President Donald Trump is set sign a pair of executive orders Monday to expand beef imports and grow the domestic cattle herd, according to a White House official. Officials have briefed industry on the measure, which is set to suspend certain beef import quotas that allow a set volume of beef to enter the U.S. at a reduced tariff rate.
A White House official told Agri-Pulse in an email that the orders are designed to “address short-term supply issues in the U.S. beef market by expanding imports” and support “the renewal of America’s domestic cattle herd, which is currently at a multi-decade low.”
While no details of the executive orders had been made public as of Monday evening, the White House briefed industry on the measure earlier in the day, according to an industry source. At that meeting, officials said that the administration would suspend certain tariff-rate quotas for 200 days.
Grocery store beef prices in March 2026 were around 16% higher than the previous year and are up more than 20% from three years ago, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service.
The administration has already expanded market access for Argentinian exporters under the tariff-rate quota and issued a plan to rebuild cattle herds, which included reducing overtime fees for USDA inspectors of small-scale operators and calling for more lands to be opened up for grazing.
The White House official did not provide any details of what would be in the executive orders. But the Wall Street Journal first reported Monday that the administration is planning on temporarily suspending tariff-rate quotas for exporting nations, increasing loans for U.S. ranchers, reducing gray wolf protections and easing rules on electronic ear tagging.
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The beef industry source said that the White House did not mention any regulatory changes in its briefing to industry figures.
The U.S. allocates tariff-rate quotas to several beef-producing nations, allowing a set volume of product to enter at a reduced tariff rate. Argentina, New Zealand, Australia and Uruguay receive individual allocations. Meanwhile, Brazil, which is the largest beef exporter to the U.S., can access a reduced tariff rate through a 65,000-metric-ton quota available to any country -- although the Trump administration earmarked 13,000 of those metric tons for the United Kingdom under the terms of a U.S.-UK trade pact last year.
Out-of-quota imports can face tariffs of more than 26%, according to USDA.
The U.S. cattle industry has fiercely opposed using expanded beef imports to lower consumer prices. In a rare display of unity, every major cattle producer group opposed increasing Argentina's quota when it was initially floated. R-CALF CEO Bill Bullard told Agri-Pulse Monday that tariff-rate quotas contributed to the decline of the U.S. cattle herd, and argued that any effort to ease tariffs would further shrink the domestic industry.
"The way to [rebuild] is to establish more meaningful tariffs, phased in over time," Bullard said. Tariff relief, he argued, would give "the opposite signals" that "the industry needs to rebuild the herd," no matter how temporary.
When the administration floated expanding Argentina's quota earlier this year, the plan also faced pushback on Captiol Hill, including from Trump's Republican party. A group of farm-state lawmakers lobbied the president to reverse course, including Nebraska Republican Sen. Deb Fischer and South Dakota GOP Rep. Dusty Johnson.
Fischer declined to comment on the potential executive orders on Monday evening, telling Agri-Pulse she has not heard any details from the administration on what measures they are considering.
If the administration does, in fact, increase beef imports, however, Fischer said she will be "sure to have a statement on that."
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., reiterated his opposition to higher beef import volumes on Monday evening.
"Where I come from in cattle country, we're not a big fan of foreign imports and we have the best herd in the world and we'd like to keep it that way," Thune said. "But I understand what [the president] is trying to respond to, and that's the cost of beef in this country."
Beef imports from several large producing countries are already up in 2026, despite the tariff-rate quota limits. In the first three months of 2026, imports from Brazil were up 9% from the same period in 2025. Australia shipped 12% more beef, Mexico and Uruguay's exports were up more than 20%, and Nicaragua, Paraguay and Argentina's sales were up 76%, 117% and 90%, respectively.
This story will be updated.
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