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Pork exports totaled 233,816 metric tons (mt) in September, down 2% from a year ago. Export value was steady at $683.9 million, highlighted by the highest value on record for Mexico (nearly $260 million). The value of pork muscle cut exports trended higher in September ($586.2 million, up 1%), but pork variety meat exports declined, due in part to China’s retaliatory tariffs. Excluding China, September pork and pork variety meat exports were 4% above last year.
Through the first three quarters of the year, pork exports were 3% below the record pace of 2024 in both volume (2.16 million mt) and value ($6.16 billion), and down just 1% when excluding China. Exports to leading market Mexico, and to Central America, are poised to reach new annual highs. January-September shipments also increased year-over-year to Colombia, the Caribbean, Hong Kong and Vietnam.
September shipments of U.S. pork to Mexico climbed 16% from a year ago to 106,472 mt, while value soared to $259.6 million – up 26% and the highest on record. Despite heightened competition from Brazilian pork, exports through the first three quarters of the year were 4% above last year’s record pace in volume (888,077 mt) and 8% higher in value ($2.04 billion).
Led by growth in Honduras and Guatemala, pork exports to Central America continued to shine in September, climbing 5% to 13,514 mt, while value increased 6% to $44.5 million. Through September, exports to the region soared 20% above last year’s record pace in volume (131,771 mt) and were 23% higher in value ($422 million).
For the third consecutive month, September pork exports to South Korea trended higher than a year ago, with shipments up 12% in volume (11,311 mt) and 7% in value ($38.1 million). January-September shipments to Korea were down 7% at 158,482 mt, with value 12% below last year’s record pace at $511.7 million.
While most U.S. pork plants are eligible to ship to China, retaliatory tariffs and uncertainty have weighed on 2025 exports. China’s total tariff on U.S. pork and most variety meat was 57% for much of this year (and prohibitively high at 172% in April-May), before recently being reduced to 47%. China’s Most Favored Nation tariff rate is 12%. China has also retaliated on imports from Canada and the European Union this year, while U.S. pork has been subject to an extra 25% Section 232 retaliation since 2018. Through September, U.S. exports to China – the majority of which are pork variety meat – fell 18% from a year ago (when the total tariff rate was 37%) at 278,065 mt, while value declined 19% to $650.6 million. China’s pork production is also record-large and consumer confidence is lacking.
December 12, 2025/ USMEF/ United States.
https://www.usmef.org
