August beef export volume climbed 27 percent from a year ago to 106,818 metric tons (mt) – the highest since October 2014, breaking the 100,000 mt mark for the first time this year. Export value was $566.8 million, up 14 percent. For January through August, export volume was up 6 percent to 747,706 mt, while value was down 7 percent to just over $4 billion.

Exports accounted for 13.5 percent of total beef production in August and 10 percent for muscle cuts only – each up about 1 percentage point from a year ago. For January through August, these ratios were roughly steady with last year at 13 percent and 10 percent, respectively. Export value per head of fed slaughter was $256.73 in August, down 4 percent from a year ago, and $252.50 for January through August, down 12 percent.

Variety meat exports provided a strong boost to the August totals for beef. Beef variety meat exports were up 25 percent from a year ago in volume (to 31,582 mt) and 28 percent in value (to $85.8 million).

“U.S. livestock producers deserve some good news in what has been a tough year, and this upward trend in exports is very encouraging,” said Philip Seng, USMEF president and CEO. “Currently U.S. beef and pork are very competitive, as the production of our key competitors – Australia and the European Union – has moderated and prices have jumped. As U.S. competitiveness continues to improve, we remain optimistic that exports will maintain positive momentum through the end of this year and into 2017.”

Beef exports record-large to Korea, Taiwan

August beef exports exceeded year-ago levels in most major markets, setting new monthly records in South Korea (17,454 mt, up 61 percent from a year ago) and Taiwan (4,965 mt, up 23 percent). For January through August, market-specific highlights for U.S. beef included:

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  • Japan was the leading market in both volume (170,665 mt, up 16 percent from a year ago) and value ($984.2 million, up 9 percent), including strong growth for high-value chilled muscle cuts and beef tongues.
  • Despite the persistently weak peso, exports to Mexico increased 8 percent from a year ago in volume (154,376 mt) while falling 9 percent in value ($649.6 million), led by larger volumes of shoulder clods and rounds.
  • In Korea, the increasing popularity of U.S. steaks – especially at retail – helped drive exports up 28 percent from a year ago in volume (107,855 mt) and 11 percent in value ($628.8 million).
  • U.S. beef holds more than two-thirds of the chilled beef market in Taiwan, where exports increased 6 percent in volume (25,872 mt) while falling 3 percent in value ($213.5 million).
  • Expanded access has created new opportunities for U.S. beef in Indonesia, where exports grew four-fold in volume (4,278 mt) and more than doubled in value to $18.6 million. Along with solid growth in Vietnam, these results drove exports to the ASEAN region 11 percent higher in volume (15,160 mt) while value fell 9 percent to $83.8 million.

Complete January-August export results for U.S. beef are available from USMEF’s statistics webpage. Monthly charts for U.S. pork and beef exports are also available online.  end mark

—From U.S. Meat Export Federation news release