Domestic Beef Exports Shatter Records in 2018

(DENVER, CO) U.S. beef exports in 2018 shattered the previous value record and achieved a new high for volume, according to year-end 2018 statistics released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Fueled by tremendous demand in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region, U.S. beef exports reached 1.35 million metric tons (mt), up seven percent from 2017 and exceeding the 2011 record by five percent. Export value soared to $8.33 billion, breaking the 2017 record by $1.06 billion (a 15 percent increase). For December only, beef export volume was down slightly from a year ago, but value still increased four percent. Beef export value was also record-shattering on a per-head basis, averaging $323.14 per head of fed slaughter in 2018, a 13 percent increase over 2017 and exceeded the 2014 record. Beef exports accounted for 13.5 percent of total beef production in 2018 and eleven percent for muscle cuts in 2017.