Beef Highlights:

June 2025:

Beef: 72,910 mt, -17% and the lowest since June 2020; $685 million, -19% and the lowest since January 2024
BVM: 21,018 mt, -6.5%; $84 million, -13%
Beef + BVM: 93,928 mt, -15% and the lowest since June 2020; $799 million, -18% and the lowest since January 2024

*note that apart from May and June 2020, combined beef and bvm volume exports were the lowest since February 2017 in June; for beef cuts only, apart from May and June 2020, June 2025 volumes were the lowest since February 2019

January – June 2025:

Beef: 469,189 mt, -6.5% and the lowest since 2020 (and otherwise the lowest since 2017); $4.417 billion, -5% and the lowest since 2021
BVM: 133,032 mt, -6% and the lowest since 2005; $502 million, -11% and the lowest since 2021
Beef + BVM: 602,221 mt and the lowest since 2020 (and otherwise the lowest since 2016), -6.5%; $4.919 billion, -6% and the lowest since 2021

June beef muscle cut exports totaled 72,910 mt, down 17% or down nearly 15,000 mt from 2024.  This was the lowest monthly volume since May/June 2020 (and otherwise it was the lowest since February 2019. 

• Compared to the previous year, June beef muscle cut exports were higher to Korea (+541 mt), South America (+468 mt), Africa (+166 mt), Central America (+123 mt), and CIS (+8 mt), while exports were lower to China/HK (-8,655 mt), Canada (-2,726 mt), Japan (-1,754 mt), Taiwan (-1,087 mt), ASEAN (-771 mt), Caribbean + DR (-453 mt), EU 27 + UK (-227 mt), and Mexico (-223 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). 
• After holding over 18,000 mt from March through May, exports to Japan slowed to 16,544 mt in June, down 10% from last year and the lowest since January. 
• After holding quite steady at ~8,400 – 8,450 mt from February through April, exports to Mexico dropped to the lowest level since January at 7,860 mt in May.  However, June shipments rebounded modestly from May to 8,070 mt, which was down 3% from last year.  
• April and May shipments to Canada were the lowest since last September, but in June, volumes rebounded to the highest level since last July at 8,236 mt.  But the June volume was down 25% from last year’s high level of nearly 11,000 mt. 
• June exports to Taiwan reached the highest level in a year at 6,208 mt (but shipments were down 15% from last June’s large total). 
• In May, combined exports to China/HK dropped to just 4,449 mt, the lowest level since March 2020.  June shipments rebounded a bit but remained significantly below pre-April 2025 levels.  June shipments were 5,658 mt, down 60% from last year.  Exports to China were 2,666 mt in June, down 78% from last year, while exports to HK were 2,992 mt, up 44% from last year. 
• For the ASEAN region, exports to the Philippines were above 1,400 mt for the third consecutive month and were the highest since last October at 1,505 mt, up 30% from last year.  Exports to Singapore (447 mt, +53%) were also the highest since last October, and exports to Vietnam (424 mt, -5%) were the highest since last November.  No exports were reported to Indonesia for the second consecutive month compared to 1,219 mt reported last June.  
• For the Caribbean, exports to the DR slowed to the lowest level since January 2024 at 641 mt in June, down 14% from last year.  However, January – June 2025 exports to the DR remained on a record pace despite the slowdown in June.  Exports were higher to the Bahamas (331 mt, +39%), Trinidad & Tobago (146 mt, +68%), and Cayman Islands (121 mt, +142%) in June, while exports were down modestly to the Netherlands Antilles (203 mt, -3%).  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 (and last June, the U.S. exported 541 mt of beef muscle cuts to Cuba).
• Exports to Guatemala slowed to the lowest level since December at 674 mt in June, but that was up 14% from last year, and exports remain on a record pace.  June exports also continued impressive growth to Costa Rica (288 mt, +48%) and Honduras (210 mt, +188%) but were lower to Panama (-179 mt, -36%).  
• For South America, exports to Chile were 347 mt in both April and May and edged up to 353 mt in June, which was up 73% from last yea rand was the highest since November.  Exports to Colombia are continuing to rebound after the market access issues last year, and in June, exports were 282 mt, up 213% from last year when access was limited.  Exports to Peru were 195 mt in June, up 110% from last year and above year-ago levels for the fifth consecutive month.
• For the Middle East, exports to the UAE were 463 mt in June, down 5% from last year.  Exports were also lower to Kuwait (152 mt, -46%) and Qatar (118 mt, -38%). 

