President Trump announced a pair of actions to boost cattle ranchers after his easing of tariffs on imported beef sparked a backlash.
First, the president said he was creating a program to enable farmers and ranchers to “process their own food.” Under the 1906 Federal Meat Inspection Act, ranchers can process their own meat for personal or household use. However, all meat products sold in the U.S. must be processed at facilities subject to Department of Agriculture inspections.
Under an executive order signed by Mr. Trump on Friday, ranchers can now sell beef they’ve processed themselves directly to consumers without going through processing facilities.
“We’re creating a program where … ranchers can sell their products directly to consumers so they don’t have to go through the big four processors and middlemen,” Mr. Trump said.
Four companies currently control about 85% of U.S. meat processing: Cargill, Tyson Foods, JBS USA and National Beef Packing Co.
Processors are “not going to be happy when they hear this,” the president said.
He signed the orders in the Oval Office surrounded by ranchers from Texas, California, Ohio, Arizona and South Dakota.
Mr. Trump previously vowed to break the food processors’ “powerful monopoly.” The promise followed conservative commentator Glenn Beck, who owns a ranch in Idaho, telling Mr. Trump in an interview that he should target the big four meat companies.
Mr. Trump ordered Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to create a “one-stop shop” to expand federal licensing for inspections and allow meat producers more inspection options.
He also called for additional resources and training for small meat processors, expanding the sale of meat products across state lines and boosting a federal program that would allow states to operate their own meat and poultry inspections.
Another executive order directed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to determine whether gray wolves or Mexican wolves meet the criteria for delisting from the Endangered Species Act. If delisted, it would remove protections and make it easier for ranchers to eliminate the wolves.
Gray wolves eat cattle and have long plagued ranchers by thinning their supply. Mr. Trump said the “predatory” animals cost ranchers tens of millions of dollars each year and not only attack herds, but also people.
Mr. Trump’s actions are his latest moves to reduce the high cost of food, a major issue with voters in this year’s midterms. Mr. Trump’s approval rating on handling the economy hovers around 33%.
The president also angered farmers and ranchers, a key constituency in battleground states, last month when he allowed up to 30,000 tons of ground beef imports to enter the country at lower tariff rates, undercutting U.S. ranchers.
On Friday, Mr. Trump said he would sign a directive that would require “country of origin labeling across all foreign beef.” The proposal seemed to be a compromise aimed at appeasing ranchers angered by Mr. Trump’s decision to boost foreign beef imports.
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