Role of beef imports in the United States

Abstract

Livestock extension educators are frequently asked why the US imports beef when it already produces a large amount of high-quality beef. The typical answer given is that the US exports large amounts of high-quality beef and so must import lower-value cuts to meet the US ground beef demand. Is this the case? Thus far educators have no peer-reviewed study to cite for this claim. This study describes how US beef imports are used by analyzing import data from the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service, import and export data from Trade Data Monitor, and interviews with nine professionals in the beef industry. The results find that, yes, that answer is mostly correct. The average price paid for the US imports is lower than the price received for US exports, and most imports consists of boneless manufacturing trimmings used to make ground beef products for the food service industry. However, not all imports are used to produce ground beef and there is heterogeneity in how imports from different countries are used, so a more nuanced discussion of the role of US beef imports is provided.