Farm Bureau renews calls for President Trump to reverse import policies and tariffs

The American Farm Bureau Federation renewed calls for President Trump to roll back plans concerning increased beef imports into the United States. The Federation noted that increasing imports had had little impact on ground beef prices in grocery stores. Farm Bureau economists tracked 41 locations and found that, on average, prices had fallen only 16 cents per pound.

The calls center on the impact of foreign-raised beef imports on the domestic market. The influx of foreign beef was reportedly undercutting the fragile recovery in the cattle industry. The threat of a 60% increase in imports over 90 days caused a sharp drop in the prices paid to ranchers for their cattle.

The calls are made amidst the larger context of the Trump administration having imposed new import tariffs, which had driven up costs for imported goods.