The USDA adds Argentine's 80,000 tons to its 2026 meat import estimate
The projected volume is 0.9% higher than the estimate on January 12 and is 3.4% above the estimates for the 2025 marketing year, according to the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report published by the USDA on February 10.
"Beef imports are projected to increase by 2026 due to strong and continued demand for processed lean beef and the recent agreement between the United States and Argentine that increases its beef import quota," the USDA said.
The USDA estimated U.S. beef imports for the 2025 marketing year at 2.448 billion tons, up 0.5% from its January 12 estimate and 16.4% higher than in the 2024 marketing year.
The USDA maintained its beef export estimate for the 2026 marketing year at 1.1 million tons, down 5.6% from the 2025 marketing year estimate. For the 2025 marketing year, the USDA set U.S. beef exports at 1.165 million tons, according to the report.
For the 2026 marketing year, the USDA estimates U.S. beef production at 11.798 million metric tons, down from the 11.714 million metric tons projected in January. U.S. beef production is expected to be 0.3% lower than in 2025.
"Production is increasing thanks to a greater slaughter of steers and heifers, a greater slaughter of cows, and slightly higher carcass weights," the report states.
According to traders, limited domestic supplies in the United States and Chinese purchases from abroad ahead of reaching their new quotas have been propping up beef import prices.
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