O President of the United States, Donald Trumpsigned this Friday (6) a decree to increase imports of certain beef cutsaccording to a report from the White House.
The measure foresees, for 2026, the expansion of imports of certain “lean beef trimmings” em 80 thousand tons. The decree also establishes that purchases “are attributed in their entirety to the Argentina“.
“As President of the United States, I have a responsibility to ensure that hard-working Americans can feed themselves and their families. […] I am taking steps to temporarily increase the amount of imports within the quota of lean beef trimmings, […] in order to increase the supply of ground beef to American consumers,” Trump writes in the statement.
The decree is based on the premise of a North American law that allows the president to redefine imports in cases of inadequate supply of a product, “due to a natural disaster, disease or major disruption of the national market, to meet domestic demand at reasonable prices.”
In the document, the North American president lists a series of factors that led to the reduction in livestock production on North American soil:
- A dry spell in 2022;
- Wildfires affecting western US grasslands;
- Contamination of livestock coming from abroad, which led to the restriction of live animals coming from Mexico or in transit through the country.
In a market with high demand for beef – the largest consumer in volume, closely followed by China and Brazil – prices rose.
The US government points out that since January 2021, ground beef prices have risen to an average of $6.69 per pound in December 2025 — the highest value since the Department of Labor began monitoring beef prices in the 1980s.
“The Secretary of Agriculture will continue to monitor the domestic supply of lean beef trimmings as he deems appropriate […]. The Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Trade Representative, will inform me of any circumstances that, in his opinion, may indicate the need for additional measures and will recommend to me any additional measures that I should take, if necessary”, points out the document.
Agreement with Argentina
On Thursday (5), to expand business and investments between countries.
The “Reciprocal Trade and Investment Agreement” foresees “a strategic relationship between both countries, based on economic openness, clear rules for international exchange and a modern vision of commercial complementarity”, according to an official statement from Argentine President, Javier Milei.
Among the measures provided for in the agreement are:
- The reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers: According to the Argentine Foreign Ministry, the US will eliminate its reciprocal tariffs on 1,675 Argentine products in “a wide range of productive sectors”. The expectation is to recover US$ 1 billion in exports. Additionally, the United States government ratified its commitment to review tariffs on steel and aluminum;
- Facilitation of trade in goods and services: the United States government will grant an increase of 100,000 tons for preferential access for beef to its market, which will increase Argentine exports of the product by around US$800 million;
- Modernization of customs procedures;
- Promoting investment in strategic sectors such as energy, critical minerals, infrastructure and technology: The US will work, through institutions such as the EXIM Bank (Export-Import Bank of the United States) and the DFC (United States Development Finance Corporation), to support the financing of investments in critical sectors in Argentina, in collaboration with the North American private sector.
In return, Argentina will:
- Eliminate taxes on 221 tariff positions, such as machinery, transport material, medical devices and chemical products;
- Reduce another 20 positions to 2%, mainly auto parts;
- Grant quotas for vehicles, meat and other agricultural products.
