentioned on an article by "Dig" that my becoming hobby is gardening. Now then, I had, shall we say a 'strange dilemma' near harvest time. That is, I literally did not know when to pick what I grew in pots and in the ground. That is, I had no clue as to when my 'food' stuff was 'ready to prepare to eat/consume.' I even asked "Alexa" for help! Alexa, did its best to assure me that my 'growings' were safe and ready. . . and still I hesitated waiting for a sign from 'heaven.'
Finally, I gathered myself and started an 'initial' harvesting process. I took pictures of my 'first.' Then, I asked Alexa again about it. . . . Then, I cut into it. . . only to feel that I was 'killing' it. . .I had to shake that off. . .and remember that plants are harvested all the time-by somebody. . .and consumed.
It is the strangest (new) feeling to eat what you grow the first few times. . . . I still fight back the feeling that I am 'hurting' my food. (Sounds weird, yeah?)
Finally, I put my foodstuff in boiling water and cooked it. . . then, I wondered if it as going to make me sick. It did not. So long story 'short'. . . .
You can see why I asked above about your experiences with bad meat(s) or animal parts from the wild. In reality, matters, things, and circumstance we think about and that are not undertaken or completed can make 'us' go hmmmm when talking to others that live a certain way (or in a different part of the country).
I've had bison burgers. Really tasty. I would have tried that bison sausage
Here we eat what is on the state flag, Bambi's father as well as his mother and if you screw up in sizing your target Bambi as well.
As a farming area the harvest of whitetail deer is a necessity and in a way self defense.
I hope they will have bison burgers at the County Fair next week.
Which vendor has bison burgers? We hope to go have lunch at the Fair on the wooden nickel deal, and I love a bison burger.
Second stand west of grandstand has them sometimes. When he does, they are good
I had really good and big bison burger at car show in Carlisle Pa, last month.
A very good but very open question there , mainly because you did not narrow down the scope . and being a typical Gemini the overthinking the question started the minute i read it .
i have no clue here as do you mean in procuring processing packaging , prep , methods of cooking how to decide what to harvest, see the answers could come from anywhere depending on the specifics .
Like i said i started to overthink it , and tried to think of a BAD experience , but I could not come up with one .But that is because of how I am and how I individually think.
I can honestly say i have not had a bad experience , but a number of different learning experiences that I can use to teach , like i have been teaching my grand kids and sometimes others who may not have the experiences for whatever reason.
Without specifics , kind of a hard question to answer because there is no starting reference to go from.
You can come harvest all the white tail you want in my front yard. But you have to use a cross bow
>sigh<
another softball I could've launched out of the park ...
That is the second or third approval of Bison meat in this discussion! I guess I should try it. Even "Alexa" has provided its 'approval' of Bison meat!
Mainly, I was wanting to know about something that did not carry through as you thought it should when 'dressing' a kill, such as blood, body parts damaging, sickness i the 'meat,' animals that are tough(er) to 'finish off,' those kinds of experiences. Still, as you suggested, it could just come from any where in the processes: from 'hoof' to table. And yes, it could be one of the "learning experiences" that came as an initial surprise.
Oh you . . . and that active mind you possess!
It took me a moment to process what you meant. . .and then I got it! I bet women just adore having you around—a singular focus (on them )!
Like i said i dont look at experiences as good or bad really , more as learning opportunities, but one experience does stand out as having the potential of turning out very very bad and not a shot was fired .
The cliff notes version is that i decided to try a new area to hunt for elk, in my younger years i was confident in my physical abilities , my level of woodsmanship, the choice of gear and equipment but i still had the mistaken belief i was 10 ft tall and bulletproof for all intensive purposes . i found out i was wrong on this particular excursion.
i went into a hunt area in the NF bordering Yellowstone , and just outside a designated wilderness area got back in the woods about 8 miles on foot . remember im chasing elk , but there are all sorts of other animals out and about . this area has the big 4 top apex predators in it . Wolves , Mnt Lions , Black and Grizzly bears .
