Cattle graze in a field alongside Interstate 5 in Tejon Ranch, California on February 11, 2025. Lake Kaweah is a reservoir formed by the Terminus Dam on the Kaweah River in order to control floodwaters from the melting Sierra Nevada mountains snowpack. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

President Donald Trump is facing pushback from cattle farmers after announcing plans to quadruple the tariff-rate quota on U.S. beef imports from Argentina.

The administration has floated a proposal to raise Argentina’s annual beef quota from 20,000 to 80,000 metric tons, according to Politico Pro. The move has alarmed American ranchers and industry groups who warn it could undercut domestic producers at a time when feed and operating costs remain high. (RELATED: Democrats Blocking Federal Paychecks During Shutdown Splinter When Asked If They’re Cashing Their Own)

“The only price we have that’s high is beef, and we’ll get that down,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. “And one of the things we’re thinking about doing is beef from Argentina.”

When pressed on why he would advance a policy seemingly favoring Argentine producers over American ranchers, Trump said, “Argentina is fighting for its life, young lady, you don’t know anything about it. They’re fighting for their life. Nothing is benefiting Argentina.”

The response did little to calm the agriculture industry. Ranchers and trade groups have publicly opposed the idea, arguing that additional Argentine beef wouldn’t meaningfully lower grocery prices and would unsettle U.S. producers.

In a Monday statement, the National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA) acknowledged higher beef prices but said demand reflects “the work American cattle producers have done to improve the quality and safety of U.S. beef.”

This plan only creates chaos at a critical time of the year for American cattle producers, while doing nothing to lower grocery store prices,” NCBA CEO Colin Woodall said, citing Argentina’s history of foot-and-mouth disease and lopsided trade flows that heavily favor Buenos Aires.

The group urged Trump and Congress to “let the market work” instead of pursuing policies it said would hurt rural America — a message echoed by several Republican lawmakers representing ranching states.

Republican Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, himself a cattle rancher, told Trump that high beef prices stem not from the cost of cattle but from prices set by large, often foreign-owned meatpacking companies, NBC News reported.