Cattle Industry Expert Warns of Rural Community Decline Due to Trade Policies

Declining US Cattle Inventory

• 📉 The US cattle herd numbers have plummeted to the lowest level in over 70 years, a decline that has been ongoing since the 1980s.
• ⚠️ This steady decrease is squeezing ranchers out of profits and leading to increased costs for consumers at the grocery store.

Causes of Industry Decline

• 🌍 Two primary reasons for the decline are identified as globalization and free trade, and market concentration.
• ⛓️ Decades of "free trade" have led to the destruction of domestic supply chains for cattle and sheep, with the US market used as a dumping ground for cheaper imports.
• 🏘️ This has displaced domestic producers, reduced herd sizes, eliminated opportunities for rebuilding, and weakened domestic supply chains, which is hollowing out rural communities.
• 🛡️ The weakening of these supply chains also threatens national security by reducing self-sufficiency in beef and lamb production.

Impact of Trump Administration Policies

• 🇺🇸 President Trump is aware of these issues and has been pushing for fairer trade deals to benefit American farmers.
• 📉 However, the cattle and sheep industries have not yet seen direct benefits from these policies, as the focus has been on exports rather than imports.
• 📈 The current approach of focusing on exports, which represent a small portion of domestic production, inadvertently opens the floodgates for more imports.

Proposed Solutions and Policy Recommendations

• ⚖️ R-Calf USA has requested limits on imports and tariffs from the US Trade Ambassador and the Secretary of Commerce.
• 🏷️ Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) on beef is crucial for market transparency and competitiveness.
• 💰 Consumers should be able to pay a fair price for an abundant and affordable food supply, which is essential for national security.
• 🚜 Without policy changes, farmers and ranchers will continue to be eliminated, hindering the ability to become self-reliant.

Stance on Lab-Grown Meat

• 🚫 R-Calf USA opposes lab-grown meat, advocating for consumers' right to choose actual beef produced from live animals.
• 🧐 The proliferation of imported beef, with the repeal of COOL, makes it difficult for consumers to distinguish between beef produced under high US standards and beef from other countries.
• ⚖️ A class-action lawsuit has been filed against the big four packers, alleging artificial depression of cattle prices and inflation of beef prices.