Trump announces 90 days of tariff-free ground beef imports to lower meat prices

The US will allow tariff-free imports of 300,000 metric tons of ground beef as part of a 90-day deal aimed at lowering meat prices, President Donald Trump announced in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Aug. 21.

"The US will allow up to 300,000 mt of product for ground beef to be imported with no out of quota tariff," Trump said in the post. "We have a commitment that this beef will be sold at 25% below current market prices."

However, Trump did not specify eligible origins, quota permissions, product definitions or participating exporters and importers.

The measure comes amid historically tight US cattle supplies and elevated beef prices.

However, some market experts said the US net beef supply may not require such a move, and that suppliers in Brazil could benefit from this measure.

One trader in New Zealand said he thought the decision would be "walked back or at least watered down."

"While America's cattle producers share the goal of keeping groceries affordable for consumers, flooding the market with government-subsidized, below-market beef is not the way to rebuild the American cattle herd," the National Cattlemen's Beef Association said in a statement on Aug. 21.

The US Department of Agriculture estimated US beef imports for MY 2026 at 6.1 billion pounds, or about 2.78 million mt, up 13.8% year over year, according to its World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report released Aug. 12.

The USDA estimated US beef output in MY 2026 at 25.035 billion pounds, or about 11.35 million mt, down 4% year over year.

Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, last assessed 90CL beef CIF US East Coast at $7,121/mt on Aug. 20, up 2.6% year over year, and assessed 95CL beef CIF US East Coast at $7,826/mt on Aug. 20, up 7.6% year over year.