Another Slow Month for American Beef
Market access obstacles continued to weigh heavily on exports of U.S. beef, with the vast majority of plants still ineligible to ship to China, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).
With shipments to China nearly halted due to a lack of eligible plants, July beef exports totaled 89,579 mt, down 19% from a year ago and the lowest in five years. Export value declined 17% to $752.5 million, the lowest since January 2023.
From January through July, exports were 8% below last year in volume (691,800 mt) and down 7.5% in value ($5.67 billion).
The decline was largely due to China’s failure to renew registrations for the vast majority of U.S. beef plants and cold storage facilities, most of which expired in March. China has also suspended 11 U.S. beef facilities since June.
“The plant registration impasse with China unfortunately drags on, and it has left U.S. beef essentially shut out of the market after exporters worked through their eligible inventories,” USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom explained. “Demand elsewhere has remained fairly resilient, even in the face of higher pricing, but restoring access to China is clearly the urgent priority. Export value and share of production exported declined in July, reflecting the loss of competing bids from Chinese buyers.”
Source: USMEF
