One of New Mexico’s most reliably conservative industries says President Donald Trump’s new executive order opening borders to beef imports just as ranchers begin culling herds sends the “wrong signal at the wrong time.”
This story was originally published at New Mexico Political Report, a nonprofit news service covering politics and policy in the Land of Enchantment. Learn more and support our work at nmreports.org
The New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association issued a statement this week criticizing the policy and the timing because of the impact imported beef could have on sale prices for herds. Cattle growers traditionally cull unwanted bulls and calves from herds as they reach peak weight and before winter feeding begins.
In the new order signed on August 26, Trump said “I anticipate that the action taken in this proclamation will result in the importation of ground beef that will be sold at a discounted price compared to current sale prices, helping to ensure hard-working Americans can afford to feed themselves and their families.” That is exactly the “wrong signal at the wrong time,” the New Mexico association said this week. “A smaller check tightens cash flow at the exact moment producers are weighing whether, even assuming drought conditions break, they can afford to retain heifers.”
While criticizing the import order, the association did praise the administration for reopening some cattle imports from Mexico. The border has been closed for months as federal officials rushed to develop testing policies for the New World Screwworm, a parasite that feeds on the flesh of cattle and other animals. It has been identified in cattle across Mexico and Central America.
“New Mexico Cattle Growers will keep saying it plainly to the Administration and to the Congress: we must protect the health of the US cattle herd, and we must keep the ranchers who produce those cattle, and who are critical to our rural communities, on the landscape,” the association said. “Lasting relief depends on thoughtful policy that lets ranchers plan five years out, instead of policy built around the next 90-day announcement.”