USMEF Audio: U.S. Beef Poised for Summer Rebound in Europe

U.S. beef gained greater access to the European Union at the beginning of 2020 through a country-specific quota aimed at allowing more U.S. product to enter the EU at zero duty. But with most U.S. beef cuts traditionally consumed in Europe's foodservice and hospitality sectors, the U.S. industry struggled to fully capitalize on the revised quota due to widespread restrictions on restaurant traffic, tourism and business travel, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

In the audio clip above, Yuri Barutkin, USMEF representative in Europe, says a silver lining to this situation is that European distributors made more U.S. beef available to the retail sector – in both online platforms and traditional outlets – where it captured the attention of European consumers looking for higher-end items to prepare at home. Barutkin expects Europe's interest in retail U.S. beef cuts to continue to expand, especially with the summer grilling season approaching. As the region gradually eases restrictions on restaurant activity and travel, this presents broad-based growth opportunities for U.S. beef.