In 2002, Mexico became the No. 1 destination for exports of U.S. beef and bee...

In 2002, Mexico became the No. 1 destination for exports of U.S. beef and beef variety meat overtaking Japan.  U.S. beef exports to Mexico broke the record for the sixth successive year (see chart). The United States exported 349,900 mt of beef and beef variety meats to Mexico, 12 percent more than in 2001 at a value of $854.3 million, 10 percent up on the previous year.

Mexico’s new position as the leading export market is due not only to the success of U.S. industry efforts to increase sales, but also the result of the decrease in Japanese beef consumption following the September 2001 discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Japan’s domestic herd. Japan remains the largest market for the U.S. beef industry in value terms and is expected to be the largest market for U.S. beef in 2003.  The importance of the Mexican market to the U.S. beef industry cannot be denied, however, and in the long term the forecast for the growth of U.S. beef exports is very promising due to a growing population and an expanding economy in Mexico. In 2002, the U.S. share of Mexico’s beef import market was 80 percent.

Worldwide, the U.S. beef industry exported 1,233,497 mt of beef and beef variety meats in 2002, a volume only previously exceeded in 2000 and 2001. The end of year export volume was 3 percent lower than 2001. U.S. beef exports were worth more than $3.2 billion in 2002, a 6 percent decrease compared to 2001.

The U.S. Meat Export Federation is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn, sorghum and soybean checkoff programs.

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