Australian beef exports on track for annual record

Australian beef exports are now well within sight of record volumes for the 2025 calendar year, driven hard by high demand out of the United States, where domestic production has declined sharply as the US herd reaches 70-year lows after drought.

The impact is also being seen in other countries where the US and Australia traditionally compete for imported beef market share, including China, Japan and South Korea.

Total Australian beef and veal exports last month reached 139,012 tons, monthly shipment data released by DAFF shows. Volume was up 3,400t or 2.5pc on August shipments, but still well short of the previous record set in July when trade topped 150,000t.

In its September half-yearly Cattle Industry Projections update, MLA has forecast 2025 calendar year beef exports to reach 1.5 million tons shipped weight, as Australia continues to capitalize on global supply constraints caused by declining production and tariff impacts in key competitor markets such as the United States and Brazil.

September shipments were almost 25,000t or 22pc higher than September last year.

The trade boom into the United States that’s been evident all year continued in September, with exports totaling 42,918t, up 5.3pc on August and 5,700t or 15pc higher than September last year.

For the calendar year to the end of September, Australian exports to the US have now reached 328,793t, up 56,600t or 21pc on the same period last year, again reflecting current low US production – especially for manufacturing beef, but increasingly, fed cattle as well.

Source: Beef Central