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The president has issued an executive order that lifts tariffs on a broad spectrum of food imports, marking a significant shift in trade policy.
Among the beneficiaries of this change is Australia, which annually exports over $2 billion of beef to the United States.
This new directive, which applies retroactively, ensures that importers will be reimbursed for any tariffs they have previously paid.
The tariff exemptions extend beyond beef to include products like tomatoes, coffee, bananas, and various other tropical fruits that are not commonly cultivated in the United States.
This policy adjustment seems aimed at alleviating the rising cost of living for American consumers.
Trump is under increasing pressure after making inflation the centrepiece of his election campaign.
Since taking office, prices on most everyday items have risen.
Senior House Democrat Richard Neal described the move as “putting out a fire that they started and claiming it as progress”.
“The Trump Administration is finally admitting publicly what we’ve all known from the start: Trump’s Trade War is hiking costs on people,” he said.
“Every day that Trump’s tariffs remain in place is another day that families, small businesses, farms, and manufacturers get crushed.
“It’s time to end the entire Trade War and for House Republicans to let Congress restore its rightful authority.”
This is largely off the back of a decline in beef production in the United States, as well as much higher tariffs on other importers like Brazil.
American cattle herds are at their lowest level since the 1950s, while a series of wetter seasons in Australia has allowed farmers here to expand.
Also included on the list of tariff-exempted imports are coal, petrol and oil products, uranium and many other chemicals.
