To: R-CALF USA Members and Affiliates
From: CEO Bill Bullard
Date: April 21, 2020
Background: While widespread reports abound of American cattle producers being shut-out of their own markets (including reports that some U.S. cattle feeders haven’t received a bid for 4 weeks), undifferentiated imports from about 20 foreign countries are displacing America’s cattle producers’ access to their own domestic market.
The chart below shows that during March, when domestic cattle prices were collapsing, importers increased their foreign purchases and imported the equivalent of nearly 700,000 cattle. Through April 3, 2020, the U.S. imported the equivalent of 1.6 million cattle so far in 2020.
American cattle producers cannot even compete against these imports to gain access to their own American markets because Congress has not yet restored Mandatory Country-of-Labeling (MCOOL) for beef.
Action: Call your members of Congress right now at 202-224-3121 and tell them America’s cattle producers don’t want to rely on taxpayer subsidies, they want to compete. But they cannot until Congress passes MCOOL for beef.
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R-CALF USA (Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America) is the largest producer-only lobbying and trade association representing U.S. cattle producers. It is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle industry. Visit www.r-calfusa.com or, call 406-252-2516 for more information.
