Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger opposed the Trump Administration's plan to suspend tariffs on 300,000 metric tons of foreign-produced ground beef and sell it at 25 percent below the market rate, subsidized by taxpayers.
In a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Spanberger said the policy would flood the market with imported beef and devastate Virginia's cattle producers. Virginia is home to more than 21,000 beef cattle producers raising approximately 575,000 head, making beef cattle the state's second-largest commodity. The industry supported more than $712 million in cash receipts to the state's economy in 2024.
Spanberger warned that the plan would cause a negative reaction in cattle markets while providing no guarantee of retail price relief for consumers. She also cited concerns about domestic processing capacity, noting that major meatpackers are closing slaughter and processing facilities across the country that Virginia cattlemen rely on.
The governor said Virginia's cattle producers could not absorb a sudden wave of subsidized imports after managing through drought, natural disasters like Hurricane Helene, and rising input costs. Spanberger offered to work with the Trump Administration on alternative approaches, including improving risk management for beef producers, fully enforcing the Packers and Stockyards Act, and expanding regional packing capacity.