Cheap Argentine beef? No, better to open the border to Mexican cattle.

As an alternative to President Donald Trump's plan to expand Argentina's quota from 20,000 to 80,000 tons, Texas has proposed a controlled resumption of cattle imports from Mexico, suspended due to the beef epidemic.flies in this country.

Sid Miller, the state's agriculture commissioner, outlined a five-point plan in a statement that he said would rebuild the cattle industry, lower supermarket beef prices and protect American cattle ranchers .

He also warned that importing meat from Argentina would only lower the quality of the product sold in the United States, saying it could only be used for hamburgers because the cuts used there were not of the highest quality.

"Increasing meat imports does absolutely nothing to strengthen the U.S. meat industry or improve the quality of food for consumers," he said.

On the other hand, he proposed selectively resuming imports of live cattle from Mexico, which had been suspended since July due to a blowfly outbreak, instead of buying packaged meat .

Miller added that about 15% of the U.S. beef cattle comes from Mexico, so reopening the border would solve the shortage within 24 hours.

"With the start of Mexico's cattle feeding season (November through February), we can safely, manageably, and gradually reopen ports of entry," he explained. "A measured and thoughtful approach to live cattle imports will stabilize supplies while ensuring U.S. biosecurity."

Mexico's offer was well received by Mexican exporters, who suffered millions in losses due to the suspension, holding onto their cattle and selling them at lower prices domestically.

this weekMexican Agriculture Minister Julio Berdegué will meet in Washington with his counterpart Brooke Rollins to discuss the issue and present the latest progress in the fight against the disease.