Ground beef is seen on display in a store in Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
President Donald Trump on Friday morning said the United States will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of product for ground beef to be imported over the next three months without being subject to out-of-quota tariffs.
Trump also said, “We have a commitment that this beef will be sold at 25 percent below current market prices.”
The president’s Truth Social post announcing the move did not say which companies had made those commitments, which he said came “as we work to rebuild this herd and help our ranchers.”
CNBC has asked the White House which importers have committed to selling ground beef at below-market prices as a result of the tariff relief.
The U.S. imposes tariffs on imported beef beyond a certain quota limit for individual countries.
A report in May from the American Farm Bureau Federation noted that “imports entering under quota generally face a tariff of just 4.4 cents per kilogram, while imports above quota face a 26.4% tariff.”
“For beef valued around $7 per kilogram, that difference can exceed $1.80 per kilogram in tariff costs,” the report said.
Beef prices in the U.S have soared in 2026 due to a reduction in the nation’s cattle herd from years of drought, high feed costs and herd liquidation.
Trump’s post comes as his fellow Republicans fear that Americans’ concerns about the affordability of everyday products such as food could lead to losses for GOP candidates in congressional elections in November.
“Today, I concluded a deal to substantially lower the price of ground beef for working American families,” Trump said in his post. “This deal will reduce prices for Americans while giving space for our Great American Beef Herd to grow again.”
CNBC has requested comment from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association about Trump’s announcement.
