PIERRE, S.D.(DRGNews)- United States President Donald Trump announced Friday that his administration will allow more beef to be temporarily imported into the country without triggering higher tariffs. The declaration got swift pushback from cattle producers and agriculture groups.

Also last week South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar introduced the bipartisan Rebuilding America’s National Cow Herd– or RANCH– Act. The legislation would create a new, voluntary grassland restoration program that would make up to 20 million new acres available for grazing.

Rounds told DRG Media that he sees the RANCH Act as an alternative to the President’s approach.

Rounds said we need to get more acres– especially marginal quality cropland– back into grass before we start importing mass quantities of foreign beef. And, he said, if we do import foreign beef, Americans should know what they’re buying through Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling.

Many agriculture and conservation groups– such as the South Dakota and Minnesota Cattlemen’s Associations, Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever– quickly came out in support of the RANCH Act. Conversely, multiple agriculture groups– including R-CALF USA, the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and National Farmers Union, along with several agriculture state Senators and Representatives from both political parties, were quick to criticize Trump’s proposal to import foreign beef with no tariff fees applied.

U.S. Cattlemen’s President Justin Tupper from St. Onge, South Dakota, said, “You don’t put America first by putting U.S. cattle producers last. This move will weaken our markets and gamble with food safety in the process.”