Trump Signs 2 Orders to Boost Ranching as Ground Beef Hits Record $6.92 a Pound
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 25
Trump Signs 2 Orders to Boost Ranching as Ground Beef Hits Record $6.92 a Pound
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 25
Summary
Two executive orders signed Sept. 4 direct agencies to cut barriers for ranchers, let more state-inspected meat move across state lines, support smaller processors and modernize inspections.
USDA last week also moved to help states start or expand meat-inspection programs, aiming to add local processing capacity and give ranchers more ways to sell beef.
Record-high prices helped drive the push: ground beef reached $6.92 a pound, while the U.S. cattle herd has fallen to a 75-year low and domestic beef production is declining.
The administration argues regulation and concentration are the deeper problem, with four companies controlling about 85% of U.S. beef processing capacity and small processors struggling to open or expand.
The orders follow a Sept. 1 move to widen lower-tariff access for 300,000 metric tons of imported lean beef trimmings, a step that angered ranchers who said cheaper imports could undercut herd rebuilding.