February 18, 2026

 

US executive order to increase import amount of beef from Argentina

 

The United States recently signed an executive order (EO) to temporarily expand the amount of beef the country can import from Argentina, agreeing to bring in 80,000 metric tonnes of lean beef trimmings per year from Argentina, tariff-free.

 

The move is aimed at lowering prices, according to the White House, with the beef to be imported in four quarterly tranches of 20,000 metric tonnes each.

 

Cattle inventories currently sit at a 75-year low, per previous Michigan Farm News reporting. 

 

"(US) President (Donald) Trump is responding to market challenges and ensuring a plentiful ground beef supply for American families at affordable prices by taking action on multiple fronts," the White House wrote in the EO.  

 

"The Administration is committed to reducing risk for cattle producers, supporting new ranchers across the country, and ensuring ranchers are prosperous now and into the future."

 

In January, the US cattle herd hit a record-low 86.2 million head, with beef cow inventory down 8% since 2020.

 

The White House said the US Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the US Trade Representative, will continue monitoring domestic lean beef supplies and related imports and will advise on any additional actions needed to ensure an adequate domestic supply.

 

"Years of drought and widespread wildfires have affected grazing lands, reduced feed supplies, and forced ranchers to adapt, sharply reducing domestic beef production," the EO noted. "Restrictions on cattle imports from Mexico, enacted following detections of New World Screwworm, were essential to prevent the spread of this livestock disease but have also constrained feedlot stock supplies, exacerbating shortages."

 

As a result, ground beef prices reached an average of US$6.69 per pound in December 2025, the highest since tracking began in the 1980s.

 

- Michigsn Farm News