Dec. 23 marks the 10-year anniversary of USDA announcing a presumptive positive case of BSE in a Holstein cow slaughtered in the state of Washington. The impacts on domestic demand were short-lived, but key trading partners quickly moved to ban U.S. beef. The road to recovery was a long one.
In 2003, the U.S. exported 1.274 million metric tons (MMT) of beef valued at more than $3.8 billion. In 2004, beef exports dropped to 321,967 metric tons (MT). It took until 2011 for beef exports to finally inch above 2003 levels in terms of volume. Through the first 10 months of 2013, beef exports are on pace to reach nearly 1.2 MMT, valued in excess of $6 billion. The beef industry once again has a strong export base, which is crucial to supporting prices that will encourage much-needed expansion to recharge the beef herd. Watch the video below for more details.