United States Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollings downplayed the possibility of importing more beef from Argentina on Tuesday. Although she acknowledged that President Donald Trump is “in discussions with Argentina,” she said that any purchases would “not be much” due to a “foot and mouth disease issue” allegedly affecting Argentine beef.
“Argentina is facing a foot and mouth disease issue. We at USDA have to ensure our livestock industry is secure,” Rollins said in an interview with CNBC. Local experts, however, refuted her claims, saying that Argentina has been free of that disease for 25 years.
Foot and mouth disease is “a severe, highly contagious viral disease of livestock” that causes fever and blister-like sores in cattle and other animals, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health. It cannot be transmitted to humans but can cause severe production losses.
Argentina has been free of foot and mouth disease since 2000, after an intense vaccination campaign to eliminate it from the local livestock production. In May, the World Organisation for Animal Health ratified Argentina’s status as a country free of this disease. In the Patagonia region, vaccination is no longer necessary.
In September, the Argentine government decided to cut down on vaccination against foot and mouth disease in calves and partially in adult animals starting in 2026, saving farmers US$25 million.
Nicolás Pino, head of top-agriculture chamber Argentine Rural Society, said in an interview with Radio Mitre on Wednesday that Rollins is “likely misinformed” in response to her statements about foot and mouth disease.
In her CNBC interview, Rollins said that she is working on a program called “Make America Healthy Again” with a focus on proteins such as beef, poultry, and pork. “We’ve got to make sure we’ve got production to be able to align with that.”
Rollins’ comments come on the heels of several announcements of an economic bailout from President Donald Trump for his Argentine counterpart, Javier Milei.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Treasury confirmed that a currency swap agreement for US$20 billion had been signed, adding up to a standby credit line and an additional US$20 billion private fund facility, both of which are yet to be confirmed and detailed. The U.S. government also purchased Argentine pesos with the goal of strengthening the local currency and lowering the skyrocketing price of the dollar ahead of the October 26 midterm elections.
