Soaring US beef prices likely to rise further thanks to trade tensions and disease outbreaks

The U.S.-Mexico beef market has taken a massive hit from the screwworm parasite, which has spread from Mexico to Texas and New Mexico. AP Photo/Isabel Mateos, file

It’s summer grilling season, but for many Americans, surging prices mean beef is no longer what’s for dinner.

The cost of beef, having spiked since early 2025, is coming under even more pressure. The most recent is the screwworm outbreak that hit cattle in Mexico and has now spread to the United States, where the cattle herd has already fallen to levels not seen since the 1950s, due in part to drought.