Which U.S. states and companies import the most beef, and how does import mix affect domestic prices and supply chains?
Executive summary
U.S. beef imports rose sharply in 2024–25 as domestic production tightened; USDA/ERS and multiple industry outlets show imports peaking around 4.4–5.18 billion pounds in 2025 depending on the forecast (examples: USDA/ERS peak 4.4 bn lb, S&P/USDA projection 5.18 bn lb) [1] [2]. Major foreign suppliers include Australia, Canada, Brazil and Mexico, with Australia and Canada frequently cited as the top two by volume and Brazil growing rapidly as a supplier for ground/processing beef [3] [4].
1. Who supplies most imported beef — the country breakdown
Industry reporting and trade analyses identify Australia, Canada, Brazil and Mexico as the largest sources of U.S. beef imports in recent years; Drovers notes Australia shipped roughly 1.1 billion lb in 2024 (24% of imports), with Canada ~22% and Brazil ~15% of imports in 2024 [3]. Other compilations and trade monitors confirm Brazil and Australia led import growth into 2025 and that “Other” quotas have been filled largely by Brazil [5] [4].
2. Which U.S. states import the most beef — what the sources say (and don’t say)
Available sources emphasize national import volumes and supplier countries; they do not provide a ranked list of U.S. states by beef import volume in the provided documents. Trade-tracking services and customs manifests can show port- and company-level flows but those detailed state-by-state import tallies are "not found in current reporting" among the supplied sources [6] [7].
3. Which companies move the most imported beef into the U.S.
Large processors and packers — notably Tyson, JBS USA, Cargill and National Beef — dominate processing and trade activities; industry summaries and import-company lists indicate these firms are central to moving beef through U.S. supply chains and often appear in top-importer databases [8] [9]. Private import directories and customs-data vendors list major importers and allow identification by shipment volumes, but the supplied results do not produce a definitive ranked list of companies by import tonnage [6] [10].
4. How import mix (cuts, source countries, lean vs. fat) affects domestic prices
Multiple sources explain that import mix matters: the U.S. often imports lean trimmings and frozen cuts used for ground beef and processing, while domestic production supplies higher-value fat and some retail cuts. Tight domestic supplies of lean grinding beef raise prices for those cuts and prompt processors to source imports to fill the gap, which stabilizes supply but does not automatically lower retail prices because overall supplies remain tight and processing margins and packer concentration influence downstream pricing [3] [11] [8].
5. Why more imports have not produced big price relief
Reporting and industry analysis show that record import volumes coincided with record-high cattle and beef prices in 2024–25; observers point to a combination of tight domestic herd numbers, high global demand for lean product, packer concentration, and trade policy frictions as reasons imports alone didn’t return prices to prior levels [8] [12]. The Coalition for a Prosperous America emphasizes packer market power and supply-chain fragility as a counterweight to the price-smoothing effect of imports [8].
6. Supply-chain risk and policy levers — tariffs, quotas and sanitary blocks
Customs and quota rules constrain how much preferential-rate beef can enter from certain countries (e‑CERTs, TRQs for Australia/Argentina/New Zealand/Uruguay), and quota fills alter the tariff applied to later shipments — a structural lever that affects import timing and pricing [13] [5]. Sanitary scares and border closures (e.g., screwworm issues, FSIS alerts) can abruptly restrict imports from particular suppliers, exposing vulnerability when U.S. producers rely on foreign lean trimmings [8] [14].
7. What to watch going forward — herd rebuilds, import forecasts and market concentration
USDA/ERS and industry forecasts expect imports to peak in 2025 and then decline as domestic production recovers through herd rebuilding, but projections vary (USDA/ERS peak ~4.4 bn lb; S&P/USDA cited a 5.18 bn lb projection in one WASDE update) [1] [2]. Simultaneously, continued consolidation among major packers and the product mix imported (lean trimmings vs. retail cuts) will determine whether import flows meaningfully ease retail prices or mainly support processors’ grind needs [8] [11].
Limitations and gaps: the supplied sources give clear national totals, supplier-country shares and trade-policy context, but they do not supply a definitive, sourced ranking of U.S. states by import volume or a single authoritative list ranking companies strictly by imported tonnage — such granularity requires customs-port or proprietary shipment databases not included here [6] [10].