2026年8月28日 / 美国东部时间下午3:09 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
养牛场主公开反对特朗普政府暂时豁免绞碎牛肉进口高额关税的计划，他们认为这将损害他们的生意，阻碍他们重建日益减少的牛群。
特朗普总统上周在Truth Social平台上宣布，美国将对最多30万公吨——约合6.61亿磅——的绞碎牛肉进口放宽关税，允许其以低于市场价25%的价格出售。
据白宫网站上的公告说明，该协议定于9月1日生效。普渡大学的经济学家表示，该政策适用于瘦牛肉碎，这类碎肉可与更高品质的国产牛肉混合制成绞碎牛肉。
美国牛肉价格已飙升至每磅近7美元，较过去12个月上涨约63美分，较2021年上涨2.93美元。白宫表示，暂时扩大进口将降低消费者的牛肉成本。
“这项行动包含关键保障措施，以最大限度节省成本，同时保护美国养牛场主免受外国进口商品的冲击，并为美国养牛场主扩大国内牛群提供空间，”白宫补充道。
“高昂得离谱的投入成本”
尽管有这样的保证，增加美国外国牛肉进口的计划还是遭到了一些养牛场主的批评，他们担心这可能会压低他们出售肉牛的价格。价格下跌再加上生产成本上升，将使养牛场主更难扩大牛群规模——而牛群规模正是推高消费者牛肉成本的主要因素。
佐治亚州养牛场主、该州第14国会选区民主党候选人肖恩·哈里斯表示，该计划可能会让像他这样的养牛场主破产。
“眼下，我们在关税、柴油、肥料等方方面面都面临着高昂得离谱的投入成本，”他在最近接受哥伦比亚广播公司新闻采访时说道，“现在农场主们正要出售肉牛，而这项协议会让我们蒙受损失。”
美国农场局联合会是一个农业行业贸易组织，该组织表示，特朗普政府的进口计划出台的时机尤其令人担忧，因为进口窗口期恰逢9月至11月的农场主销售旺季，此时他们需要就牛群问题做出关键决策。
经营肉类销售企业拉特克利夫优质肉类公司的首席执行官金伯利·拉特克利夫认为，特朗普政府暂时放宽关税、增加牛肉进口的计划可能会在短期内为消费者缓解压力。但她表示，这无法帮助养牛场主重建牛群并应对高昂的生产成本。
拉特克利夫从东德克萨斯州的生产商那里采购肉牛以制作牛肉产品，她告诉哥伦比亚广播公司新闻，在市场不确定性的背景下，养牛场主们正被迫做出艰难抉择：是继续饲养肉牛还是将其出售。
“现在，饲养一头牛每年的成本高达1100美元。当你不确定市场走向时，要在一头牛身上投入这么多成本，压力非常大，”她说道，并补充道，“他们只能接受目前能拿到的价格。”
白宫发言人安娜·凯利表示，特朗普总统通过谈判达成新的贸易协定、扩大养牛场主和农民进入外国市场的渠道、降低投入成本以及其他举措，提振了美国农业产业。
特朗普周五在Truth Social平台上表示，他将批准相关修改，允许养牛场主和农民自行加工食品。这将为他们提供一个避开与大型肉类加工公司合作的潜在途径。
“养牛场主和农民一直是我的首要关注对象，”特朗普写道，“他们工作极其努力，聪明、高效且绝对干净，但多年来我一直听说他们与大型加工商之间存在严重问题，许多人都说这些加工商是令人厌恶的垄断企业。本质上只有四家这样的公司，竞争程度极低，它们让我们优秀的农场主和养牛场主的生活苦不堪言，我不能坐视不管，对吗？”
白宫发言人凯利没有透露这项措施的具体实施细节。“政府正在起草多项政策举措，以进一步支持那些为全球提供粮食的人——敬请期待！”她在给哥伦比亚广播公司新闻的电子邮件中说道。
Cattle ranchers express concern about U.S. plan to boost foreign beef imports
August 28, 2026 / 3:09 PM EDT / CBS News
Cattle ranchers are speaking out against a Trump administration plan to temporarily waive higher tariffs on ground beef imports, arguing it will undercut their business and prevent them from rebuilding their dwindling cattle herds.
President Trump announced on Truth Social last week that the U.S. will ease tariffs on up to 300,000 metric tons of ground beef imports— about 661 million pounds — allowing it to be sold at 25% below market price.
The deal is scheduled to take effect on Sept. 1, according to a description of the proclamation on the White House website. It applies to lean beef trimmings, which can be blended with higher-quality domestic beef to create ground beef, according to Purdue University economists.
U.S. beef prices have surged to nearly $7 a pound, up roughly 63 cents over the last 12 months and $2.93 a pound since 2021. The White House said that temporarily expanding imports will lower beef costs for consumers.
“This action includes key safeguards to maximize cost savings while protecting American ranchers from foreign imports and giving space for American ranchers to grow the domestic herd,” the White House added.
“Crazy input costs”
Despite such reassurances, the plan to boost U.S. imports of foreign beef has drawn criticism from some cattle ranchers, who fear it could drive down the prices they receive for their cattle. Falling prices, compounded by rising production costs, would make it harder for ranchers to expand their herds — the main factor driving up beef costs for consumers.
Shawn Harris, a rancher based in Georgia and a Democratic nominee for the state’s 14th Congressional District, said the plan could run cattle ranchers like him out of business.
“Right now, we got crazy input costs when it comes to tariffs and diesel, fertilizer, everything,” he said in a recent interview with CBS News. “And now farmers are about to sell cattle, and we’re going to lose money on this deal.”
The American Farm Bureau Federation, a trade group for the agricultural industry, said the timing of the Trump administration’s import plan is particularly concerning because the import window coincides with the peak sales period for farmers between September and November, when they have to make key decisions about their herds.
Kimberly Ratcliff, CEO of Ratcliff Premium Meats, a ranching business that sells beef, thinks the Trump administration’s plan to temporarily ease tariffs and boost beef imports could offer relief to consumers in the near term. But it won’t help ranchers rebuild their herds and deal with high production costs, she said.
Ratcliff, who sources cattle from producers in East Texas to turn into beef products, told CBS News that ranchers are being forced to make difficult decisions about whether to keep or sell their cows amid the market uncertainty.
“Right now, it’s costing $1,100 a year just to keep a cow. That’s a lot of inputs to put in a cow when you’re unsure what the market’s going to do,” she said, adding, “They’re willing to take the price that they can get now.”
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said Mr. Trump has bolstered the U.S. agriculture industry by negotiating new trade deals, expanding ranchers’ and farmers’ access to foreign markets, lowering input costs, and other actions.
Mr. Trump said on Friday on Truth Social that he is authorizing changes that would allow ranchers and farmers to process their own food. That would give them a potential workaround to working with large meatpacking companies.
“Ranchers and Farmers have always been a number one priority for me,” Mr. Trump wrote. “They work very hard, are smart, efficient, and immaculately CLEAN, but for years I have heard that they have had a tremendous problem with the Big Processors, who many say are a nasty Monopoly. There are, essentially, 4 of them, a very non competitive number, and they make life miserable for our wonderful Farmers and Ranchers, and I can’t let that happen, can I?”
Kelly, the White House spokesperson, did not offer details on how the measure will work. “The administration is drafting several policy actions to further support those who feed the world — stay tuned!” she said in an email to CBS News.
