President Donald Trump signed an order Friday expanding the amount of Argentine beef that can be imported into the United States.
The order increases the 2026 tariff-rate quota for Argentine beef from 20,000 metric tons to 80,000 metric tons.
The proclamation was issued a day after the United States and Argentina finalized a broader trade agreement.
Under that agreement, Argentina will remove trade barriers on more than 200 categories of U.S. goods, according to the Associated Press. Politically sensitive imports, including vehicles, live cattle and dairy products, would be allowed to enter Argentina tariff-free under government-set quotas.
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Some U.S. ranchers have previously criticized the administration’s decision to allow more Argentine beef into the country as a way to lower prices, raising concerns about both market impacts and animal health.
"Argentina also has a history of foot-and-mouth disease, which if brought to the United States, could decimate our domestic livestock production," the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said in October.
Republicans from cattle-producing states have also pushed back against the administration’s trade relationship with Argentina.
Rep. Julie Fedorchak of North Dakota was joined by seven other Republicans in a letter to Trump expressing concern about increasing beef imports from Argentina.
“North Dakotans take great pride in producing the safest, highest-quality beef in the world—and we should be building on that success. When it comes to beef, no one does it better than the United States," Fedorchak stated.
