US red meat production falls in 2025 on reduced slaughter volumes – USDA
Production decline reflects tighter processing activity across beef and pork sectors during the year.
USA – US red meat production declined in 2025 as reduced slaughter levels outweighed gains from higher animal weights, with total output slipping below the previous year’s figure.
According to the USDA, total production reached 53.8 billion pounds, marking a 2% decrease from 2024 as supply conditions shifted across major livestock categories.
Beef and pork output move in different directions
Beef production fell more sharply than pork, dropping 4% to 26.1 billion pounds, while pork output eased 1% to 27.6 billion pounds, and lamb and mutton recorded a slight increase compared with the previous year.
These movements followed weaker cattle and hog slaughter rates, which reduced overall processing volumes even as livestock yields improved.
Commercial cattle slaughter declined 6% to 29.8 million head, while hog slaughter slipped 1% to 128 million head, showing lower throughput in packing operations during 2025.
At the same time, animal weights increased, with cattle averaging 1,432 pounds, up 33 pounds from the prior year, and hogs averaging 289 pounds, up 1 pound.
Processing concentration and regional output
The structure of the packing industry remained heavily concentrated, with the 11 largest cattle plants handling 47% of total slaughter and the 15 largest hog plants accounting for 65% of hog processing volumes.
This concentration meant that a relatively small number of facilities continued to play a dominant role in national red meat supply chains throughout the year.
Production also remained geographically focused, as Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas together accounted for 49% of all US commercial red meat output in 2025.
This regional clustering reinforced the importance of the central livestock belt in maintaining national supply levels.
The USDA reported that the number of federally inspected slaughter plants rose to 1,127 at the beginning of 2026, compared with 1,089 a year earlier, indicating a modest expansion in processing capacity.
Even so, the higher plant count did not offset reduced slaughter volumes, which continued to shape overall production trends.
Overall, the 2025 figures show that lower slaughter rates were the main driver of reduced red meat output, with heavier livestock weights providing only partial balance to declining throughput.
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