MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Democratic nominees for Alabama governor and agriculture commissioner are blasting a newly announced federal policy that will allow as much as 300,000 metric tons of beef to be imported into the United States.
President Donald Trump announced Friday that his administration will allow more beef to be temporarily imported into the U.S. without triggering higher tariffs.
Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, who is running for governor, said the president is trying to artificially lower beef prices “on the backs of American and Alabama farmers.”
“Alabama cattlemen are already getting crushed by the cost of fertilizer, diesel, equipment and everything else it takes to stay in business,” Jones said in a press release. “Flooding the market with tariff-free foreign beef isn’t a serious plan to lower costs. It’s another Washington decision that leaves Alabama farmers holding the bag.”
Ron Sparks, who is running to once again be the state’s commissioner of agriculture and industries, said the decision is part of a larger problem facing Alabama agriculture.
“How much more can our farmers take?” Sparks said. “Fertilizer costs more. Diesel costs more. Equipment costs more. Farmers are getting squeezed from every direction, and now Washington wants them competing against hundreds of thousands of metric tons of tariff-free foreign beef. We are losing farmers in Alabama, and every time we lose one, we lose a piece of our economy, our communities and our way of life.”
Beef prices have climbed to record highs amid a drop in the number of U.S. cattle, consistent consumer demand and limits on cattle from Mexico, where the animals are facing a flesh-eating pest. The U.S. president has also imposed 50% tariffs on Brazil, a major beef exporter.
Trump remains under pressure to cut costs and address affordability issues ahead of November’s midterms. But the decision has drawn swift pushback from cattle producers and conservative rural-state Republicans, usually some of the president’s most loyal supporters.
Sparks said there are state policies that could help Alabama producers. He’s calling for a 1.5% sales tax cut on farm equipment and an agricultural investment program similar to those in Tennessee and Kentucky to help rebuild herds.
“We can put millions of dollars back into farmers’ pockets. We can help producers buy equipment, strengthen their operations and rebuild Alabama’s cattle herd. I don’t want to lose another Alabama farmer because the people in charge decided doing nothing was good enough.”
Beef represents a $2.5 billion industry in the state, according to the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association, with more than 1.1 billion head of cattle as of 2024. Alabama ranks 17th for cattle production nationally.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.