US beef exports fall sharply in November
China lockout weighs on year-over-year performance
17 February 2026
1 minute read
By: US beef exports 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 US Meat Export Federation (USMEF).
Following an encouraging rebound the previous month, November beef exports took a step back, falling 19% from a year ago to 88,139 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 US 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 (UAE), 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 US 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 US beef remains resilient, even in the face of tight supplies.”