I got in there and found an alpine meadow i thought was very good for setting up and waiting . it had plenty of sign that animals , especially what i was after was going through the area . I sat at the edge just inside thew brush line somewhat out of sight and was glassing the far side of the meadow when i caught movement and out came a very large boar grizzly sniffing around .
Instant adrenalin rush thats what i will call it , i assessed the situation very quickly , i was out of his line of sight , that was in my favor , the wind was blowing from him towards me , that was the biggest concern really , bears have better smell senses than most anything on earth so I sat tight for a moment and watched . a And watched this bear sniff his way over to an old stump and it sat down. it then took both forepaws and seemed to grasp both sides of this stump and literally ripped/ flipped it out of the ground like opening a pop-top on a soda can. That easily. it then started rooting at the stump hole and base he was eating insects /grubs .
As i was watching i was thinking , that bear could cover the distance between us very very quickly ( it was about 400 yards ) and i instinctively looked at the rifle i had chosen for that day, a semi automatic in 30-06 cal. it is one that can take down any animal in the lower 48 , and it has , thats when a twinge of doubt started , did i have enough gun that if i had to in a very fast and stressful situation to come out the other side in hopefully one piece .
remember what i said about the bears smell and how important wind direction is , just as i had decided to leave this meadow to the true king , it lifted its head and started taking deep sniffs , that was the deciding moment when i said time to get out of dodge .
wind in the mnts has a habit of swirling , eddying , and changing direction without notice . I backed out as quietly as i could never taking my eyes off the big guy , then walked sideways further back , i think i covered about 50 yards into the brush /timber and went another 100 yards as quietly as i could , i estimate i covered about 200 yards before i heard this god-awful bellow , by that time i was back on a game trail that was going in the general direction i wished to go , back to my vehicle . i walked very quickly for the next 25-30 mins and heard the forest behind me sound like it was exploding, not sure but im almost positive the bear caught my scent and was NOT a very happy camper about it .
The next 6-7 miles walk was in what i can best describe as "quick march " mode with my head like it was on a swivel, but the thing that was disturbing to me , was the further away i was getting , the sounds of breaking branches and things getting torn up , was not . It was a very interesting 2 hour walk back to the truck.
could have been very very bad . but it was a learning experience I survived , but what did i learn?
never be over confident
expect the unexpected while in the woods
and always have confidence in all your equipment , and leave no doubt to its capabilities .
what's stopping you?
The bison I had was farm raised. So take that into consideration
Whew!
It tore the stump out of the ground???? Yeah...wouldn't want to piss him off
Good sharing. That is what I am asking about: experiences. Because they do build PERSPECTIVE. I can talk all day about bears in the wild. . .and not touch of what it means to actually encounter (perspective) said animal in the 'bush.' I can listen to the roar and 'thrashing' of a bear all day on television and not be any way truly familiar with the actual sound of a bear roaring or thrashing about on the ground.
The larger lesson for politics: That is why I am actually willing to let conservatives live their 'truth,' because it means so much to them. And, I need for them to let me live my 'truth,' because it is how I see the world: my perspective. We all have a perspective-one that we come about honestly.
Anyway, I kind of get it. . . and one question: Why did you leave your car so far behind? Or walk so far 'ahead'?
'Sugar' that is why and what they mean by a 'bear hug' - it's a big (terrifying) squeeze when done correctly! Strong 'arms' and slaps too I'd bet!
