Trump Signs Executive Orders to Support Ranchers

On Friday, President Trump signed two executive orders aimed at benefiting American ranchers. One of these orders allows ranchers to process their own meat and sell it across state lines.

During the signing event, which featured ranchers and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Trump also authorized protections for ranchers against Mexican gray wolves.

“Today, I’m excited to announce that my administration is taking a significant step to support our nation’s hardworking cattle ranchers,” Trump said. He emphasized that the meat processed under these new rules would meet the highest standards globally and be offered at competitive prices directly to consumers.

“For the first time, we’re going to give farmers and ranchers the right to process their own food. That’s a pretty big deal,” he added.

The president mentioned plans to create a program allowing ranchers to bypass the large companies that he claims monopolize food processing. He assured everyone that “very strong safety inspections” will be implemented to ensure the meat’s quality.

The White House stated that the order includes several directives for Rollins within the Department of Agriculture:

• The Secretary of Agriculture is tasked with prioritizing investigations into possible violations of the Packers and Stockyards Act, ramping up federal resources for those investigations, and reviewing current policies under the Act to enhance protections for producers.
• The Secretary must also modernize meat inspection processes, improve processing efficiency and technology, and eliminate unnecessary requirements that might hamper food safety.
• A new “one-stop shop” resource will be created within the Department of Agriculture to facilitate federal licensing for producers, provide training for small and regional processors, and enhance interstate market access for eligible meat products.
• The order establishes a loan program called “Strengthening Processing for U.S. Ranchers” to assist small and regional processors in their operations.

The second order mandates a review and updating of federal regulations to better serve ranchers, including evaluating the status of gray wolves to see if they should be delisted or downlisted as an endangered species.