Lake Winnebago, MO— Last week, Congressman Mark Alford (MO-04) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an “Plan for American Ranchers and Consumers” and the Trump Administration separately announced it is planning to increase beef imports from Argentina.
“We will always stand with Missouri ranchers and beef producers,” said Congressman Alford. “The announcement from USDA to encourage more domestic beef consumption, develop the next generation of cattle ranchers, and streamline regulations for small processors is a promising step that supports Missouri producers.
“Importing more Argentinian beef undermines those very same producers who we all want to help, distorts markets, and weakens public health. American beef is second to none and we shouldn’t try to replace it with lesser foreign products. I strongly urge the Administration to reconsider this action.
“Taken together, these actions amount to one step forward and two steps back. We must seek market-based solutions to strengthen our food supply chain and lower grocery prices.”
Congressman Alford then went to the MO-KAN Livestock Market in Butler, MO to hear first-hand from local producers about their concerns with increasing beef imports from Argentina, the root causes of rising beef prices, and how Congress can lower prices while supporting Missouri ranchers.
Congressman Alford also leads two bipartisan, bicameral bills to support Missouri beef producers and strengthen our food supply chain.
- The Amplifying Processing of Livestock in the United States (A-PLUS) Act will expand consumer choice for meat products, especially local options, by increasing processing capacity by allowing livestock auction market owners to invest in small and regional packing facilities to spur additional competition.
- The Fair and Accurate Ingredient Representation (FAIR) Labels Act will increase transparency in food labeling by ensuring consumers have accurate information about plant-based and cell-cultured protein (lab-grown) products when making purchasing decisions.
READ MORE: GOP Rep. Alford Challenges Trump’s Beef Import Plan
