Unusual coincidence among US beef suppliers

Data as of May 5 show that the US imported 288,000 tons of beef within tariff-rate quotas, with minimal tariffs. This represents a 14% increase compared to what it had imported at the same date in 2024. The increases were not similar among different suppliers. While Australia increased its shipments within its quota by 29% compared to the previous year, New Zealand and Argentina increased their quota by 12-13%, Uruguay decreased it by 35%, and third countries kept it unchanged because it was exhausted. This last quota, of 65,000 tons, has been massively used by Brazil and, to a much lesser extent, by Paraguay since the beginning of the year. But the 2025 quota was exhausted in less than 15 days. In parentheses, the US has just promised to reallocate 13,000 tons of these to Great Britain. It's worth clarifying that two other major suppliers, Canada and Mexico, do not have tariff-rate quotas, as everything they ship is tariff-free and without limits under the USMCA (T-MEC). ...