NEW: Governor Spanberger Slams Trump Administration’s Plan to Undercut Virginia Cattle Farmers, Warns of “Crushing Impact”

RICHMOND, VA - Governor Abigail Spanberger today urged President Trump to reconsider his Administration's plans to flood the market with foreign-produced ground beef subsidized by American taxpayers - undercutting Virginia's beef cattle producers and devastating family-run operations across the Commonwealth.

Virginia is home to more than 21,000 beef cattle producers raising an estimated 575,000 head across every corner of the Commonwealth, making beef cattle the second-largest commodity produced in Virginia. In 2024, the industry supported more than $712 million in cash receipts to the Commonwealth's economy.

In a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Governor Spanberger voiced her strong opposition to the Trump Administration's proposed plan to suspend tariffs on 300,000 metric tons of foreign-produced beef and sell it at 25 percent below the market rate - subsidized by taxpayers. The Governor also warned of the devastating consequences this decision will have on Virginia's tens of thousands of beef cattle producers.

"This policy will directly harm Virginia's cattle producers by flooding the market with government-subsidized, imported beef to the detriment of our farmers. This handout to foreign competitors has already caused a negative reaction in cattle markets while providing no guarantee of retail price relief for consumers," said Governor Abigail Spanberger. "The Trump Administration's decision comes at a precarious moment for domestic processing capacity. Major meatpackers are closing slaughter and processing facilities across the country - including facilities Virginia cattlemen rely on."

Governor Spanberger added, "I have and will continue to stand with our farmers and cattlemen in Virginia and firmly believe that the success of Virginia agriculture depends on sound and durable trade policies that give producers the confidence to invest in the long-term health of the industry."

"Virginia's cattle producers understand the desire to provide relief to consumers facing higher grocery prices. However, increasing beef imports without addressing the underlying challenges facing the U.S. cattle industry is not a long-term solution," said Virginia Farm Bureau President Scott Sink. "We look forward to working with state and federal leaders to address such challenges."

"Beef imports of that magnitude have serious short-term and long-term implications for cattle producers," said Virginia Cattlemen's Association Executive Director Brandon Reeves. "The immediate impact will be lower cattle prices. The bigger concern is that it takes away the incentive to rebuild our nation's cowherd."

Click here to read the Governor's full letter to Secretary Rollins, and the full text is below.

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Dear Secretary Rollins,

I write to express strong opposition to the Trump Administration's plan to suspend tariffs on 300,000 metric tons of foreign-produced ground beef and sell it at 25% below the market rate. The Commonwealth of Virginia is home to more than 21,000 beef cattle producers raising an estimated 575,000 head across the Commonwealth, making beef cattle the second-largest commodity produced in Virginia. These predominantly family-run operations are dedicated to raising high-quality, nutritious beef for Americans' tables and they will bear the brunt of this catastrophic policy choice.

This policy will directly harm Virginia's cattle producers by flooding the market with government subsidized, imported beef to the detriment of our farmers. This handout to foreign competitors has already caused a negative reaction in cattle markets while providing no guarantee of retail price relief for consumers. The Trump Administration's decision comes at a precarious moment for domestic processing capacity. Major meatpackers are closing slaughter and processing facilities across the country - including facilities Virginia cattlemen rely on. Initiating duty-free, subsidized imports into an already disrupted supply chain will further erode domestic market competition and depress live cattle prices for American producers, to the benefit of our foreign competitors.

Virginia cattle producers - like producers across the United States - have managed through years of drought, natural disasters such as Hurricane Helene, and sharply rising input costs on everything from fuel to fertilizer to machinery, but our cattle operations are simply not positioned to absorb a sudden wave of subsidized imports. Despite the challenges they have faced, cattlemen have made decisions to continue building the cattle herd and they have taken on the risk of long-term investment to do so. The President's plan to subsidize and import beef duty free jeopardizes all of that.

As the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation noted on August 22, 2026, "Our cattle producers need confidence that the investments they make today will support their operations for years to come." The Chair of the Virginia Cattlemen's Association echoed this sentiment in saying, "This undermines the market from encouraging cattle producers to retain more females to grow the USA herd, which in the long run will make for an affordable and secure national food supply."

These concerns are not just isolated to Virginia. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) leadership criticized this trade decision by saying, "[this] announcement and other market interventions throw cold water on the prospect of herd expansion and sacrifices long-term stability for short-term messaging."

While the potentially crushing impact of President Trump's plan on Virginia's cattle operations is reason enough for me to express my opposition, it is equally worrisome that the President's announcement lacks transparency and does not specify the countries and sources of beef that will receive this market advantage - what foreign competitors will benefit at the expense of American producers and how the Administration will ensure consumer health and safety as the President's intended plan floods the market with an influx of foreign-produced beef. This uncertainty compounds the economic risk to American farmers, whose hard-earned reputation for safety and quality has built strong consumer confidence in U.S. beef, both domestically and abroad.

I have and will continue to stand with our farmers and cattlemen in Virginia and firmly believe that the success of Virginia agriculture depends on sound and durable trade policies that give producers the confidence to invest in the long-term health of the industry. Here in Virginia, we are committed to continuing to make investments to support our cattle industry, including by expanding the Virginia Verified Beef program, providing record funding for cattle farmers who implement our voluntary Agricultural Best Management Practices on their farms, responding promptly to provide support during natural disasters and droughts, and working directly with our producers and processors to remove barriers to expand the cattle herd in the Commonwealth.

I urge the USDA and the Trump Administration to reconsider your actions and heed the calls of livestock producers and agriculture industry leaders and focus the Administration's efforts on strengthening the domestic herd and supporting the long-term growth and success of the beef cattle industry, rather than short-term disruptions. We welcome collaboration between our Administrations to:

• Improve risk management offerings for beef producers, like Livestock Risk Protection;
• Fully enforce the Packers and Stockyards Act to ensure fairness in the marketplace and ensure cattle producers have access to price transparency, discovery, and reporting; and
• Work strategically to expand and stabilize regional packing capacity.

At a time when beef cattle producers are already struggling to navigate ever-changing impacts from tariffs and market disruptions, and families struggle to afford groceries, the need has never been greater to find real, long-term solutions that support consumers, lower costs, and strengthen the cattle industry.

Sincerely,

Abigail D. Spanberger

Governor

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