特朗普拟暂停进口牛肉关税引牧场主反对

R THE PRESIDENT'S PLAN TO TEMPORARILY PAUSE TARIFFS ON AT LEAST 300,000 METRIC TONS OF IMPORTED GROUND BEEF. THE ANNOUNCEMENT, AHEAD OF THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS, HAS DRAWN SHARP CRITICISM FROM BOTH RANCHERS AND REPUBLICAN POLITICIANS, WHO SAY THE CHEAP IMPORTS WILL UNDERCUT STRUGGLING AMERICAN PRODUCERS AND WEAKEN THE INDUSTRY IN THE LONG-TERM. THE PRESIDENT SAYS THE MOVE IS AIMED AT PROVIDING RELIEF TO AMERICANS STRUGGLING WITH HIGH GROCERY PRICES PRES.

TRUMP: WELL, WE WANT TO GET THE BEEF PRICES DOWN, SO WE'LL GET THEM DOWN A LITTLE BIT. AND THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE WANT, THAT'S WHAT THE VOTERS WANT, AND THAT'S WHAT I WANT. GEOFF: FOR A PERSPECTIVE FROM INSIDE THE INDUSTRY, WE'RE JOINED NOW BY WALTER SCHWEITZER. HE IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE MONTANA FARMERS UNION AND RAISES BLACK ANGUS CATTLE NEAR GEYSER, MONTANA. THANKS FOR BEING WITH US. WALTER: YES, THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME.

GEOFF: PRESIDENT TRUMP ANNOUNCED THE PLAN SAYING HE HAS A COMMITMENT TO SELL IMPORTED BEEF AT 25% BELOW CURRENT MARKET PRICES. THE DETAILS HAVE BEEN SCARCE. WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HOW THE PLAN WOULD WORK AND WHERE THE BEEF IS COMING FROM? WALTER: I KNOW NOTHING MORE THAN ANYONE BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T SEEN THE PLAN, WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING IN WRITING. WHAT I DO KNOW IS 300,000 TONS OF ADDITIONAL BEEF INTO OUR MARKETPLACE IS REALLY ONLY AN INCREASE BY 2% OR 3% OVER THE TOTAL BEEF SUPPLY WE HAVE.

AND WITHOUT MANDATORY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABELING, THE PRICE A BURGER WON'T CHANGE. WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS THESE MULTINATIONAL PACKERS WILL IMPORT THE BEEF FROM PACKING PLANTS AND THEY WILL SEND IT STRAIGHT TO THE BURGER PLANTS IN THE UNITED STATES, MIX IT IN WITH THE USDA INSPECTED LABEL AND SELL IT AT U.S. BEEF PRICES. GEOFF: GROUND BEEF PRICES HAVE RISEN NEARLY 75% SINCE 2021 WHILE THE U.S. CATTLE HERD IS THE SMALLEST IT HAS BEEN IN 75 YEARS.

WHAT IS DRIVING BOTH SIDES OF THAT EQUATION? HIGHER PRICES AND FEWER CATTLE. WALTER: FIRST OFF, DEMAND. THE CONSUMERS WANT TO EAT BEEF. THEY KNOW IT IS A HEALTHY PRODUCT AND THEY LIKE THE TASTE. I DON'T BLAME THEM, I LIKE TO EAT BEEF TOO. MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE DON'T HAVE A SHORTAGE OF BEEF IN OUR SUPPLY CHAIN, WE HAVE MORE BEEF THAN WE DID FIVE YEARS AGO. ALMOST 30% OF OUR TOTAL BEEF SUPPLY IS IMPORTED. NO ONE KNOWS THIS BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABEL.

WE COULD ACTUALLY LOWER THE PRICE OF BEEF WITH THIS 300,000 METRIC TONS IF WE REQUIRED MANDATORY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABEL. THEN THE PACKERS WHEN THEY BRING INTO THE GROCERY STORES WOULD HAVE A MEXICAN LABEL ON IT OR A BRAZILIAN LABEL AND THE CONSUMER WOULD BE ABLE TO PAY LESS FOR THE MEXICAN BURGER OR THE BRAZILIAN BURGER. AS A CATTLE PRODUCER, I'M NOT AFRAID TO COMPETE AGAINST THESE OTHER COUNTRIES AS LONG AS WE ARE DOING IT ON A FAIR PLAYING FIELD WITH TOTAL TRANSPARENCY.

AMNA: THE USDA RECALLED 30,000 POUNDS OF ARGENTINE BEEF. I WOULD IMAGINE THERE ARE FOOD SAFETY CONCERNS. WALTER: THERE ABSOLUTELY IS. THESE COUNTRIES DON'T RAISE THEIR BEEF WITH THE SAME STANDARDS. IN FACT, WHEN THE OLYMP