Trumps Plan to Import More Ground Beef Is Falling Short

Halfway through President Trump’s three-month gambit to import more ground beef to lower prices, little extra beef has been imported and prices have barely budged.In August, Mr.Trump signed a proclamation allowing 300,000 metric tons of lean beef trimmings to enter the United States at a reduced tariff rate.

The additional beef could be imported over 90 days, with up to 100,000 metric tons entering each month in September, October and November.But only 37,486 metric tons of this beef entered the country in September, according to U.S.Customs and Border Protection data, barely more than a third of the allowed amount.

There hasn’t been much improvement in October, as just 21,937 metric tons entered through the 19th.The lack of action is a potential blow to Republican candidates in the midterm elections.Mr.

Trump said this month that beef prices “really became unacceptable to the voter,” and he has been trying to lower prices while keeping farmers and ranchers — typically a reliable Republican voting bloc — on his side.Groups representing ranchers immediately criticized the president’s plan to import beef, saying it would lower what they received for their cattle; live cattle prices fell 3.4 percent the day the proclamation was signed.Ranchers said the threat that Mr.

Trump would intervene in the market anytime prices rose made them more likely to send heifers and cows to slaughter instead of taking the risk of holding them back to help build up a larger herd.“I am afraid they are trying to solve a short-term problem with beef prices, which will create long-term cattle supply problems in the process,” said Ford Drummond, the president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association.Cattle prices have since rebounded.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

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