By Jarrett Renshaw and Leah Douglas
WASHINGTON, Sept 4 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Friday signed executive orders aimed at helping cattle ranchers protect their herds from wolves, expand meat processing and move toward country-of-origin labeling, as his administration seeks to bring down record-high beef prices.
The orders include measures allowing ranchers to protect their herds from gray wolves and making it easier for farmers and ranchers to process and sell food from their own operations,
Trump said during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office.
Trump's order on country-of-origin labeling stops short of reinstating mandatory labeling requirements, and Trump said additional steps are needed -- including congressional approval -- to help give consumers more information about the origin of beef.
"It will be easy," Trump said.
The wolf provision addresses a longstanding concern among ranchers, who say wolves can prey on cattle, particularly calves, causing livestock losses and forcing producers to spend more to monitor and protect their herds. Gray wolves remain protected under the federal Endangered Species Act across much of the country, although protections vary by region.
The move comes as Trump seeks to address record-high beef prices while facing pressure from cattle producers over his administration's push to increase beef imports.
Retail beef prices have reached record levels this year as the U.S. cattle herd has fallen to its lowest level in 75 years. Drought and wildfires have contributed to the contraction in cattle supplies, creating a difficult political problem for the administration as it tries to lower grocery costs without further undermining domestic ranchers.
The administration last week temporarily expanded access to lower-tariff imports of lean beef trimmings by 300,000 metric tons over three months, arguing that additional supplies are needed to bring down prices for consumers. The move has drawn opposition from cattle producers, who say increased imports could put pressure on U.S. cattle prices and make it harder to rebuild the domestic herd.
Country-of-origin labeling has been a longstanding demand among some U.S. cattle producers, who argue consumers should be able to distinguish domestic beef from imported products.
Congress repealed mandatory country-of-origin labeling requirements for beef and pork in 2015 after a series of World Trade Organization rulings involving challenges from Canada and Mexico.
Under current rules, companies can voluntarily use a "Product of USA" label subject to federal requirements.
The administration is pursuing the labeling issue as it simultaneously seeks to increase beef imports to address a domestic supply shortage, highlighting the competing pressures at the center of Trump's beef policy.
Trump has argued that more imports are needed to provide immediate relief to consumers while his administration works to rebuild the U.S. cattle herd. Ranchers, meanwhile, have warned that additional imports could undermine incentives to expand domestic production.
The administration has also announced measures to support smaller meat processors, including efforts to make it easier for ranchers to process their own cattle, challenging the dominance of the nation's largest meatpacking companies.
(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw and Leah Douglas; Editing by Andy Sullivan, Susan Heavey, Sanjeev Miglani and Andrea Ricci)
