The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook report for December raises U.S. beef imports to 2.848 billion pounds in 2014, reports Drovers CattleNetwork.
The report revealed demand for imported processing beef has expanded in 2014 due to lower domestic supplies.
USDA is forecasting 2015 beef imports at 2.7 billion pounds.
Total beef exports for 2014 are forecast at 2.599 billion pounds, marginally higher than 2013. In 2015, beef exports are forecast to fall to 2.525 billion pounds due to expected lower U.S. beef production and the strengthening U.S. dollar.