US expands beef import quota for 90 days to ease local retail prices

The US expanded the lean beef trimmings import quota for the marketing year 2026 (January-December) to allow 300,000 metric tons of in-quota imports over 90 days, starting Sept. 1, the White House said in a factsheet Aug. 26.

"The Proclamation temporarily expands the existing quantity of lean beef trimmings that are subject to an in-quota tariff rate, to produce ground beef, allowing trading partners eligible to ship beef to the US to take advantage of lower, in-quota tariff rates," the factsheet said.

Trump announced the measure on Aug. 21 with the aim of reducing retail prices amid historically high prices and tight cattle supplies.

The US Department of Agriculture estimated US beef imports for MY 2026 at 6.1 billion pounds, or about 2.78 million metric tons, 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.

According to the White House, the quota only allows 100,000 mt of beef trimmings imports a month and only applies to shipments to be combined with US-origin beef to produce ground beef.

The move is aimed at easing domestic beef prices as the White House encourages processed beef to be sold at a 25% discount to current retail prices.

However, some US-based beef importers are uncertain of the impact and believe Brazil could benefit from this measure.

"The allowed volume for monthly imports is very high as US importers do not purchase that much beef trimmings in a month," a US-based beef trader said.

The American Farm Bureau Federation said, on Aug. 26, that allowing beef imports to increase by 300,000 mt over a 90-day period will undermine the US cattle sector's recovery.

"The claim of ensuring these added imports do not 'disrupt the orderly marketing of commodities in the US' falls flat when ranchers are now selling their cattle into a market in sharp decline," the Federation's President Zippy Duvall said.

Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, last assessed 90CL beef CIF US East Coast at $7,121/mt on Aug. 26, up 2.7% year over year, and assessed 95CL beef CIF US East Coast at $7,826/mt on Aug. 26, up 7.8% year over year.