American Beef Export Trade Stats: January 2026

 

January 2026:

Beef: 65,047 mt, -16%; $654 million, -9%
BVM: 27,511 mt, +6%; $126 million, +46% and record high
Beef + BVM: 92,558 mt, -10%; $780 million, -3%

January beef muscle cut exports totaled 65,047 mt, down 16% or -11,955 mt year-over-year and the lowest for the month of January since 2016.  However, export value was just the lowest for the month of January since 2023 at $654 million, down 9%.

  • Compared to the previous year, January beef muscle cut exports higher to Taiwan (+1,523 mt), ASEAN (+402 mt),  Caribbean + DR (+256 mt),  the Middle East (+152 mt), Africa (+35 mt), South America (+27 mt), and the EU 27+ UK (+19 mt), while exports were steady to South Korea and Central America.  Exports were lower to China/HK (-11,548 mt), Japan (-1,992 mt), Canada (-468 mt), Mexico (-345 mt), and CIS (-2 mt). 
  • In December, U.S. beef cut exports were 19,960 mt, down 8% year-over-year, but the highest since the month of May.  Exports were 18,045 mt in January 2026, steady year-over-year.
  • November exports to Japan slowed to 12,613 mt, the lowest since 2015 and down 18% year-over-year.  In December, exports rebounded modestly from the previous month to 13,406 mt, but that was down 12% year-over-year.  Exports modestly rebounded again in January to 13,819 mt, which was down 13% from last year.
  • January beef exports to Mexico were below year-ago levels for the tenth consecutive month at 7,508 mt, down 4% year-over-year.
  • January exports to Canada were 6,689 mt, down 7% year-over-year.
  • In December, exports to Taiwan were 5,650 mt, which was 8% lower year-over-year but was the second highest monthly total of 2025.  Exports maintained momentum in January at 4,663 mt, which was up 49% from last year. 
  • September combined exports to China/HK dropped to 3,846 mt, down 75% from 2024 or down 11,360 mt.  This was the lowest combined volume since 2012.  In October, volumes rebounded modestly to 4,345 mt, which was down 76% from last year or down 13,482 mt.  In November, exports totaled 4,921 mt, down 70% year-over-year.  December exports totaled 5,747 mt, down 65% year-over-year but the highest since April.  In January 2026, exports adjusted down again to 4,725 mt, which was down 71% from last year.  January exports to China were 919 mt, steady with December and down 93% from last year.  Exports to HK were 3,806 mt, the lowest since October but up 76% from last year.
  • For the ASEAN region, exports were higher to Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand in January.  After reaching a monthly high of 2,759 mt in November, December exports to Indonesia were 1,160 mt, up significantly from minimal volumes the previous year.  January exports slowed to 755 mt, the lowest since October but still up significantly from just 66 mt last year.  Exports were also higher to Singapore (401 mt, +21%), Vietnam (257 mt, +23%), Cambodia (115 mt, +22%), and Thailand (92 mt, +241%).  Exports to the Philippines had been over 1,400 mt each month from April through September 2025 and were nearly 1,100 mt in October before volumes slowed at the end of the year.  In January 2026, exports were only 436 mt, the lowest since August 2023. 
  • For the Caribbean,  exports to the DR were 956 mt in January, up 34% from last year and the highest since May.  Beef muscle cut exports to the Netherlands Antilles hit a record high of 355 mt in January, up 1% from last year’s high level.  January exports to the Bahamas were also strong at 396 mt, up 13%.  After rebounding to 247 mt in November, exports to Cuba were just 4 mt in December and 11 mt in January, down from 203 mt last year. 
  • Exports to Guatemala totaled 889 mt in January, up 13% from last year and the highest since October. 
  • Following
  • Following strong exports of over 630 mt in November, exports to Chile totaled 232 mt in December, down 32% from the previous year, and exports slowed further to 150 mt in January, down 46% from last year.  January exports to Colombia were 317 mt, up 18% from last year, and exports to Peru were 165 mt, up 88%.
  • January exports to the UAE increased to 629 mt, the highest since March 2025.   

 

January beef variety meat exports were 27,511 mt, up 6% or +1,673 from last year.  Exports were down from nearly 28,400 mt in December but were otherwise the highest since May 2022.  Beef variety meat export value were record large in January at $126 million.

