Australia Beef Exports to US Rise 13 Percent as American Cattle Herd Shrinks

The United States is importing more beef from Australia as domestic supplies dwindle and demand remains strong. Australia has exported 146951 tonnes of beef to the United States this year, up 13 percent on the first four months of 2025. It is understood to be a record start to any year, according to Meat and Livestock Australia.

Australia has been processing large numbers of cattle this year because of dry conditions in parts of New South Wales and Queensland. Nearly 500000 head were slaughtered in the past three weeks. Unlike the drought of 2019, cattle prices have remained reasonably firm because of strong export demand from the US and China.

US beef and cattle prices have reached record highs. A US-based meat analyst said demand showed no signs of slowing. "Beef demand right now is absolutely incredible by any measure. If you look at dollars spent and retail prices, it's new ground," the analyst told ABC Landline.

The analyst added that all generations were buying beef and that young people in particular were consuming more protein. "All generations are chasing beef: boomers, zoomers, millennials, everyone," the analyst said. "Young guys are buying powdered protein to dump on everything they eat.

Officials said the herd was expected to decline further this year. In its latest report, Steiner Consulting said supplies of lean and extra lean beef were very limited. Cow and bull slaughter in the four weeks ending May 2 was 6 percent lower than a year earlier and 25 percent lower than two years earlier.

Feedlots have kept cattle on feed longer to maximise weight, resulting in less lean beef being produced. The United States has imported more than 600000 tonnes of beef this year, an increase of 16 percent from the same period last year. Imports from Brazil rose 39 percent, from Mexico 22 percent and from Australia 13 percent.

The analyst said many American consumers were probably unaware they were eating Australian beef.

Officials stated that four companies control roughly 85 percent of the US cattle processing market. The analyst described blame directed at meat processors as misguided, noting that one major processor reported an operating loss of about $200 million in its beef business while cattle ranchers have been profitable.

The analyst said beef prices would fall once the US herd rebuilds but that the process would take two to three years. Dry conditions have prompted a large sell-off of cattle in Australia. The increased US demand for lean beef has supported the Australian cattle market during a year of high turn-off.