Statement by Mark McHargue, President, Regarding Announcement of Tariff-Free Beef Imports

LINCOLN, NEB. - "Today's announcement from President Trump unveiling the tariff-free importation of 300,000 metric tons of beef could not have come at a worse time for Nebraska's cow/calf producers. Right now, thousands of Nebraska ranchers are in the process of selling newly weaned calves and Nebraska remains 'The Beef State' with over 6.15 million head of cattle located in the state, second only to Texas. Unfortunately, the market's reactions to today's announcement are as troubling as they are predictable. At the producer level, this means lower prices at the time of year when millions of cattle producers are making marketing and herd retention decisions. At the consumer level, given that the United States imports around 2.5 million tons of beef product, most of it being lean trim for hamburger, it is doubtful this influx makes much of a difference on retail prices."

"At the same time, the strength of cattle markets is one of the few bright spots within agriculture, and even with strong prices, Nebraska cattlemen are making tough decisions given severe drought, wildfires, and higher input costs including hay and fuel. Temporary injections of tariff-free beef to 'maybe' address higher beef prices only creates short-term pain on feeder calf prices without long-term solutions for cattle producers. Supply and demand aren't a far-reaching academic concept, it is the real-world scenario our cattle industry finds itself in, and short-sighted government policy only serves to provide long-term damage to an unbelievably complex beef supply chain."

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