President Donald Trump’s administration has warned that Argentina’s cattle industry is battling issues with disease problems, potentially restricting the amount of beef the administration could import to help lower domestic prices.
On Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on CNBC that Trump is “in discussions with Argentina” regarding the plan, but said that the country is facing a “foot-and-mouth disease issue.”
According to the World Reference Laboratory for Foot-and-Mouth Disease, Argentina has not had an outbreak of the disease since 2006.
This follows Trump on Sunday telling reporters that the U.S. could import “some beef” from the country, which would “bring our beef prices down.”
Rollins added that the vast majority of beef consumed in America is domestically produced, and that Argentina’s own production capacity means the U.S. could not import “very much.”
Argentina has in the past struggled with foot-and-mouth disease, which affects cloven-hoofed animals and leads to reduced milk production and stunted growth. Earlier this year, however, the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) declared the country a “FMD-free zone with vaccination,” meaning there are no active outbreaks.
This is a developing story with more to follow.
