A beef animal produces more than just steaks, and finding buyers for every product can have a significant impact on the bottom line. That is what drives Canada's growing interest in the Indo-Pacific region, where demand for a wide range of beef products continues to expand.
In countries where rising populations are increasing demand for imported protein such as South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines, the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) sees a chance to build stronger global trade relationships with Canadian producers and exporters.
While the U.S. remains Canada’s dominant trading partner, CCA President Tyler Fulton said the industry continues to look for growth in regions where demand for imported beef is increasing.
“The more diverse your markets, the more resilient you are to a disruption to any one of them,” he said.
Canada exports roughly half of its beef and live cattle production, making international access a major factor in the prices producers receive at home. But the Indo-Pacific opportunity is also about finding the right market for the right product.
Fulton said beef exports are often discussed as though they are one entity, when processors are marketing more than 100 products from each animal. Different countries have different preferences for cuts, offal and secondary products, which can help improve carcass utilization and overall value. The return to producers is not tied to one market-opening announcement alone, Fulton explained, but from the cumulative effect of fewer regulatory costs and more buyers competing for Canadian beef.
Indonesia is a market with an abundance of potential. With a population approaching 280 million people and a growing middle class, the country is becoming one of Southeast Asia’s most significant long-term protein markets. “When you think about that, and we know that beef is a benefactor of that improved standard of living, it really pays to have a footprint and get new market access,” said Fulton.
Earlier this year, Canada secured expanded market access for beef and pork products into Indonesia, including approval for additional Canadian facilities and access for over 30-month bone-in beef and offal products. That expanded access gives Canadian exporters more ways to serve a market with increasing protein demand while also creating value for products that may not have the same demand in Canada.
As a premium beef market, South Korea offers another opportunity that aligns with Canada’s efforts to compete on food safety rather than price. In a region where Brazil, Australia and the U.S. are all competing for market share, Canada’s ability to position its beef as a high-quality product is central to its strategy.
Vietnam and the Philippines are also part of that long-term growth picture. Both countries have growing retail and food service sectors, combined with limited domestic beef production. For Canadian exporters, they offer footholds in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) markets where protein demand is expected to continue rising.
The push into Southeast Asia also gives Canada more options as China’s role in global beef trade continues to evolve.
China’s reopening to Canadian beef has been positive, Fulton said, in part because the market has tastes and preferences that fit well with Canadian production. However, he signalled the sector does not take that access for granted because of the broader market uncertainty. Building a wider Indo-Pacific presence could help Canada avoid relying too heavily on China while still participating in the region’s growing demand for beef.
But Canada’s dependence on exports does not mean closing itself off to imports. Fulton said the domestic market heavily relies on imported beef, particularly as producers hold back more cows during the early stages of herd rebuilding.
“We export 50 percent of our product, but we also import 30 percent of our domestic consumption,” he said. “We think that there’s got to be a balance there.”
Maintaining momentum in herd rebuilding will partly depend on predictable access to export markets. Long production cycles mean decisions made today around breeding stock, pasture leases and expansion can shape supply several years from now.
For the CCA, Indo-Pacific markets offer one of the most promising paths toward that vision. They give Canadian beef exporters access to countries with rising demand, create value for a broader range of beef products and strengthen the sector’s resilience in an uncertain global trade environment.
The result is a trade strategy focused less on volume alone and more on where Canadian beef can build lasting value.
