Argentine beef may soon enter the US market: Will consumers notice a change in beef prices after White House agrees to tariff cuts?

The United States said on Thursday, November 13 that it will lower tariffs on select foods and other imports from Argentina, Ecuador, Guatemala, and El Salvador under new framework agreements designed to give US firms wider access to those markets. According to Politico, the move could result in lower duties on products such as coffee, bananas, and even beef from Argentina.

The New York Times previously reported that the administration was weighing additional tariff exemptions on imported foods, including beef and citrus, from countries with or without formal trade deals with the US, as part of a broader effort to temper rising grocery prices.

What the deal means for US beef trade

Under the new framework, Washington and Buenos Aires have agreed to improve reciprocal access for beef and beef products, a category that has traditionally been contentious in trade talks.

Argentina, one of the world’s leading beef exporters, will simplify import procedures by streamlining product registration for US beef, beef products, beef offal, and pork. It will also drop facility-registration requirements for US dairy imports, an administrative change that indirectly supports US beef producers who export mixed meat-and-dairy product lines.

Will imports of Argentine beef Lower US Prices?

Although increased Argentine beef imports have been discussed as a possible tool to ease retail prices in the US, experts caution that the effects would be minimal. Oklahoma State University’s Derrell Peel, Extension livestock marketing specialist, told Drovers in October this year that “Argentina is a relatively minor source of beef imports and potential increases would not significantly change the overall supply of beef in the U.S.” Peel added, “In short, it does not appear that increasing beef imports from Argentina would have any significant impacts on US beef prices.”