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Pork exports totaled 238,922 metric tons (mt), down just 1% from a year ago, while value fell 4% to $680.9 million, largely reflecting the 10% decline in pork variety meat prices due to China’s tariffs. Through the first seven months of 2025, pork exports were 4% below last year’s record pace in both volume (1.69 million mt) and value ($4.8 billion).
July was another strong month for pork exports to leading destination Mexico, even though shipments were below the massive year-ago totals. Exports totaled 92,524 mt, down 8% year-over-year, while value reached $228.4 million – down 7% from a year ago but still the second highest this year (after the near-record in June) and the sixth highest on record. Mexico accounted for 10.9% of U.S. pork muscle cut production in July and from January through July, up from 10.6% in the same period last year.
Fueled by surging demand in Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Panama, pork exports to Central America are also on a record pace in 2025. July shipments to the region climbed 35% from a year ago to 14,563 mt, while value increased 36% to $47.4 million. July shipments were the third highest on record to both Costa Rica and El Salvador.
Despite a total tariff rate of 57%, U.S. pork shipments to China – which are mostly variety meat – were steady with last year at 36,461 mt. The heightened tariff rate (which was 37% at this time last year) weighed on export value, which was down 13% to $77.6 million.
July pork exports to Japan were slightly above last year at 26,629 mt, though export value slipped 3% to $105.9 million, as the U.S. supplies more frozen and less chilled pork to Japan.
Led by year-over-year growth in the Dominican Republic and Cuba, July pork exports to the Caribbean increased 8% to 9,963 mt, while value was up 3% to $30.3 million.
Larger shipments to the Philippines and Vietnam drove July pork exports to the ASEAN region to just under 10,000 mt, up 8% from a year ago, while value increased 13% to $20 million. July exports to the Philippines topped 7,300 mt, the highest in more than two years, while the monthly total of nearly 2,000 mt to Vietnam was the highest since 2020. July volume included more than 4,100 mt of pork variety meat to the Philippines and more than 700 mt to Vietnam for the second consecutive month.
Pork exports to Canada have trended lower in 2025, with January-July shipments down 17% in volume (98,192 mt) and 15% in value ($404.2 million). But U.S.-Canada trade received a potential boost earlier this week when Canada confirmed removal of a 25% retaliatory tariff on U.S. sausages. The tariff, in place since early March, had a significant negative impact on sausage exports.
In addition to China, July exports of pork variety meat also trended higher year-over-year to Mexico, the ASEAN, Central America, Colombia and Japan. July exports were up 9% to 50,609 mt, the second largest volume this year.
September 5, 2025/ USMEF/ United States.
https://www.usmef.org
