WASHINGTON — In addition to dropping details of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s $19 billion Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, President Donald Trump dropped a bombshell on U.S. trade officials and the U.S. cattle industry.
“We have trade deals where we actually take in cattle and we have a lot of cattle in this country and I think you should look at the possibility of terminating those trade deals,” said Trump on May 19 in the midst of his remarks to unveil details of the CFAP.
Trump started off the press conference praising U.S. farmers and ranchers and mentioning that details of the CFAP, announced on April 17, were final.
“I read yesterday that we take some cattle in from other countries because we have trade deals. I think you should look at terminating those deals, alright?” he said to an audience that included Cabinet officials.
“If a country has been a great country and a great ally and a great friend, you do have to do that, but there are some countries who are sending us cattle for many years and I think we should look at terminating. We are very self-sufficient and we are becoming more and more self-sufficient,” Trump said.
In February, the United States lifted a ban on the import of fresh beef, not live cattle, from Brazil, after more than a two-year ban on those imports.
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association president Marty Smith, a cattle producer from Wacahoota, Florida, was in the audience with Trump when the president made the comments.
Shortly after the press conference, Colin Woodall, CEO of NCBA, clarified the status of U.S. beef and live cattle imports.
“Live cattle imports to the United States only come from Canada and Mexico and will continue to do so under the terms of the president’s newly negotiated USMCA. America has not imported live cattle from other nations for several years,” Woodall said.
Woodall did take on the issue of the fresh beef imports from Brazil.
“NCBA and its members strongly request the White House to take another look at his decision to allow fresh beef imports from nations like Brazil, where there continue to be concerns with foot-and-mouth disease and USDA’s decision to reopen the American market to Brazilian beef,” Woodall said.
Woodall emphasized the need for a balance of imports and exports that enables U.S. beef producers and processors to add value to cuts that U.S. consumers don’t prefer.
“America’s cattle producers rely on safe and reliable international trading partners, both as a destination for the undervalued cuts we produce here, such as hearts, tongues and livers, and for importation of lean trim for ground beef production to meet strong consumer demand,” Woodall said.
Woodall said about 12% of the beef consumed in the United States is imported from other countries.