30 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN November 2026 DAN HALSTROM | PRESIDENT AND CEO, USMEF MEAT EXPORT FEDERATION High-level trade talks were held in conjunction with the recent summit meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. While no immediate breakthroughs were announced on agricultural trade – including on the persistent obstacles that limit access for U.S. beef in China – there were encouraging takeaways. For starters, the so-called U.S.-China trade “truce” that had been set to expire in October was extended through Jan. 10, 2027. At the very least, this provides a positive environment for further negotiations and allows more time for the two sides to make progress on access for U.S. beef in China, which has been severely lacking since the spring of 2025. In May of this year, China finally renewed overdue establishment registrations for U.S. beef plants and cold storage facilities. While this was one of the steps necessary to reopen the market to U.S. beef, many U.S. plants remain delisted due to detections of ractopamine or melengestrol acetate (MGA), and those plants that are eligible are reluctant to ship to China until clarity is achieved on how China will handle these situations going forward. In short, the U.S. industry needs a return to the regulatory practices China committed to in the U.S.-China Phase One Agreement, which was negotiated by the first Trump administration and entered into force in 2020. When China was in compliance with the Phase One Agreement, U.S. beef had meaningful access to the Chinese market, and demand was outstanding – with exports to China topping $2 billion in 2022. By contrast, exports were valued at less than $500 million last year and less than $50 million through July of this year. As work on these issues continues, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) is encouraged by the Trump administration’s efforts to manage trade of non-sensitive goods through the recently established U.S.-China Board of Trade. Beef and pork – including both muscle cuts and variety meats – are listed among the U.S. products that could receive more favorable treatment under the Board of Trade. This represents an encouraging path forward that could help U.S. agriculture avoid trade disruptions with China that have not only frustrated U.S. producers and exporters but also valued customers in China who need reliable access to U.S. products. A technical agricultural working group under the U.S.-China Board of Trade is slated to hold its first meeting before the end of the year. New Opportunities Emerging for U.S. Beef While obstacles in China persist, there have been positive market access developments for U.S. beef in recent months. More than a decade ago, Saudi Arabia closed to U.S. beef following a BSE case in California. The market partially reopened in 2015, but under a burdensome export verification (EV) program that limited eligibility to just a small share of U.S. beef production. As a result, U.S. beef has been largely absent from one of the fast-growing foodservice markets in the world. For example, Saudi Arabia’s beef imports totaled more than $1 billion in 2025, with only about $10 million being U.S. beef. PERSPECTIVES Lack of China Access Is Frustrating, but Global Demand for U.S. Beef Is Resilient USMEF conducts U.S. beef training workshop for Sam’s Club personnel in China in 2024. CONTINUED ON PAGE 32
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