Two things to consider here , i parked at the trail head , the road stopped and followed the path, I also didnt have any real set destination , i was in what i will call "huting/ stalking " mode some call it jump or still hunting . it took me about 4 hrs to go that far which equals about 2 miles an hr , not a brisk pace but a slow walk like window shopping . i stopped when i found the meadow and all signs looked promising to maybe see something if i sat still and quiet . Also remember i was a lot younger ( in my early 30s) and to get back to the vehicle i didnt have to go slow or quiet going out.
trout , one must have an understanding of sorts about bear anatomy. All bears are strong , but people look at a grizzly and the hump on its back and think its mostly fat , it isnt , there is barely a fat layer there , it is in fact a very large and dense muscle group that works its front shoulders and paws. and they are said to be able to run about 30-35 mph in a short sprint . every one looks at the claws , but the real danger is in the amount of force that can be generated by those shoulder muscles , it is also said a grizzly bear swipe can decapitate much larger things . horses , moose , elk .
I'll jump on a soap box for a second here . mainly because i live here and it affects me and my state .
grizzly bear only have 2 natural predators . Humans being the first one , the other is themselves .
we have all likely heard that there is talk of handing over management of grizzlies to the 3 states that have them in the lower 48 , Idaho , Montana, and my state of Wyoming The bear was put on the ESA list back in 1975, with a specific number that would have to be reached for them to be taken off the list, that number was reached about 15 almost 20 years ago, here is the problem in my view . their range or suitable habitat where they can support themselves has shrunk not increased like their numbers . Which leads to conflicts and bear mortality.
Humans we can somewhat control with laws regulations and the like . bears we can not . grizzly males will kill cubs , even their own offspring , to get to mate with the females , and the females will defend those cubs from a male even if the male ends up killing her leaving cubs orphaned and likely to die if they are too young to fend for themselves .
The bernstein bears do not exist , bears as depicted by Disney do not exist . they are what they are wild undomesticatable animals , thats not saying they dont feel or can noot show some human characteristc , but that is all they are are characteristics , they are not human nor equal to humans in many respects , you cant have an intelligent conversation and convince then to do anything other than what their natural instincts tell them to do .
those that try to humanize wild animals do them more of a disserve by attempting to do so , and thhey end up hurting the animals more than any one alive .
ok off soap box
If you want Bison meat to cook yourself, Whole Foods has cuts of Bison as well as packages of ground Bison meat.
(And its healthier than most Beef because its "grass fed").
Some countries eat dog meat,
Much Bison fat is a healthier form of fat because many Bison are "grass fed". (Although some are started on grass and are then "grain finished")
The nearest Whole Foods is about an hour away, I think. Martin's (subsidiary of Giant Foods) is closer and sometimes has ground bison.
decorum. I'm trying harder to act my age, but it's a 50+ year leap ...
Definitely too far!
In "normal" times. And with the current price of gas being what it is making that trip would be ridiculous . . .
Recently a Whole Foods opened up really close to where I live. Now almost anything I buy is from either Whole Foods or Amazon. (And lately I've become much more health conscious so I rarely do take out food)
BTW here's something some people might not know: Amazon bought the Whole Foods Market company a while back so they are now one company.
And they have an excellent loyalty program. If you qualify you can get a no fee credit card where you automatically get a generous 5% back on purchases from either of these these stores.
(Over time that really adds up)
If you qualify you can get a no fee credit card where you automatically get a generous 5% back.
The card is from Chase-- if you apply make sure its the card that has automatic 5% rebates from Amazon/Whole Foods.
Yes, I know. I watched a tv special about that.
Do Australians eat Crocodile meat?
I also have some Gemini in my chart, so I should point out that what constitutes a "Bad experience" is a judgement not a fact.
(Actually that is probably due more to the Virgo in my chart . . .(can sometimes be more nit-picking than necessary and occasionaly excessive paying too much attention to minor details )
But what about hurting the things that other people grow? Certainly there must've been times when you went to a grocery store & purchased lettuce, or carrots, or berries, or tomato sauce, etc
(Or perhaps you have gone to a McDonalds and had something with a lettuce leaf in it? (Or even a McDonald's salad (if they have that)?
When you got home and ate store bought salad ingredients . . .did you feel you were hurting those vegetables then?
Ever go to a store and bought a Tunafish sandwich? Or perhaps eaten Chinese food (where someone else killed the meat involved).
based upon their beloved savior in DC, I don't think maga is too picky about the snags they put in their mouths ...
