U.S. to import beef from Argentina and Brazil to lower prices, with 300,000 tonnes arriving over two months

Argentina and Brazil will supply the United States with 300,000 metric tonnes of beef under an extraordinary import quota intended to bring down prices, President Donald Trump said.

The additional meat will enter the country during a 90-day window from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30. The quota covers fresh or frozen lean beef trimmings, which will be mixed with U.S. beef to make hamburgers. Trump said the measure could reduce ground-beef prices by 25 percent.

Until Trump identified the suppliers, the U.S. government had not said which countries would provide the tariff-free volume. He announced the origins during a White House event where he signed an executive order allowing ranch owners to carry out meat-processing operations, a move presented as a gesture toward farmers unhappy about duty-free foreign beef imports.

The Agriculture Department said the temporary imports aim partly to compensate for the continuing partial closure of the border to Mexican live cattle because of screwworm. The import measure formed part of a presidential proclamation Trump signed on Aug. 26.

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It is coming from Argentina and it is coming from Brazil.