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by Scott Bustos
With Australia reopening market access for U.S. beef in July 2025, some shoppers are wondering whether imported American beef will now be the smarter buy. The short answer: for Australian households, Australian beef remains the better choice. Here’s why.
The U.S. cattle herd entered 2025 at its lowest level since the 1950s, after years of drought. That’s kept American beef prices elevated and margins tight. By contrast, Australia’s herd throughput has supported higher export volumes and steadier domestic conditions, with analysts expecting relatively steady cattle prices through 2025.
Any U.S. beef that does come in must still clear Australia’s strict import conditions. Even U.S. sources note domestic beef remains expensive due to low inventory; U.S. imports into Australia must also navigate freight and compliance —costs that limit the likelihood of cheaper shelf prices for Australian consumers.
Australia maintains a zero-tolerance approach for residues where no MRL exists, and all imported beef must comply with the Food Standards Code and the National Residue Survey framework. Practically, that means imported beef has to meet the same residue rules as domestic beef or it doesn’t get sold here.
Ractopamine, the beta-agonist feed additive approved for use in U.S. cattle, is not registered for use in Australian cattle, and the industry maintains a ractopamine-free position on beef.
Australia’s produce is renowned globally for its world-class traceability. Supply chain visibility is a major benefit for Australian consumers that value provenance. The NLIS database uplift strengthens lifetime traceability of cattle movements, which is central to rapid recalls, disease response, and integrity claims.
The Meat Standards Australia (MSA) program—built on hundreds of thousands of consumer taste tests—continues to underpin consistent outcomes regarding tenderness, juiceness and flavour in MSA graded products. The MSA grading scheme also has the ability to predict beef eating quality for each ‘cut x cooking’ method combination, further increasing Australian red meat consumers’ access to better quality products.
U.S. packers’ 2025 reporting makes clear that American beef is costly at origin right now.
Choosing Australian beef keeps value in regional economies, supports jobs in processing and logistics, sustains the integrity systems that consumers rely on, and guarantees that you are feeding your family and loved ones only the safest and highest quality food.
Australian beef remains the smarter 2025 buy for Australian households. Supply is steadier here; quality and traceability are best-in-class; safety standards are stringent and uniformly applied; and the economics of importing from a tight, high-priced U.S. market don’t favour cheaper retail beef in Australia.
While Andrews Meats supplies many of Australia’s top restaurants and hotels, home cooks can still enjoy the same premium beef through Manettas Seafood Market’s online store. Manettas offers direct-to-door delivery of high quality fresh meat, seafood, produce and more — all sourced from the same top-rated Australian producers like Andrews Meats.
Order now and bring restaurant-quality Australian beef straight to your kitchen.
View Manettas’ premium beef range →
By Scott Bustos 11 August 2025 Australasian FPT News
