Beef Highlights:

January 2021:
Beef: 81,398 mt, +0%, $584 million -1%
BVM: 23,649 mt, -9%, $69 million, -18%
Beef + BVM: 105,047 mt, -2%, $653 million, -3%

January beef muscle cut exports were steady with last year at 81,398 mt.  Compared to last year, exports were higher to China/HK (+4,000 mt), Korea (+4,000 mt), Canada (+430 mt), and the Middle East (+380 mt), while exports were lower to Japan (-2,400 mt), Mexico (-2,000 mt), ASEAN (-1,400 mt), Taiwan (-1,400 mt), Caribbean + DR (-690 mt), EU (-510 mt), Central America (-100 mt), and South America (-80 mt).  The top destinations were Korea (20,734 mt, +24%) and Japan (18,368 mt, -12%).  Exports to Mexico (10,514 mt, -16%) slowed year-over-year following very strong volumes in November/December (14,500 mt and 16,600 mt) that were the highest in years.  Exports to Canada (9,173 mt, +5%) were the highest since last April and otherwise the highest since 2018.  Combined exports to China/HK totaled 10,884 mt, up 58% from last year.   January exports to China (7,507 mt, +781%) were the third highest following last December (8,963 mt) and last November (7,902 mt).  Exports to Hong Kong (3,377 mt, -44%) slowed to the lowest level since 2012.  Exports to Taiwan (3,833 mt, -27%) slowed to the lowest level since February 2018.  For the ASEAN region, exports were lower to the Philippines (815 mt, -26%), Indonesia (467 mt, -54%), Vietnam (398 mt, -56% and the lowest since 2016), and Singapore (238 mt, -44%), but exports were higher to Thailand (157 mt, +65%).  Beef muscle cut exports were higher to the top destinations in the Middle East: UAE (532 mt, +28%), Kuwait (344 mt, +353%), and Saudi Arabia (181 mt, +60%).  Monthly exports to Colombia (483 mt, +12%) were record large,  while exports to Chile (482 mt) were steady with last January’s relatively slow volume, and exports to Peru (110 mt, -29%) were lower year-over-year.  Exports slowed to Guatemala (480 mt, -35%) but were record large to Costa Rica (470 mt, +117%).  Exports to the Dominican Republic (423 mt, -31%) remained lower year-over-year but were the highest since last March, but exports slowed to the Bahamas (163 mt, -49%) and the Netherlands Antilles (155 mt, -31%).

January beef variety meat exports were down 9% from last year at 23,649 mt.  Compared to last year, exports were higher to the ASEAN (+500 mt), Central America (+200 mt), China/HK (+120 mt), South America (+90 mt), and Canada (+70 my), and exports to the Middle East were steady.  Exports were lower to Mexico (-1,900 mt), Japan (-780 mt), Korea (-420 mt), Africa (-180 mt), Caribbean + DR (-80 mt).  Exports slowed to Mexico (7,531 mt, -20%), btu the January volume was above the low levels from last April through October.  Exports to Egypt (5,429 mt) were steady with last January.  Exports to Japan (3,650 mt, -18%) slowed to the lowest level since last June, and exports to Korea (621 mt, -40%) remained sluggish.  Exports to Canada (732 mt, +11%) were the highest since last April.  Exports to South Africa (1,065 mt, +109%) rebounded from the slower levels in November/December and were significantly higher than the January volume for 2019 and 2020 of 500 mt.  But beef variety meat exports were lower year-over-year to the other main markets in Africa: Angola (349 mt, -39%), Gabon (126 mt, -72%), and Cote d’Ivoire (106 mt, -18%).  Exports to both Indonesia (1,064 mt, +29%) and the Philippines (371 mt, +177%) were the highest since last March.  For South America, exports were the highest since 2019 to Colombia (287 mt, +119%), exports were steady year-over-year to Chile (148 mt), and exports were lower to Peru (488 mt, -12%).  Combined exports to China/HK totaled 822 mt, up 17% from last year.  Exports were lower to Hong Kong (467 mt, -31%), but exports were higher to China (355 mt, up from 24 mt).  Exports to Guatemala (136 mt, +131%) were the highest since January 2019.  Exports to Jamaica (136 mt, -28%) slowed to the lowest level since 2017.

January beef/beef variety meats totaled 105,047 mt, down 2% or -2,300 mt from last year.  Exports were higher to China/HK (+4,100 mt), Korea (+3,600 mt), Canada (+500 mt), Middle East (+380 mt), and Central America (+100 mt), while exports were steady to South America.  Exports were lower to Mexico (-3,950 mt), Japan (-3,200 mt), Taiwan (-1,400 mt), ASEAN (-940 mt), Caribbean + DR (-760 mt), EU (-510 mt), and Africa (-180 mt).

January beef exports accounted for 11.0% of production and 13.3% when adding variety meats, as compared to 10.6% and 13.1% in December 2020. 

January beef export value per head of fed slaughter averaged $311.78/head, up 3% or +$8.85/head from $302.93/head in January 2020.

Source: USMEF