WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) issued a statement following his discussions with President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins regarding Argentinian beef imports:
“I spoke with President Trump and Secretary Rollins today about the concerns I’ve heard from hundreds of South Dakota ranchers over the last two days regarding importing additional Argentinian beef. We agree that we need an America First game plan that prioritizes American ranchers. After today’s meeting, I am encouraged by the desire of President Trump and Secretary Rollins to do right by the American producer. I encourage patience as we await final details to be released, and in the meantime, continue to share your opinions with the administration.
“At a White House meeting today, I had the opportunity to share with the President our concern specifically on this issue. I suggested that energy prices across the country are down not because we imported additional energy from other countries, but because we started producing more energy right here in the United States. The same rule should apply for American beef. We must place an emphasis on creating better conditions for American farmers and ranchers to drive prices down by increasing their ability to supply more product.
“American cattle producers have been at a disadvantage for far too long. Opening the market to even more foreign beef, which American consumers cannot differentiate because of current labeling rules, would only exacerbate the problem and hurt domestic producers. Our producers will compete all day long, but only if there is a level playing field.
“As I have said repeatedly, consumers should drive demand and the market should be able to work on its own. Unfortunately, the policy of Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (MCOOL), a commonsense policy that empowers consumers to choose, continues to sit on the shelf. The Packers and Stockyards Act continues to be ignored, as four companies, two of which are Brazilian-owned, monopolize the beef processing market. This issue cannot be resolved by displacing American beef with foreign beef. It will only be resolved when consumers are able to differentiate where their product is coming from.
“I might sound like a broken record, but there are only nine states where cattle outnumber people. We make up only 18 of the 100 U.S. Senators. The government shutdown has clearly illustrated the need for support from 60 members to pass any meaningful reforms in the U.S. Senate. That means if we want to accomplish any long-term solutions for the cattle market, we need to broaden our base and shift our message to focus on the benefits that policies like MCOOL would have on American consumers. We can do this with strong support from the Trump administration.”