June beef variety meat exports totaled 21,018 mt, down 6.5% or -1,451 mt from last year. 

• • In June, bvm exports were higher than last year to the Middle East (+487 mt), Africa (+335 mt), Mexico (+139 mt), and Central America (+19 mt) but were lower to China/HK (-808 mt), South Korea (-609 mt), Japan (-561 mt), Canada (-190 mt), Caribbean + DR (-157 mt), ASEAN (-91 mt), and South America (-18 mt).  
  • BVM exports to Mexico slowed to 8,625 mt in May, which was the lowest level since last March.  In June, exports rebounded somewhat to 8,996 mt, but apart from May, it was the lowest since last June (so compared to last year, exports were up 2%). 
  • Exports to Canada rebounded somewhat from the low total of 609 mt in May at 702 mt in June, but volumes were down 21% from last year. 
  • Exports to Japan slowed to the lowest level since February at 3,449 mt in June, which was down 14% from last year. 
  • Exports to South Korea slowed to 493 mt in June, down 55% from last year and the lowest since 2021.
  • In May, combined bvm exports to China/HK slowed to the lowest level since January 2021 at 1,190 mt.  In June, exports edged up 2% from May to 1,214 mt, but that was still significantly below year-ago levels and was down 40%.  No exports were reported to China in April, but 438 mt were reported to China in June, down 70% from 1,453 mt last year.  June exports to HK slowed from over 1,000 mt in both April and May and were 776 mt, up 36% from last year.   
  • June exports to the ASEAN were minimal as no exports were reported to Indonesia for the third consecutive month (and compared to 280 mt to Indonesia last June).  Exports to the Philippines were 124 mt, up significantly from just 36 mt last year, and exports to Vietnam were 62 mt, up 27.
  • For South America, exports to Peru rebounded for the third month and were the highest since last December at 453 mt in June, but that was down 26% from last year.  Exports to Chile (314 mt, +12%) were the highest since March, and exports to Colombia (99 mt, up from just 1 mt last year)  were the highest since last March (so the highest since the market access issues). 
  • BVM exports to Jamaica slowed to just 124 mt in June, which was the lowest since September and was down 37% 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, up 16% from last year and the highest since January. 
  • Negligible volumes have been shipped to South Africa over the last nine months, and no exports were reported in June following just 24 mt in May (compared to 498 mt in June 2024 and 1,733 mt in June 2023).  However, volumes continued on a strong pace to Cote d’Ivoire and Morocco.  Exports to Cote d’Ivoire were 484 mt in June, up from no exports last June.  Exports to Morocco were 454 mt in June, the third highest monthly total after 620 mt this March and 476 mt this February.  Exports to Morocco are livers and U.S. export volume is now already approaching and will fill the annual lower-duty TRQ for livers through its FTA with Morocco.

January - June beef muscle cut + variety meat exports totaled 602,221 mt, down 6.5% or -41,561 mt from 2024.  Exports were higher year-over-year to South Korea (+9,839 mt), Africa (+1,221 mt), Central America (+854 mt), the EU 27 + UK (509 mt), South America (+253 mt), and CIS (+21 mt).  Exports were lower to China/HK (-29,659 mt), Mexico (-7,385 mt), ASEAN (-5,120 mt), Japan (-3,015 mt), Taiwan (-2,844 mt), Canada (-2,790 mt), Middle East (-2,051mt), and Caribbean + DR (-1,298 mt).

June 2025 beef exports accounted for 10.9% of production and 13.1% when adding variety meats, compared to 12.8% and 15.0% in June 2024.  January – June 2025 beef exports accounted for 11.3% of production and 13.5% when adding variety meats, compared to 11.8% and 14.1% for January – June 2024. 

June 2025 beef export value per head of fed slaughter averaged $392.72/head, down 14% or -$66.51/head from $459.23/head in June 2024.  January – June 2025 beef export value per head of fed slaughter averaged $410.00/head, down 2.0% or -$8.38/head from $418.38/head for January – June 2024. 

Source: USMEF