  • In January, bvm exports were higher than the previous year to Japan (+2,872 mt), Taiwan (+968 mt), South Korea (+671 mt), South America (+156 mt), and ASEAN (+40 mt), while exports were lower to Mexico (-903 mt), Middle East (-784 mt), China/HK (-698 mt), Canada (-574 mt), Caribbean + DR (-51 mt), Africa (-26 mt), and Central America (-22 mt).  
  • BVM exports to Mexico jumped to 11,755 mt in December, up 12% year-over-year and the highest since January (and otherwise the highest since 2016).  Exports to Mexico remained strong at 10,968 mt in January, but that was down 8% from last year’s strong total.  
  • Exports to Canada were 726 mt, down 44% from last year’s large total and lower year-over-year for the third consecutive month.
  • Volumes to Japan were over 5,000 mt each month in Q4 2025, and in January, exports increased to 6,137 mt, up 88% from last year and the highest since September 2021.
  • Exports to South Korea jumped to 1,436 mt in January, up 88% from last year, and the highest since October 2023.  BVM exports to South Korea were above year-ago levels for the ninth consecutive month in January.
  • Combined bvm exports to China/HK rebounded to 2,631 mt in December, up 3% year-over-year and the highest since November 2024 before slowing again to 1,787 mt in January, which was down 28% from last year.  In January, exports to HK were 1,691 mt,  up 149% from last year, and exports to China were just 96 mt, down 95% from 1,806 mt last year.
  • Exports to Taiwan were over 900 mt and the highest since 2000 for the second consecutive month in January at 968 mt, up from 0 mt last year.
  • For the ASEAN region, reported exports to Indonesia slowed from an average of 227 mt per month in Q4 2025 to just 46 mt in January 2026, which was down 33% from last year.  Only 55 mt were reported to the Philippines, the lowest since September 2024 and down 44% from last year.  Exports to Vietnam were 145 mt, the highest since October 2024 and up 272% from last year. 
  • In South America, exports to Peru rebounded to 756 mt in December, up 42% year-over-year and the highest since October 2024.  In January, exports slowed again to 421 mt, but that was up 48% from last year.  Exports to Chile were 270 mt in January, the highest since June and up 170% from the previous year.
  • Exports to Jamaica were 153 mt in January, steady year-over-year.
  • In 2025, bvm exports to Egypt were down just 1% year-over-year at nearly 38,000 mt.  In December 2025, exports totaled 3,532 mt, up 46% year-over-year and the highest since January.  But in January 2026, exports slowed to 3,210 mt, which was down 20% from last year’s relatively large total.
  • Negligible volumes of bvm were shipped to South Africa from Q4 of 2024 through August 2025, and no exports were reported in June or July 2025.  Exports of 132 mt were reported in August, and exports of 136 mt were reported in September.  In Q4 2025, exports averaged 265 mt per month and reached 312 mt in December, which was the highest since September 2024.  Exports increased further to 512 mt in January 2025, the highest since July 2024 and up from just 49 mt last January.  However, in January, there were no reported bvm exports to Cote d’Ivoire for the first time since July 2024 (and annual bvm exports to Cote d’Ivoire were 4,504 mt in 2025). January exports to Morocco were 51 mt, steady with last year, and exports to Gabon were 133 mt, down 45%.

January beef muscle cut + variety meat exports totaled 92,558 mt, down 10% or -10,282 mt from 2025.  Exports were higher year-over-year to Taiwan (+2,491 mt), Japan (+880 mt), South Korea (+680 mt), ASEAN (+442 mt), Caribbean + DR (+205 mt), South America (+183 mt), EU 27 + UK (+42 mt), and Africa (+9 mt).  Exports were lower to China/HK (-12,246 mt), Mexico (-1,248 mt), Canada (-1,042 mt), the Middle East (-632 mt), Central America (-21 mt), and CIS (-2 mt).

January 2026 beef exports accounted for 9.6% of production and 12.8% when adding variety meats, compared to 10.2% and 12.7% in January 2025. January 2026 beef export value per head of fed slaughter averaged $415.15/head, up 12% or +$44.39/head from $370.75/head in January 2025.

Source: USMEF