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Trump moves to expand beef processing options, competition

President Trump has signed a pair of executive orders that address market access and competition for America’s farmers and ranchers.  

During a signing ceremony on Friday, the President said the goal is to improve the financial viability of producers. “The livestock industry has been ripped off by a meat-packing monopoly, which we are probably taking care of pretty well today, driving down what ranchers earn. They were charging them numbers that were unsustainable.”

The EO asks the USDA for robust enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act, requires several agencies to assess current regulations, evaluate the impact  gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act and review country-of-origin labeling.

He says one of the orders allows producers to process, package and sell meat across state lines in an effort to bypass the country’s largest processors. “They’ll have inspections. They’ll have inspectors just how like the big plants have them, but I would be willing to say that our ranchers will be more sanitary than those plants. I think it’s going to be a great thing.”   

American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duval, who attended the signing, says it will help small, beginning and young producers grow their herds. “By being able to slaughter or harvest their animals closer to home and being able to give sales directly to the consumer.”

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins says the administration’s plan helps provide long-term certainty for the industry. “We have to protect this way of life for the future for the 1^st gens, but for also the 7^th, 8^th and 9^th gens.”

The president also addressed where the U.S. would be sourcing 300,000 metric tons of ground beef.“It’s coming from Argentina. It’s coming from Brazil. It’s coming from a couple of other places. We have our inspectors down there. It’s very clean it’s very good.”  

Ethan Lane, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association says the Executive Order asks USDA and the office of the US Trade Representative to review their authorities as it relates to mandatory Country of Origin Labeling. “That is something that’s been done numerous times over the last few decades and kind of tends to lead to the same result of kind of the same barriers that we’ve seen previously.”

However, Lane says, “From producers’ perspective, it was disappointing to hear the president talk about how excited he is that beef prices are coming down,” he says. “Cattle producers around the country have lost 10s of millions of dollars in the last few weeks alone, given these market shocks from this latest round of imports.”

Bill Bullard CEO of R-CALF USA says the EO is a good first step. “It provides options, for example, that the Secretary of Agriculture could make recommendations for legislative action.”

He tells Brownfield the move could help move the needle on pending legislation. “This will just add to the momentum that has already been demonstrated in support of mandatory country boards and labeling.”

Brownfield’s Meghan Grebner contributed to this story.