United States: pork exports set new records in 2012

U.S. beef and pork exports set new value records in 2012, topping highs set in 2011, according to end-of-year statistics released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

Pork exports set both volume and value records last year, reaching 2.26 million mt – up a fraction from the record set in 2011 – valued at $6.3 billion, a 3.5 percent increase over the prior year’s record.

The per-head export value of U.S. pork exports set another record in 2012, reaching $55.87, up 1 percent from 2011. For the year, exports accounted for 27 percent of total pork production and 23.4 percent of pork muscle cut production versus 27.5 percent and 23 percent, respectively, in 2011.

Pork records set in 2012

• Mexico: 600,949 mt (12 percent increase) valued at $1.126 billion (8 percent increase)
• Canada: 235,604 mt (14 percent increase) valued at $855.7 million (16 percent increase)
• Central/South America: 90,897 mt (26 percent increase) valued at $227.9 million (22 percent increase)
• Australia/New Zealand: 76,801 mt (9 percent increase) valued at $236.1 million (5 percent increase)

Top 5 value pork export markets for 2012

• Japan – $1.986 billion
• Mexico – $1.126 billion
• China/Hong Kong – $886.2 million
• Canada – $855.7 million
• South Korea – $421.1 million