AUSTRALIAN beef exports have officially hit an all-time annual record in 2025, reaching 1.545 million tonnes.
It has been evident since about September that our annual exports were heading into record territory, and in fact exceeded the previous record by the end of November.
The new full-year benchmark (1,545,759 tonnes, to be exact) exceeds the previous record set a year earlier by more than 202,000t, meaning the number was not so much nudged higher, as smashed.
Record volumes for several key markets, including the United States, South Korea and a bunch of secondary and emerging destinations were set along the way. Volumes to Canada reached their highest level since the BSE era of 2002, while trade into the UK was record high (data back to 1994).
Statistics on grainfed versus grassfed exports last year were not yet available when this item was compiled, but will be added here later. However as a guide, for the year ended 30 November grainfed volume had already hit a new calendar year record of 403,000t, up 19pc on the previous year.
There have been a number of big drivers behind the 2025 record export beef tonnage:
- High levels of beef production in Australia underpinned by a beef herd at the upper end of the cycle above 31 million head; heavier carcase weights driven primarily by lotfeeding; female slaughter ratios at moderate levels; and generally favourable seasonal conditions for consecutive years across large parts of the country (Victoria and southern NSW excluded).
- A US beef herd at 70-year lows, lifting demand for Australian beef into the US, together with reduced US export competition against Australia in other markets including Japan, Korea and China.
- A resurgence in popularity of beef globally, driven by dietary views and emerging middle class populations keen to eat more red meat protein
- Australia’s strong international track record as a source of safe, clean-and-green product, fitting multiple price and budget points from commodity to five-star.
Strong December activity
Helping cement the new annual record was an incredible level of export trade during the month of December.
December exports hit 147,533t – easily a record high for the month, and exceeded only by a handful of mid-year months, headed by July last year when tonnage hit a record 150,000t.
Historically, December and January have tended to be quieter months for beef exports, driven by public holidays and seasonal plant closures, but recent patterns suggest December trade is as busy as other times of year. Re-setting of quotas for the new calendar year (with product held in bonded storage until 1 January) may partly explain the avalanche of trade last month, while some exporters may have directed more product into China in December in anticipation of tariff/quota impacts in the new year.
Some of the late surge in trade was due to shipments being made in advance of Safeguard Tariff adjustments due to take place from 1 January – specifically in South Korea and China where market protection tariffs leapt due to unusually large shipments earlier in the year.
Key market performance
Here’s a quick summary of key export market performance last year.
The United States took an all-time record 453,305t of Australian chilled and frozen beef – dramatically higher than the previous record of just short of 416,000t back in 2015, when the US was last in drought recovery mode. Last year’s figure was 58,600t or 15pc higher than 2024, when trade was already surging strongly
December tonnage to the US hit 41,225t, not far off the monthly record 43,000t exported last July. An enormous beef void remains in the US as domestic production has fallen during 2025, and likely to remain throughout 2026.
There was relatively little to separate the next three largest export markets.
A late surge saw China finish as Australia’s second largest market last year, taking 272,939t. When Hong Kong is added (separate customs system), Greater China accounted for close to 280,000t. Last year’s trade was up almost 80,000t or 41pc on 2024.
Next largest customer last year was Japan, with 257,378t, up about 10,000t or 4pc on the previous year. Trade into Japan gained momentum as the year progressed, partly due to ‘back-filling’ as US imported beef supplies started to dwindle.
South Korea set a new volume record in Australian beef last year for similar reasons. Tonnage reached 221,350, up almost 21,000t or 10pc on the previous year.
Australia’s large basket of second tier and emerging export beef customers also performed strongly in 2025, including a number of records.
Our nearest neighbour Indonesia accepted 66,580t, nowhere near the previous year’s record 84,178t, but still high, in historical terms.
Canada continued to surge as a serious Australian beef customer, taking 52,796t – its largest intake since the 2002 BSE era, and up 24,000t or 80pc on the previous year.
Smaller Asian customers like Taiwan, the Philippines and Thailand also lifted sharply, rising to 32,900t, 28,500t and 28,600t respectively.
Trade into the Middle East region continues to be burdened by competition from cheap commodity imports out of South America, with the seven main ME destination countries accounting for 40,522t, still up 11pc on the previous year.
While coming off a low base, the United Kingdom has grown as an Australian beef customer since the ratification of the Free Trade Agreement in 2023, and limited local beef production, reaching a record 16,865t last year, more than 10,000t more than the year before and the highest on record.
To put this into context, however, the UK represented only 1.1pc of Australia’s overall beef exports last year – and mostly product which is distinctly different from domestic UK-produced beef.
In the absence of any progress in an FTA deal, the surrounding European Union countries took just 7638t of Australian beef last year.
- Stand by for a value comparison for 2025 beef exports in coming weeks, in addition to this volume report, once data becomes available.
- Beef Central’s daily email alerts and regular industry coverage return for 2026 next Monday, 12 January.