President Donald Trump said Friday morning that the United States will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of product for ground beef to enter the country over the next three months without being subject to tariffs applied above existing import quotas.

Trump also said importers had committed to selling the beef at a steep discount. “We have a commitment that this beef will be sold at 25 percent below current market prices,” he wrote on Truth Social.

However, the president did not identify the companies that made those commitments. He said the agreement came “as we work to rebuild this herd and help our ranchers.”

Trump also did not say who had agreed to the import waivers or which importers would sell ground beef below market prices because of the tariff relief. CNBC requested comment from the White House and major United States beef suppliers.

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The announcement quickly drew criticism from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. The group argued that the move would not advance Trump’s stated goal of increasing the size of the United States beef herd.

The United States places tariffs on imported beef once shipments exceed quota limits established for individual countries. The financial difference between beef entering within those quotas and shipments exceeding them can be significant.

A May report from the American Farm Bureau Federation said imports entering within a quota generally face a tariff of 4.4 cents per kilogram. Imports exceeding a quota face a tariff of 26.4 percent.

For beef valued at around $7 per kilogram, the report said the difference can exceed $1.80 per kilogram in tariff costs. Trump’s plan would remove the tariffs applied above quota for the specified volume during the next three months.

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Beef prices in the United States have soared in 2026. The increase followed a reduction in the national cattle herd after years of drought, high feed costs and herd liquidation.

The announcement also comes as Republicans worry about voter concerns over the affordability of everyday goods, including food. Members of the party fear those concerns could contribute to losses for GOP candidates in congressional elections in November.

“Today, I concluded a deal to substantially lower the price of ground beef for working American families,” Trump said in his Truth Social post. He added, “This deal will reduce prices for Americans while giving space for our Great American Beef Herd to grow again.”

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO Colin Woodall said his organization “is disappointed by the President’s statement.” He said cattle producers share the objective of keeping groceries affordable for consumers but rejected the administration’s approach.

Woodall argued that bringing government subsidized beef into the market at below market prices would not rebuild the American cattle herd. He also said cattle markets had already moved sharply lower Friday morning, hurting farmers and ranchers.

According to Woodall, the announcement and other market interventions weaken the possibility of herd expansion. He said the approach sacrifices stability over the longer term for messaging in the shorter term.

Meanwhile, Altin Kalo, head economist at Steiner Consulting Group, said the effect on consumer prices remains uncertain. “Imported beef already is trading at a steep discount,” Kalo told CNBC.

Kalo said the tariff applied above quotas had not been a problem for importers because a record amount of beef is already being imported. He also noted that many grocery stores use only fresh ground beef in their meat cases.

Almost all beef intended for grinding that comes from Australia or Brazil is frozen, according to Kalo. A large share of that imported beef goes to food service operations, primarily fast food companies, rather than grocery store meat cases.