U.S. beef prices have been stubbornly high for a variety of reasons, including drought and reduced imports from Mexico due to a flesh-eating pest in cattle herds there.
Sorry I’m dumb, can someone tell me how it’s Trump that decides this? I thought wholesalers and retailers decided where to source meat from, not the federal government?
Ah, you are thinking logically. This is a mistake when it’s got anything to do with the orange rapist.
What happened is something along the lines of this…
“Sir. The poors are complaining about beef prices again”
{Obese orange imbecile flies in to a narcissistic rage, then shits himself}
“Sir. Why don’t we import beef from Argentina?”
{Shits himself again} “Press conference, now.”
…
“I’ve called you all here today because I myself have had a tremendous, bigly, perfect idea” {performs that stupid fucking grin of his, puts his thumb up, shits himself} “My, and my alone, idea is to import beef from Australgentina to bring prices down. You know my uncle was a cow, the best cow, yuge big udders he had. Everyone said it. Anyways, if prices go down this was all my idea” {Puts thumb up. Stupid grin. Shits his pants again}
There you go. Basically if he hears something that seems like a good idea, or if he thinks there’s a good soundbite from it, then it’s now his idea.
If it fails then it was a federal thing to blame. Or Obama. Or Biden. Or both.Tarrifs really. His favourite toy. When he ‘decides to import Argentinian beef’, i presume this means he means he will remove or reduce tarrifs on beef from Argentina, and potentially lower or streamline any bureacracratic hurdles - you know silly things like quality and disease control - stuff like that which Republicans hate. That’ll thereby make Argentinian beef much cheaper for US wholsalers.
As usual, this is a disaster of his own making, as he imposed an additional 50% tarrif on Brazilian beef - which was a large source of US supermarket beef, on top of their pre-existing 23.6% tarrif… Taking it to nearly 75% tarrif, and this was during an (ongoing) parasite outbreak in Mexico that was already lowering beef availability to the US and causing price rises. So, shock… supermarket beef prices shot up rapidly in response and have stayed there.
Don’t forget that the parasite outbreak in Mexico was caused by Trump’s administration cutting funding for a program that prevented the parasite from crossing the Panama Canal.
This whole idea avoids two big issues at stake.
- The United States dollar is weakening.
- American Ranchers are in desperate need of help to increase domestic production.
With the US dollar weakening, this creates economic risks for purchase orders of Argentinian beef. There will need specific policy assurances in place and market controls by both Governments to ensure that a continuing weakening US dollar doesn’t commit retailers to beef that does nothing to move price to consumer.
There would need to be ever increasing tariff controls in place and if Trump does not make the midterms, there is a good chance that Congress could curtail his usurping Article I powers from Congress. This could come at a time that would be critical for quick adjustments and if retailers have put in orders that jump suddenly or orders that just get cancelled.
Record high retail beef prices in the US in 2025 are driven by low domestic cattle supplies and strong demand. This is due in part to several post pandemic droughts the world over. Additionally, changing trade policy has made steady market planning by US cattle producers that much more difficult. The volatility paired with natural factors has cause beef production within the United States to plunge. Independent farmers of beef are in need and losing the battle to commercial beef production that continue to use their market position to maintain higher beef prices and lower production.
There needs to be movement on multiple fronts within the United States to ensure a healthy beef production that can match the demand being seen. Simply importing Argentinian beef, slaps a band-aid on a wound that’s in critical need of prompt attention. And failure to address the complexities of what’s driving beef prices higher and just simply applying a stop-gap issue that does nothing long term, will ensure that beef prices don’t actually move anywhere in the foreseeable future.
If this whole thing was part of some larger domestic improvement plan, that would be a different story. But this President is widely known for half assing, or quarter assing, or concepts of a planning his way through his term. There’s no way that there’s some larger strategy involved here. And so what the President is doing is attempting to curry favor with Argentina and Milei by putting long term US beef viability at stake (no pun intended).
I expect nothing less from the guy. This is just a foolish plan that is going to blow up in someone’s face a few years down the road. This idiot in the White House is just hoping that he isn’t that guy left holding the bag when it does.
If American ranchers are struggling to produce competitive beef, why is that a problem? It’s not a critical good; just import it and let the industry shrink.
If as you say it’s domestic producers maintaining the price high by restricting supply, imports will encourage them to increase supply.
Rather than breaking up the meatpacking under antitrust (an actual solutiom) we’re, uh, importing more beef to bailout rich americans who over-invested in argentina?
Start investing in building firms around rural America, there’s going to be a big old rush on by the land farmers used to own.
How does this help American farmers?
It helps them stay laying down while the Trump bus drives over them.
I wonder how many realize the lost business in the long run will ruin them, despite the short term bailouts.
Gives you that all beef flavour you can only get from beef fed beef.
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American ranchers don’t produce beef, they produce ranch. You’re thinking of beefers.
When beefers fight, are they ranching?
Thanks for being a great example of how a lot of lemmy users can be pedantic and also wrong at the same time.
Ranchers are a subtype of farmer.
Oh shit! I can’t believe it took me this long to figure out that MAGA means: Make Argentina Great Again
American rancher? Fuck you!
Trump fucks his supporters yet again.
And they are stupid enough to ask for more.
Wow, that picture makes him look even older than the Time cover.
This one?
no. no one asked for this, delete it, please!
“That’s a challenging wank.”
RIP Sean Lock.
Yeah, he’s aging quite quickly now.
Anyway …
Mere months after ShittyPants was throwing a fit about Australia not buying that godawful hormone and chemical stuffed American beef.
What a crybaby.
This is fantastic news for vegans! I’m sure all of the “US beef doesn’t directly contribute to deforestation - you’re overreacting” folks will now see the direct connection and stop eating beef…
They weren’t arguing in bad faith right?.. Right?
