China's ongoing lockout of U.S. beef top of mind

U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) leaders were on hand as the cattle industry gathered in Nashville, Tenn., for the 2026 Cattle Industry Convention. Top of mind for the industry was the continued lockout of U.S. beef in the China market.

USMEF vice president of economic analysis Erin Borror addressed the industry's questions about regaining beef access in China. Most U.S. beef production has been locked out of China since March. Borror explained there has been little progress on the issue. China continues to refuse to renew registrations for U.S. beef production and cold storage facilities.

“Unfortunately, for China, we don't have any type of breakthrough news,” Borror said. She explained to producers at the convention the situation in China and “the complicated market closure that we're dealing with.”

Borror explained that, even with low cattle inventory, access to China is vital for maintaining value across the carcass, emphasizing “we still need to get that market back – including in this time in the cattle cycle – and the need to be able to export, even with relatively low supplies. We've got to have that market to be able to be able to add value back to the whole industry.”

She added, “We also touched on the affordability component and trying to sort of re-message the need for access to also benefit the American consumer – so updating on how we've been talking with [Washington] D.C. about, again, the benefits not just for our industry but also for the consumer when we have the ability to export and really add that full value across the whole carcass.”