American cattle rancher Steve Lucie said Tuesday on Newsmax that while he appreciates President Donald Trump's plan to import beef from Argentina in an effort to lower prices for consumers, he worries that the move could create lasting harm for U.S. producers.
"Everybody, I think, appreciates the effort to lower the price for consumers," Lucie said on "Wake Up America." "At what cost is the concern that we have as cattle ranchers.
"So, this thing's pretty widespread and there's a lot of tentacles to this situation and to the industry."
Lucie described the president's proposal as a "short-term shot in the arm that might have dramatic effects in the long term."
He cautioned that while imports might temporarily ease sticker shock at the register, they could also flood the market and discourage domestic herd growth — a vital factor in maintaining America's food security.
"As far as our bottom line, it's doing OK," Lucie said. "But our concern is if the market is flooded with imported beef, then guys like me are going to say, 'Wait a minute, if my price drops significantly, why am I going to retain heifers and build the American beef herd?' And that's the main problem.
"We need to build our herd so we can be secure in our food supply from American beef — not be reliant on other countries."
He emphasized that middlemen and major packing companies — which he estimates control 85% of U.S. beef — may be a key reason why consumers aren't seeing beef prices drop at the grocery store.
"I just looked at the market price in my local area. For $2.30 a pound, $2.40 a pound for a live beef, and you folks are paying $8, $9, $10 a pound for ground beef," he said. "What that tells me is I just sold an animal to someone and took it to the processor … their final price is around $6 or $7 a pound for beef coming right from me off the farm.
"So, I think we have some issues along the line … it needs to be looked into."
Lucie called for greater transparency, suggesting country-of-origin labeling could empower consumers to support U.S. ranchers.
"This is a simple thing that would allow consumers like yourself to see that this label says this beef was from an American rancher like Steve Lucie," he said. "Maybe you do want to buy that meat instead of the meat that's been imported."
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