Beef exports in November were significantly lower year over year, due in large part to the ongoing lockout by China, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Lamb exports were a bright spot, posting the largest volume since July and highest value since May.
Following an encouraging rebound the previous month, November beef exports took a step back, falling 19% from a year ago to 88,139 metric tons (mt). Export value was down 16% to $736.7 million. The decline was driven primarily by China, where exports remain minimal due to China’s failure to renew registrations for U.S. beef plants and other market-closing factors, but beef exports also trended lower year over year to Korea, Mexico, Canada and Taiwan. November exports increased year over year to Indonesia, Chile, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Colombia, and were fairly steady to Japan.
For January through November, beef exports totaled 1.04 million mt, down 12% from the same period in 2024. Export value was $8.52 billion, down 11%. But when excluding China from these results, exports were down 3% year over year in volume and were just 1% lower in value.
“With each day U.S. beef is locked out of the world’s largest import market, our industry misses out on millions of dollars and our competitors reap the benefits,” said Dan Halstrom, USMEF president and CEO. “It’s also frustrating that this impasse overshadows the fact that global demand for U.S. beef remains resilient, even in the face of tight supplies.”
Robust month for lamb exports
November exports of U.S. lamb muscle cuts totaled 237 mt, up 87% from a year ago and the largest since July. Export value increased 65% to $1.45 million, the highest since May. Growth was driven by Mexico, the Netherlands Antilles and the Bahamas, as well as larger shipments to Central America and Japan.
For January through November, lamb muscle cut exports increased 44% year over year to 2,577 mt, while value climbed 31% to $14.1 million. With December results still to be added, exports have already posted the largest annual volume since 2014 and the highest value since 2017. — USMEF
