Trump opens 90-day tariff-free window for imported ground beef

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said the United States will let up to 300,000 metric tons of ground beef enter the country tariff-free over the next 90 days, a step he cast as relief for grocery shoppers while American ranchers rebuild the national herd, Fox Business reported.

Trump announced the plan Friday on Truth Social. Average retail beef prices have climbed since the pandemic. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis data cited by Fox Business put the average per-pound beef price at $6.89 last month.

Some Republicans from cattle country objected. Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota wrote that producers have been disadvantaged too long and that importing foreign beef as a quick fix is the wrong approach. He said consumers also need clearer country-of-origin labeling so shoppers can tell U.S. beef from imports.

Rep. Julie Fedorchak of North Dakota said lower grocery prices should not come on the backs of her state's ranchers. She warned that tariff-free imports sold below market price undercut producers who are investing to rebuild herds, especially as feeder cattle come to market. She asked USDA how inspection and safety standards for imports will match domestic rules.

Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida said the president is right to prioritize grocery costs but that short-term relief cannot sacrifice American ranchers or longer-term supply. Virginia Farm Bureau President Scott Sink told Fox News Digital that rebuilding the U.S. herd takes time and that imports may ease prices only briefly unless fuel, feed, and packing bottlenecks are also addressed.

USDA estimates four major companies buy about 85 percent of U.S. steers and heifers, and agency research has pointed to packing concentration and limited processing capacity as factors that can squeeze ranchers even when retail prices stay high. The White House did not immediately comment further to Fox Business. For shoppers, the test will be whether ground-beef prices ease during the 90-day window.