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WASHINGTON -- Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed two Executive Orders supporting America's ranchers and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins made additional announcements protecting the nation's cattle herd and providing transparency for consumers.
In addition to the two Executive Orders, USDA also announced four additional actions it is taking to follow-up on the USDA Plan to Fortify the American Beef Industry (2025 USDA Beef Plan) released last year, and the Ranchers First Initiative released earlier this week.
USDA also launched a new webpage, highlighting the Trump Administration’s undisputed status as the most pro-rancher administration in history. This is in stark contrast to the war on ranchers waged by the previous administration.
The actions are timely, as the U.S. maintains the smallest herd since the 1950s, and will continue to build on the turnaround we are seeing in the number of heifers being retained. These announcements add to a historic number of actions the Trump Administration has taken to support our nation's ranchers.
"While the Biden administration chose to villainize ranching and the rural way of life under the guise of radical environmental mandates, the Trump Administration continues to focus on rebuilding the Great American Cattle Herd," Rollins said. "For the past 19 months, USDA has worked tirelessly to defend and promote our nation's ranchers. Through our Beef Plan and the Ranchers First Initiative we are working to continue increasing our nation's heifer retention rate. Today, the President laid out tools to better equip farmers and ranchers to deal with dangerous predators threatening their livestock, provide more transparency for consumers on where their meat originates, and expand market opportunities while maintaining our world class food safety standards. President Trump is focused on delivering an America First agenda and will do that by continuing to put our Ranchers First."
Executive Orders:
Combat predation: American ranchers should be able to protect the cattle they raise.
The Executive Order directs the Secretary of the Interior to determine whether gray wolves or Mexican wolves meet the criteria for delisting or downlisting under the Endangered Species Act and begin the process of delisting or downlisting them.
The Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture are also directed to update their standards for compensating ranchers for losses due to predators, and to ease authorization for lethal removal when necessary.
Country of origin labeling: American consumers deserve clear, honest labels -- and country of origin labeling delivers that transparency.
Building on the voluntary Product of USA label, the Executive Order directs the Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the United States Trade Representative, to review its authorities related to mandatory country of origin labeling for beef products through new regulations and legislative recommendations.
Promoting Fair Competition in Livestock Markets and Expanding Market Access for American Meat Producers
Strengthening packer competition: American ranchers deserve fair, competitive markets that reward their hard work, not a marketplace dominated by a handful of concentrated packers.
The Executive Order directs USDA to prioritize investigations into potential violations of the Packers and Stockyards Act and increase enforcement resources and staffing.
The Executive Order also directs USDA to continue close coordination with the Department of Justice and report to the President on current enforcement actions, resource needs, and a plan to strengthen enforcement over the next year.
Expanding processing and market access: Small and regional processors are critical to expanding competition and giving ranchers more options to get their cattle to market without compromising food safety.
The Executive Order directs USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to expand the Cooperative Interstate Shipment and Talmadge-Aiken programs so more state-inspected meat can cross state lines.
The Executive Order further directs USDA to build a “one-stop shop” and dedicated technical assistance program for small and very small processors and modernize meat inspection regulations to cut unnecessary red tape.