Economists don't expect reopening the US to Mexican cattle imports to reduce high beef prices - AP News

The U.S. Plans to reopen a border crossing in Douglas, Arizona to cattle imports from Mexico, but economists say the move is unlikely to put a dent in the record-high beef prices hitting grocery shoppers across the country.

The crossing, located about 230 miles southeast of Phoenix, had been closed over concerns about the spread of New World screwworm, a parasitic fly that can devastate cattle herds. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said those concerns eased enough to allow cattle movement to resume at that location. The agency also hopes to reopen additional crossings in New Mexico and Texas over time.

For people here in Lubbock, where beef is practically a food group and the ranching economy runs deep across the South Plains, that last part matters. West Texas crossings reopening could eventually mean more cattle moving through the region's supply chain, but economists are pumping the brakes on expectations. The volume coming through one Arizona crossing simply is not large enough to move the needle on national beef prices.

So for now, folks shopping at United or Market Street can expect prices at the meat counter to stay where they are. The administration framed the reopening as part of a broader push to bring beef costs down, but the economic reality does not match the promise.