Cattle Imports from Canada & Mexico Increase

Cattle imports from both Canada and Mexico were higher in 2019 according to the Daily Livestock Report. The U.S. purchases slaughter cattle from Canada and feeder cattle from Mexico. Imports of slaughter-ready cattle from Canada numbered almost 523,000 head last year, up from 417,000 head imported the year prior.

However, imports were down over 200,000 head from that imported in 2014. Imports of Canadian slaughter cattle represented 1.6 percent of total U.S. cattle slaughter last year. Feeder cattle imports from Mexico last year equaled 1.32 million head, 4 percent higher than 2018 and 17 percent higher than the 5-year average. The number of cattle imported from Mexico equaled about 4 percent of the total U.S. cattle slaughter.</p