American cattle ranchers have come out strongly against suggestions by US president Donald Trump that the country could import Argentinian beef.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump said Argentinian beef could be brought into the US to lower the cost of beef for consumers.

Responding to these comments, US Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) president Justin Tupper said such an intervention is unnecessary in an industry that is already correcting in response to years of market pressure.

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“Today’s comments alone triggered an immediate reaction in the markets, cattle futures dropped significantly,” he said.

“It’s important to underscore, the current price of beef on grocery store shelves reflects the true, inflation-adjusted cost of raising cattle in America today."

Tupper pointed to the volume of beef already imported to the US. He stated that more than 1.26m metric tonnes of beef, primarily from Australia, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and New Zealand, has been imported in the year to date.

Losing end

“Increasing imports under current rules ultimately benefits foreign suppliers and multinational packers, while putting US ranchers on the losing end and depriving American consumers of honest transparency at the meat counter,” he said.

The head of the USCA added that his organisation supports “affordable food prices for American families”, but opposes policies that “manipulate the market to address a solution that will be solved through natural market behaviour”.

“This approach weakens our industry’s foundation and undermines rural America,” he said.

“We have appreciated president Trump’s ‘America first’ priorities, which have consistently highlighted the importance of supporting US producers and reinforcing national food security.

“This moment presents an excellent opportunity to show genuine American-first leadership by prioritising strong domestic production and fair, transparent markets for both ranchers and consumers.”

Relative to earnings, the USCA said, beef prices haven’t changed since the 1980s. The average American can still purchase a pound of minced beef for about 12 minutes of work - unchanged after four decades, it added.

Previous comments

This is the second time the issue has arisen over the past week. In the days prior to the remarks on Sunday, the White House had indicated it would take action to address on-shelf beef prices.

At the time, Tupper had said current retail beef prices are a reflection of the challenges ranchers have faced, including rising input costs, drought and market shifts.

“The cost of producing beef today is accurately represented in the consumer markets where it is sold.

“Ranchers are facing historic highs for feed, fuel, labour and land, and those costs have risen far faster than beef prices on grocery shelves,” the USCA president stated.

In sentiments many Irish farmers may empathise with, he added that one of the main reasons for current pricing, both in store and in the livestock marketplace, is that the national herd reached a 75-year low earlier this year and also cited generational renewal issues.