Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins discusses the combat over authorities spending on ‘The Night Edit.’
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Tuesday mentioned that the U.S. is contemplating imports of beef from Argentina to cut back costs which were at file highs this 12 months.
Rollins mentioned in an look on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that the Trump administration is getting ready to announce a plan to import beef from Argentina to assist improve the meat provide, as costs surged with cattle stock declining to the bottom degree in many years.
“The president has mentioned it a couple of times, I think you’ll be hearing more about exactly what that looks like,” Rollins mentioned. “In America, we consume about 12 million metric tons of beef, 10 million of that we produce here in America, but the 2 million I’m talking about we’ve been offshoring.”
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on July 15, 2025. (Reuters)
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Rollins mentioned that inside the 2 million metric tons of imports, there’s a distinction between floor beef purchases versus muscle cuts of beef. She added that imports from Argentina “will not be very much” compared with the 12 million metric tons of U.S. beef consumption.
The agriculture secretary additionally famous that the U.S. Division of Agriculture (USDA) will likely be carefully monitoring imports for foot-and-mouth illness because of an outbreak affecting Argentine cattle.
Cattle are proven in pens on the Cattlemen’s Columbus Livestock Public sale in Columbus on Oct. 8, 2025. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle/Getty Photos / Getty Photos)
“Argentina is also facing foot-and-mouth disease issue, which we at USDA have to ensure that our livestock industry is secure. And I know you’ve heard a lot about the screwworm coming up from Mexico, foot-and-mouth is a challenge too,” Rollins mentioned.
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“We’re going to ensure that our livestock industry is protected,” she added. “This is a very nuanced, very complex market that we’re moving in every potential possible direction to make sure that we’ve got a good future for these ranchers.”
Nationwide Cattlemen’s Beef Affiliation CEO Colin Woodall informed FOX Enterprise in a press release that the commerce group’s “family farmers and ranchers have numerous concerns with importing more Argentinian beef to lower prices for consumers.”
Cattle are proven in pens on the Cattlemen’s Columbus Livestock Public sale in Columbus on Oct. 8, 2025. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle/Getty Photos)
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“This plan only creates chaos at a critical time of the year for American cattle producers, while doing nothing to lower grocery store prices,” Woodall mentioned.
He additionally famous that the U.S. and Argentina have had a “deeply unbalanced trade relationship,” with beef gross sales from Argentina topping $800 million during the last 5 years whereas simply $7 million of U.S. beef has been offered in Argentina.
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Woodall warned that if foot-and-mouth illness is introduced into the U.S. it “could decimate our domestic livestock production.”
