Beef Highlights:

September 2025:

Beef: 60,372 mt, -24% and the lowest since June 2020; $578 million, -23.5% and the lowest since Oct 2020
BVM: 20,463 mt, -16% but up from July and August; $83 million, -6%
Beef + BVM: 80,835 mt, -22% and the lowest since June 2020; $661 million, -22% and the lowest since February 2021

January – September 2025:

Beef: 663,962 mt, -11% and the lowest since 2016; $6.281 billion, -10% and the lowest since 2020
BVM: 192,961 mt, -10% and the lowest since 2005; $747 million, -11% and the lowest since 2020
Beef + BVM: 856,023 mt, -11% and the lowest since 2016; $7.028 billion, -10% and the lowest since 2020

September beef muscle cut exports totaled 60,372 mt, down 24% or down 19,350 mt from 2024.  This was the lowest monthly volume since May/June 2020 (and otherwise it was the lowest since February 2016). 

• Compared to the previous year, September beef muscle cut exports were higher year-over-year to Canada (+293 mt), South America (+79 mt), and Africa (+50 mt), while exports were lower China/HK (-11,361 mt), South Korea (-3,185 mt), Japan (-2,066 mt), ASEAN (-884 mt), Mexico (-748 mt), EU 27 + UK (-494 mt), Taiwan (-430 mt), Central America (-321 mt), Caribbean (-296 mt), Middle East (-106 mt), and CIS (-2 mt).

• Exports to South Korea jumped to over 24,000 mt in May, which was the highest level in nearly two years, as the market absorbed product that would have been exported to China.  Exports eased to 18,817 mt in June, but that was still up 3% from last year (but down from June volumes from 2021 – 2023).  Exports were 19,302 mt in July, up 16% from last year and above 2023 (but still down from the July volumes from 2018 – 2022).  Exports slowed to 16,458 mt in August, which was the lowest volume in a year (but up 1% year-over-year).  In September, exports to Korea slowed to 14,201 mt, down 18% from last year and the lowest since June 2017.
• September exports to Japan slowed to 13,528 mt, down 13% from last year and the lowest since February 2016.
• In August, beef muscle cut exports to Mexico slowed to 6,537 mt, which was the lowest since July 2022, but in September, exports rebounded to 8,295 mt.  This was down 8% from last year but was the largest volume in five months.
• Exports to Canada were lower year-over-year from March though August, but in September, exports were 6,786 mt, up 4.5% from last year.
• Exports to Taiwan have been below year-ago levels since April, and in September, volumes slowed to 4,272 mt, down 9% from last year and the lowest since February.
• September combined exports to China/HK dropped to 3,846 mt, down 75% from last year or down 11,360 mt.  This was the lowest combined volume since 2012.  Exports to China slowed to just 486 mt, down 96% or -11,474 mt from last year and the lowest since early 2020.  Exports to HK were 3,360 mt, up 3.5% or +100 mt from last year. 
• For the ASEAN region,  exports to the Philippines held above 1,400 mt for the sixth consecutive month in September at 1,609 mt, up 64% from last year.  Exports to Indoneisa were the highest since last November at 283 mt, but volumes were still down sharply (-86%) from over 2,000 mt last year.  Exports to Singapore (555 mt, +48%) were the highest since May, and exports were also higher to Vietnam (401 mt, +10%).
• For the Caribbean, exports slowed to the DR to 671 mt in September, down 8% from last year.  Exports to the Bahamas were higher year-over-year for the 13^th consecutive month (213 mt, + 27%).  Exports to Cuba have slowed since the second half of 2024, and no exports were reported to Cuba in May and June 2025 for the first time since April 2023.  In July, 25 mt of exports were reported to Cuba, compared to 154 mt last year, and in August, just 1 mt was reported, compared to 165 mt last year.  There were no exports reported to Cuba in September, down from 165 mt last year.
• Exports to Guatemala are on a record pace, but September shipments were below year-ago at 651 mt, down 31% from last year.
• For South America, exports to Chile slowed to 271 mt, down 26% from last year, but exports to Colombia rebounded to 352 mt, up 173% from last year and the highest since April.   
• Exports to the UAE (597 mt, +17%) were the highest since March.

