Trump reputation with ranchers has ‘taken a hit’: US Cattlemen’s Association chief

President Trump came under fire from the chief of the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association on Wednesday for agreeing to import beef from other countries to reduce the price of meat at stores nationwide.

Justin Tupper, president of the Cattlemen’s Association, said the measure will not help ranchers across the country who are held to a higher standard than foreign beef exporters.

“Bringing in foreign beef that does not have to live up to the same standards or any of the things that we go by here in this country, we don’t think will one of two things — will not bring down the price of beef in the store, and it’s not going to help the ranchers to increase their herds,” Tupper said during a Wednesday appearance on MS NOW’s “State of Play.”

Trump has laid out a plan to import 300,000 metric tons of tariff-free foreign ground beef over 90 days.

Ranchers and lawmakers note that selling foreign beef at a 25 percent discount puts downward pressure on what domestic ranches can charge. Industry experts note that savings may not reach shoppers, as large packers and retailers capture the margin.

On Wednesday, the president of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) sent a letter to Trump decrying the move to increase foreign beef imports as one that’s caused “apprehension” and “chaos.”

AFBF President Zippy Duvall said 70 percent of spring-born calves are sold during the 90-day window that overlaps with Trump’s plan to increase beef imports, which will in turn weaken cattle prices and erode confidence for U.S. ranchers.

Other economists noted that the U.S. cattle herd is at a historic low after years of drought, loss of grazing lands and reduced regional packing capacity.

“Mr. President, a key tenant of your reelection campaign was affordability, including the costs of essentials like groceries and gas. Bringing down the price of cattle will not bring the price of beef down for American families,” Duvall wrote in his letter to Trump. “Instead, it will discourage American farmers and ranchers from making long-term investments in herd rebuilding, extending the cycle of tight cattle supplies, high production costs and elevated beef prices for consumers.”

“To put it simply, allowing 300,000 metric tons — equivalent to more than 660 million pounds — of foreign beef into the United States at a 25 percent discount ‘below market prices’ will undermine America’s ranchers who work tirelessly to grow food for American families,” Duvall added.

Tupper echoed those concerns Wednesday on MS NOW, while also raising issues regarding food safety.

“There’s still a lot of support for the president, but I think it’s definitely taken a hit because this does not support the ‘America First’ agenda, and the American cattle ranchers are very proud people,” Tupper told MS NOW’s Pete Alexander.

“They work very hard every day to produce something and feed the world, and they just want to have a free and fair market system to do that in. When you throw in some of these outside influences, it just throws a monkey wrench into it,” he added.