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President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday temporarily expanding the amount of beef the U.S. can import from Argentina, a move the White House says is aimed at lowering prices but that the country’s largest livestock industry group disputes.
The proclamation increases the tariff quota for in-quota lean beef trimmings by 80,000 tons for the calendar year 2026. The additional imports will be fully allocated to Argentina and released in four quarterly installments starting February 13.
The White House said the move is intended to boost supply and make ground beef more affordable for American consumers fact sheet on the order.
According to the proclamation, the Trump administration is acting in response to historically high beef prices and a long-term decline in the U.S. livestock population.
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Packages of meat at a supermarket in Houston (Ronald Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
“Since January 2021, ground beef prices have continued to rise, reaching an average of $6.69 per pound in December 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics – the highest since the Department of Labor began tracking beef prices in the 1980s,” the proclamation said.
The announcement sparked resistance from the country’s largest livestock group, which questioned whether increased imports would deliver the price reduction the government is promising.
“While we fundamentally disagree with the premise that increased imports can lower beef prices, NCBA is encouraged to see the Trump Administration take the necessary steps to address the long-standing market access challenges for U.S. beef in Argentina,” said Kent Bacus, executive director of international trade and market access at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).
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Cattle in corrals in Canuelas, Buenos Aires, Argentina (Agustin Marcarian/Reuters / Reuters Photos)
Bacus warned that Argentina’s history of foreign animal diseases raises concerns about expanding imports without stronger safeguards.
“Given Argentina’s problems with foreign animal diseases, the NCBA remains concerned that expanding imports from Argentina without stricter inspection protocols and up-to-date audits could unnecessarily endanger U.S. consumers and our livestock,” Bacus said.
The decision only applies to lean beef trimmings, which are mainly used in the production of ground beef. Imported lean trimmings are commonly mixed with fattier domestic trimmings to produce ground beef products such as hamburgers.
According to the proclamation, the additional 80,000 tons will be administered on a first-come, first-served basis in four equal tranches of 20,000 tons. The first tranche opens on February 13 and closes on March 31, followed by quarterly openings through the end of 2026.
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A butcher carries slabs of beef into a Miami supermarket. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images/Getty Images)
The White House described the action as temporary and tied to current supply conditions rather than a permanent shift in U.S. trade policy.
The proclamation outlines several factors contributing to the tight beef supply, including ongoing drought in major cattle-producing states such as Texas and Kansas and wildfires that have damaged pasture and feed supplies in the western US.
