Tariffs Worldwide
When Donald Trump enforced a 10 per cent tariff on Australian beef earlier this year, there were some concerns it would impact trade.
The opposite happened.
Australia has exported a record amount of beef this year and is on track to surpass 1.5 million tonnes for the first time.
The biggest customer has been the United States, importing about 412,000 tonnes (January to November) which is up 17 per cent year-on-year.
The United States also paid record money in 2025 to import our lean beef.
According to Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), the US paid a peak of more than $13 a kilogram for imported Aussie lean beef this year, which was up 34 per cent on the previous year, and up 64 per cent compared to the same period in 2023.
This record money flowed into the Australian cattle market, it would seem, with the national processor cow indicator reaching a record high of nearly $4 a kilogram.
What about the tariff?
Donald Trump’s 10 per cent tariff on Australian beef was dumped in November.
“Because of drought they’ve been liquidating their herd to a 70-year low, and with fewer cows comes less lean beef.”
Then there’s China
Trump’s tariff war with China created ripple effects across the global beef trade — which benefited Australia.
Since March, about 300 abattoirs in the United States have been unable to export beef to China, which opened the door to Australian grain-fed beef exports.
“Australia’s largest beef market has been the United States, but 2025 has not been a one-market story,” MLA’s Andrew Cox said.
“China beef imports have increased 44 per cent [year-on-year] and has been Australia’s second largest beef market.”
