Billings, Mont., April 2, 2025 – Today, R-CALF USA, the nation’s largest nonprofit trade association representing independent cattle and sheep producers, applauded President Trump’s universal 10 percent tariff on all imported goods stating that the tariffs are needed to reverse the ongoing and rapid contraction of both the U.S. cattle industry and sheep industry.
“Our nation’s cattle and sheep sectors are losing farms and ranches at an alarming rate, with census data showing our beef cattle operations disappeared at the rate of over 21,000 farms and ranches per year during the five-year period between the two latest censuses. Tariffs will help put an end to the globalists’ practice of using cheaper imports to reduce demand for domestic cattle and sheep, which causes domestic farms and ranches to fail,” said R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard.
R-CALF USA has been aggressively supporting livestock tariffs as legitimate economic tools to rebuild domestic livestock industries so America can remain near self-sufficient in the production of beef and lamb, two important protein sources for American diets.
The ranch group is also asking for tariff-rate quota systems to complement tariffs. Tariff-rate quotas are limits set on the volume of imported beef or lamb that can enter the U.S. market.
“Both our cattle and sheep industries need ‘space’ from the downward price pressure of cheaper imports to incentivize domestic herd expansions, investments in feedlots and packing facilities, and to attract new entrants into the industry,” Bullard said.
In recent letters to the Trump administration, R-CALF USA also asked for a tariff-rate quota system that would limit current beef imports by 1.5 billion pounds and substantially limit lamb imports to allow the domestic sheep industry to reclaim at least 50 percent of the domestic lamb market.
The ranch group also asked for a 25 percent tariff on imports of live cattle from Canada and Mexico.
“We’re thankful for today’s announcement and will continue working with the administration to achieve both volume limits on imports as well as higher tariffs on livestock imports,” Bullard concluded.
Articles on The Cattle Range are published because of interesting content but don't necessarily reflect the views of The Cattle Range.