September beef variety meat exports rebounded modestly from July and August, but September exports were down 16% or -3,794 mt from last year.  

• In September, bvm exports were higher than last year to the Middle East (+953 mt) and the Caribbean (+63 mt), but exports decreased to other destinations: Mexico (-2,082 mt), China/HK (-1,313 mt), South America (-478 mt), Central America (-247 mt), ASEAN (-241 mt), Japan (-165 mt), Canada (-152 mt), Africa (-144 mt), and South Korea (-85 mt).

• BVM exports to Mexico have been below year-ago levels for the last three months, and in September, exports were 8,567 mt, down  20% from last year.
• Exports to Canada rebounded to 875 mt in September, which was down 15% from last year but was the highest since March.
• Exports to Japan were down 4.5% from last year at 3,490 mt.
• Exports to South Korea rebounded to 609 mt in September, down 12% from last year but the highest since May.
• Combinaed bvm exports to China/HK rebounded from 818 mt in August to 1,147 mt in September, which was down 53% from last year.  Exports to China were just 70 mt, down 96% from last year, while exports to HK were 1,077 mt, up 71% from last year and the highest since May.
• For the ASEAN region, 94 mt of exports were reported to Indonesia, down from 479 mt last year but the first reported bvm exports since March.  Exports to the Philippines were 206 mt, up 312% from last year.
• For South America, exports to Peru were 436 mt, down 55% from last year’s large volume.
• BVM exports slowed from the strong shipments of 239 mt in August to 109 mt in September, which was down 9% from last year. 
• After nearing 4,000 mt in January and holding over 3,000 mt in both February and March, BVM exports to Egypt dropped to just 2,476 mt in April and 2,656 mt in May.  However, volumes rebounded in June to 3,522 mt.  Volumes slowed again in July to 2,733 mt, down 10% from last year.  August volumes totaled 2,980 mt, down 4% from last year.  In September, volumes rebounded to 3,297 mt, up 42% from last year and the highest in three months.
• Negligible volumes have been shipped to South Africa over the last ten months, and no exports were reported in July for the second consecutive month following just 24 mt in May (compared to 687 mt in July 2025).  However, exports of 132 mt were reported in August, and exports of 136 mt were reported in September.  September shipments were down 59% from last year, but volume was the highest since last November.  Exports to Cote d’Ivoire were 321 mt in September, up 36%.  Exports to Morocco slowed to 190 mt in July, the lowest monthly volume since January, after averaging 437 mt per month from Feb through June.  August exports were 235 mt, up 209% from last year, but exports slowed to just 51 mt in September, down 76% from last year.  Exports to Morocco are livers and volumes started to slow in July as U.S. export volume was already approaching and the annual lower-duty TRQ for livers through its FTA with Morocco.

January – September beef muscle cut + variety meat exports totaled 856,023 mt, down 11% or -105,000 mt from 2024.  Exports were higher year-over-year to South Korea (+8,572 mt), Africa (+952 mt), South America (+537 mt), Central America (+300 mt), and CIS (+26 mt) and were steady to the EU 27 + UK.  Exports were lower to China/HK (-66,607 mt), Mexico (-18,589 mt), ASEAN (-8,438 mt), Japan (-7,398 mt), Taiwan (-5,507 mt), Canada (-5,048 mt), Middle East (-2,364 mt), and Caribbean (-1,323 mt). 

September 2025 beef exports accounted for 8.8% of production and 10.9% when adding variety meats, compared to 11.3% and 13.8% in September 2024.  January – September 2025 beef exports accounted for 10.7% of production and 12.9% when adding variety meats, compared to 11.6% and 13.9% for January – Setpember 2024. 

September 2025 beef export value per head of fed slaughter averaged $337.21/head, down 18% or -$75.31/head from $412.52/head in September 2024.  January – September 2025 beef export value per head of fed slaughter averaged $393.25/head, down 5.2% or -$21.37/head from $414.63/head for January – September 2024. 

Source: USMEF