The world’s second-largest importer of beef after China is likely to be looking for even more global beef over the next three years, as domestic production declines, Rabobank says in a newly-released report.

While New Zealand is among the major global beef exporters that could help fill the gap – its own supply constraints mean it will be challenged to find additional export volumes.

Indeed, the report says, with production constraints in many of the world’s beef[1] producing nations, international markets will struggle to meet the gap left by the US contraction, potentially leading to an increase in global beef prices and the redistribution of trade volumes. Although the impact of slowing economic conditions and waning consumer confidence around the world may also soften global demand, it notes.

In its Q4 Global Beef Quarterly, the specialist agribusiness bank says while the reduction in the size of the US cattle herd is “nothing new” – with numbers declining rather than building in recent years – it has, to date, not impacted the amount of domestically-produced beef reaching US consumers.

But that is expected to change soon, with the bank forecasting the tipping point to be reached in 2023, when US beef production should fall by three per cent, with annual declines of two to five per cent possible into 2026.

“On average, that is the potential loss of 400,000 to 500,000 metric tonnes of beef from the US production system per year during this period,” the report said.

Behind this decline – says the report lead author, Rabobank senior animal protein analyst Angus Gidley-Baird – is a natural cyclical ‘liquidation’ (reduction) in cow numbers after the US herd had peaked in 2019, compounded by the impacts of recent drought conditions and high feed costs.

Filling the gap

Gidley-Baird said previous periods of decline in US beef production suggest the country’s retailers and restaurants will look to the global market to fill this void, and US consumers will likely outbid the rest of the world to keep their fill of beef.

The question is which beef-exporting nations will fill this gap, he said.

“While neighbours Mexico and Canada – the two largest suppliers of beef to the US – are likely to take up some slack, Canada is going through its own cattle herd liquidation

phase and likely limited in what it can supply,” he said. “Australia and New Zealand, the third and fourth largest US suppliers, are the logical next options. But Australia's recovery from its own beef cattle liquidation phase is being drawn out with some questions as to whether it will have the cattle available to produce the same volumes it has done in the past.”

Gidley-Baird said New Zealand beef production was also expected to be limited – forecast to decline four per cent between 2023 and 2025 – while Europe, not a big supplier of beef to the US anyway, was set to continue to record a structural decline in production over that period.

“This leaves South America, which has volume, but lacks the trade access needed to fill the sizeable gap in US production,” he said. “Brazil’s production is forecast to grow over the coming years, but we expect production in Argentina to decline then plateau. In combination, these two major South American exporters will not increase production enough to offset the drop in the US, even if trade arrangements are changed to increase exportable volumes from South America.”

The report said the net result was Rabobank expected the decline in US beef production would not be met by production growth in major exporting countries. “And this is even without consideration of any other increases in global beef demand over the same period,” the bank said.

Global market pressure

Gidley-Baird said given the supply pressures in many markets, this meant global beef importers – and consumers – would need to pay more to compete for available supply. “And this could create a strong upside to prices and a redistribution of trade volumes in coming years,” he said.

The global beef market currently remains solid, the Rabobank Beef Quarterly report said, with cattle prices generally favourable, supported by predominantly positive seasonal conditions and resilient consumer demand.

“But given the slowing economic backdrop – with high inflation and waning consumer confidence – demand may yet soften,” Mr Gidley-Baird said. “The central question is whether beef markets are shaped more by demand-side or supply-side pressures as we head into 2023.”

New Zealand

For New Zealand, the report says the total beef kill for the 2022 season was 5.2 percent behind the previous season, with fewer steers, heifers and cows processed.

“Ongoing delays have contributed to the lower slaughter numbers – with labour shortages and unfavourable weather conditions the main contributing factors. Processors are currently experiencing increased pressure for space due to the wet, cold winter delaying cattle finishing which has caused a lag effect,” report co-author agricultural analyst Genevieve Steven (pictured below) said.

“The industry is hoping that summer weather conditions are favourable as the sector could face a significant headache if regions start to dry out and processing capacity remains tight.”

Steven said consumer demand for New Zealand beef was being impacted by cost-of-living challenges across the globe, and this was likely to flow though to weaker pricing over coming months.

“Shipments to China softened in quarter three and are expected to remain lower through quarter four, while demand from the US also remains subdued,” she said. “Beef returns have remained resilient through 2022, but are likely to face increased pressure in the coming months. Processor backlogs, logistics challenges, and weaker demand for beef are all likely to contribute to some of the heat coming out of the farmgate beef schedule. Rabobank anticipates the farmgate schedule will soften through quarter four, moving below 2021 pricing levels, but remaining above the five-year average price.”