Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is defending the Trump administration’s decision to allow more foreign beef into the United States, a move as U.S. cattle producers continue to navigate tight supplies and elevated beef prices.
Balancing Beef Prices and Cattle Production
President Donald Trump has announced plans to lower tariffs on up to 300,000 metric tons of imported beef. Rollins says the decision is intended to help address high consumer beef prices while maintaining protections for the domestic cattle industry.
The administration had restricted cattle imports for roughly 14 months because of concerns over New World screwworm. According to Rollins, more than 1 million head of cattle were prevented from entering the United States during that period.
“A million plus heads stayed south of the border, not one crossed through one port,” Rollins said.
She argues those restrictions helped protect the U.S. cattle herd while the country worked to contain the pest. Rollins pointed to the limited number of active cases as evidence that the approach has been successful.
“There’s only three active cases of New World screwworm after two and a half months in America. It’s a great success story,” she said. “We’re not done yet, but we’re close.”
At the same time, Rollins acknowledged that keeping imported cattle out of the country contributed to higher beef prices for consumers. The administration now faces the challenge of balancing those costs with the need to support American cattle producers.
Rebuilding the U.S. Beef Herd
The proposed 300,000 metric tons of imported beef represents approximately 500,000 head of cattle, according to Rollins. She emphasized that the additional imports should not be viewed as a replacement for rebuilding the U.S. cattle herd.
“Unless we rebuild our beef herd, we will become more and more reliant on foreign countries to feed and fuel ourselves,” Rollins said.
The comments come as the U.S. cattle industry works through historically tight cattle supplies and strong demand for beef. For producers, the long-term question remains how quickly the domestic herd can rebuild while maintaining a market that works for both ranchers and consumers.
Rollins said the administration’s broader goal is to strengthen domestic production and reduce reliance on foreign supplies over time.
Listen to the full report for more from Secretary Rollins on beef imports, New World screwworm and the effort to rebuild the U.S. cattle herd.