It is called the difference between perspectives, Krishna. That is what I am going after in that comment. People that farm, people that consume - can be distinct. There understanding of being a farmer or consumer different. So yes, once I tried growing my own food. . . I was faced with the same startup understanding that likely many new farmers are faced. Or ranchers when they 'ready' the cows and flocks they grow to maturity. . . and then have to 'learn' to butcher or send to market.
Of course, I 'won' the day. . . because: 1. I have learned when my 'growings' are ready to eat. 2. I have consumed my own vegetables. I am 'set' now.
What Mark and I were sharing was is the different perspectives people can hold to based on how they live. Both can be 'right' coming from their public and private experiences. Mark is a great example of a man who knows how to kill to eat. I am a 'better' example of somebody who consumes what has been 'prepared' (processed) for the table (none of the 'dressing of a kill' or significant blood, or internal organs to discard or gaze upon).
Morning...yes we do eat croc but it is not on my list of things to consume...
I have never tried roo or emu either and happy with a good Scotch fillet steak..
This "SOB" is telling us to our faces that he is attempting to MANIPULATE THE MARKET as well as (buying) VOTERS in the mid-term by satiating their greedy 'appetites' for a few days. . .before he spends the next two years telling us all to KISS HIS FAT ASS again.
How STUPID ARE MOST PEOPLE TO FALL FOR this?!!! People grow the F-k up already. Those of you accepting this stupid, self-serving, Trump fool's 'massaging' of your brains are out to lunch!
Having been an early adopter of the Internet as well as some Social Media sites . . . I long ago decided that generally speaking, most people are pretty stupid indeed!
So then the question becomes . . . what meat are they having for lunch?
Cattle herds were decimated under Biden . Takes awhile to recover. Supply and demand.
Yes, I distinctly remember Biden shooting whole herds every day for..........no reason at all. /eye roll/
So neither Trump or Biden could bring the rain, but sure, blame Biden for the lack of rain.../S
I was being a smart ass but yes I am keenly aware... Thanks SP.
Cute, but wrong answer. Read a little deeper into Sean's response.
Why not blame Obama . . . ?
(That's always been fashionable is some circles).
And what about Thomas Jefferson?
Or...Millard Fillmore?
Morning...we have got steaks galore on the hoof...we already export hundreds of thousands of tonnes to the US ...
We can happily supply lots of steaks but..oh wait that's right, there was something about tariffs..
Oh well all the more for us...
Needs a brushing of marmite on one side and vegemite on the other.
Now there's a thought..🦘
Wouldn't use Marmite though🤮..poor man's Vegemite...
Could start a new trend..🙂
that oz veggy jam looks like it's been burnt once or twice already ...
It's coming from Argentina, and it's meat that they couldn't legally sell because of their own beef standards... It's literally scraps from their table that they cannot even eat.
Which is rather far away, so it has to somehow be transported to the U.S.
Which means it will take a lot of fuel (which is currently rather expensive) . . .and that will probably negate the low price of the Beef itself. . . ?
the argentine beef all have german names and swastika brands ...
Morning...rather interesting as Trumpet did his usual dirty deals and now wants to export US meat to Australia??..
We banned US meat in 2003 because of the mad cow out break..I don't ever recall seeing it the shops anyway nor would I buy meat from 12,000 kms away....
So all the supermarkets etc said they won't buy it or stock it and yet there is a beef shortage in the US and you are going to import it??
He really does have a skewed view on economics...
spending and/or losing other people's money comes naturally to him ...
It is just as amazing as it is incredulous that people in this country, free as they like to think they are, let a LIAR like Trump (he is somewhere lying right now - odds are) be the 'boss' of their money and futures.
Argentina is known for its Beef.
And they have real cowboys. They are called gauchos.
(No relation to Gaucho Marx however)
the argentine beef all have german names and swastika brands ...
And they're painting the passports brown . . .