US Meat Trade in Mid-2026: Beef Earns More, Pork Dips, Imports Climb

Fresh trade data for June 2026 gives a clear picture of where the United States sits in the global meat market. Beef is selling for more even as volumes shrink, pork took a short-term hit from a temporary ban on offal, and the country keeps buying more beef from abroad. For buyers and sellers around the world, these numbers say a lot about supply and prices in the months ahead.

Beef: Smaller Volumes, Bigger Value

In June 2026, the United States shipped less beef than a year earlier but earned more money from it. Export volume fell 6% to 88,586 metric tons, while export value rose 3% to $790.1 million. Higher prices in markets such as Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Central America and the Caribbean made up for the smaller volume.

The first half of the year told the same story. Beef export volume was down 9% at 545,649 metric tons, and value slipped 4% to $4.74 billion. The average export value reached about $415 per head of cattle slaughtered in June, up 6% from a year ago.

Here are the main June figures for United States beef:

Export volume: 88,586 metric tons, down 6% from a year ago
Export value: $790.1 million, up 3%
Value per head of fed cattle slaughtered: about $415, up 6%

Why China Weighs on the Numbers

Most of the fall came from the near absence of the United States in China. American plant registrations for China expired, and although they were renewed in May during President Trump's visit, exports stayed very small because of plant suspensions and uncertainty over China's residue testing rules.

The effect is large. When China is taken out of the first-half results, beef export volume fell just 1% and value actually rose 6%. Dan Halstrom, president and CEO of the US Meat Export Federation, said global demand for United States beef remains strong and buyers keep paying record prices, which gives an optimistic outlook for the second half of the year.

Pork: A Short-Lived Setback From an Offal Ban

June pork exports came to 224,822 metric tons, down 6% from a year ago, with value down 9% to $624.5 million. The main reason was a 21% drop in pork variety meat, also known as offal. Mexico and Colombia suspended imports of United States pork offal at the start of May over pseudorabies concerns. The issue was cleared in early July for Colombia and mid-July for Mexico, so this should be a temporary problem.

Away from offal, the wider pork picture stayed healthy. First-half pork exports rose 4% to 1.51 million metric tons, with value up 3% to $4.22 billion. Shipments hit a record pace to Central America and the Dominican Republic, and demand in Japan grew strongly.

There is a useful signal here for European exporters too. In Taiwan, even with Spanish pork under restrictions, the European Union still held 52% of the market's pork imports, ahead of Canada with 30% and Paraguay with 10%.

The Other Side: United States Beef Imports Keep Rising

While exports slip, the United States is buying more beef from abroad. According to the nonprofit newsroom Investigate Midwest, a shrinking national cattle herd, driven partly by drought and the New World screwworm, is forcing the country to lean on imports to meet strong demand.

United States government projections show the country will import about 6.059 billion pounds of beef by the end of 2026, up 12.5% from last year, with imports set to keep rising and exports to keep falling through 2027. Some of the key trade shifts include:

Beef imports from Brazil rose from 690.5 million pounds in 2024 to 931.4 million pounds in 2025
Argentina won expanded access under a February policy that lets it send about four times more select beef, though it is still not a top-five supplier
United States beef exports to China dropped from 474.4 million pounds in 2024 to 154.2 million pounds in 2025

Beef prices in the United States have climbed to record highs, and demand stays firm. The rising imports have upset many ranchers. Producer groups, including the National Cattlemen's Beef Association and R-CALF USA, criticised the decision to bring in more beef from Argentina.

What This Means for Global Buyers

The mid-2026 data points to a red meat market that stays tight and pricey, with trade flows shifting as China, disease rules and tariffs move product around the world. A few things stand out for buyers and sellers everywhere:

United States beef is more expensive and less available for export, which keeps pressure on global red meat supply
In South Korea, the safeguard trigger on Australian beef was reached on 21 July, which should open more space for United States beef in the second half and may push Australian beef toward other markets
Pork trade remains sensitive to animal disease rules, as the offal ban in Mexico and Colombia showed, so buyers should keep an eye on health certificates and market access

For companies trading meat across borders, the message is simple. Watch where the big flows are moving, because tight supply in one region quickly changes prices and options in another.