Fox Nation host Tomi Lahren has a personal plea for the president: Save American cattle ranchers.
In an emotional new episode of Fox Nation's "No Interruption," Lahren returned to her roots to speak with American ranchers about the struggles they're facing in the industry, and why they predict an end to American cattle ranching as they know it.
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Lahren, a South Dakota native who was raised in a ranching family, was visibly emotional throughout the episode, stressing the significance of the issue and her personal commitment to the cause.
"This issue means everything to me, I come from a ranching family...it's in my blood"
"This issue means everything to me," said Lahren. “I come from a ranching family. It’s in my blood," she explained, speaking about the episode with FoxNews.com.
The episode delves into the problems facing American ranches, which have escalated in recent years leaving ranchers in constant fear for the future of the industry, which has been a constant in the lives of some of these families for more than 100 years.
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Over the last few years, the market for domestic beef dropped significantly, and ranchers and some families report that they have been forced to accept half of their annual income.
A March 2016 decision by the Department of Agriculture to revoke regulations requiring imported meat products to be labeled with their country of origin has only added fuel to the fire. The decision allowed imported meat to be sold as U.S. products if processed and repackaged in a U.S. plant.
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The ranchers in this episode attributed the drop in the U.S. meat market to the fact that consumers could no longer differentiate between meat that came from animals that were raised in the U.S. from that which is imported and they called for a return of "country of origin" labeling.
"The fight is to bring back 'country of origin' labeling so U.S. cattle producers can actually compete against the growing tide of undifferentiated and cheaper imports that are produced in foreign countries under lesser standards than what we have here," Bill Bullard, rancher and CEO of R-Calf explained.
As a result, Bullard said, meatpackers have been importing lower quality meat to the U.S., as a direct substitute for the higher quality USA produced beef -- and their lower prices are driving American ranchers out of business.
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"It's been a struggle," said Lahren's uncle Kent Lahren, a rancher and South Dakota native. "I have to say, I lost fifty percent of my income, though my expenses are rising...and my neighbors lost fifty percent of their income."
Three billions pounds of meat is imported annually from numerous countries, including Brazil, Venezuela, Honduras, Nicaragua, Argentina, Costa Rica, and over 20 other countries, and repackaged as products of the U.S., Bullard explained, saying that unless a significant change is made, the "already hollowed out ranching communities will soon disappear."
The number one industry in South Dakota is agriculture, Kent Lahren added -- but said the "house of cards is ready to collapse."
"It doesn't make sense why we import this and watch the American economy go down because of it," Kent continued, "I don't see the benefit."
Kent made a personal plea to President Trump, asking him to "come down and speak to American ranchers," and sign an executive order to bring back "country of origin" labeling.
"If things don't change in the next five years, we won't be able to continue ranching in America as we know it"
"If things don't change in the next five years," he explained, "we won't be able to continue on and ranching in America will be over as we know it...our family ranch will be done," he said. "And I feel sorry for the American consumer not being able to buy the safest meat in the world."
A return of country of origin labeling would have an "immediate impact," the ranchers believe, because of their ability to appeal directly to Americans to buy choose U.S. products.
"That's what President Trump's 'Buy American' program is," Bullard said, referring to Trump's "Made in America" initiative. "It's to convince Americans that you need to support the economic activity in America...and given the choice, they will most certainly select USA products."
Lahren made her own plea to the President in a separate interview with Foxnews.com, calling the absence of proper "country of origin" labeling "absolutely ridiculous and shocking."
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"I’ve seen what the absence of 'country of origin' labeling has done to my family ranch, my state, and ranching families all across the country," she said.
"The fact that we don’t know where their beef is coming from is absolutely ridiculous and shocking to most consumers. We know where our clothes, our shoes, our electronics, and our fruit and vegetables are from but not our beef products."
"Without 'country of origin' labels," she continued, "our American ranchers cannot distinguish their beef from the cheap foreign imports. This is big business for the multi-national meatpackers, but it’s driving our American ranchers out of business."
Lahren also appeared on "Fox & Friends" Wednesday to highlight the episode, reiterating her message.
"As you’ll see in this episode...American cattlemen and women are a different breed of people. They don’t ask for much, just a fighting chance and a level playing field. I know this President cares about American ranchers and with a stroke of a pen President Trump could reinstate 'country of origin' labeling... and give our ranchers that hope, that fighting chance...,” she said.
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Host Ainsley Earhardt echoed Lahren's concern on the issue, and called it "disheartening."
"I'd rather pay a few pennies more if it meant American cattle ranchers were employed. That's really disheartening to me," she said.
The emotional and raw episode of "No Interruption" on Fox Nation will give viewers an inside glance into the daily struggles American ranchers currently face, as they call upon the president for support. To watch the full episode, visit Fox Nation and join today.
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