The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) urged the Canadian government to exempt pork from any retaliatory tariffs levied on U.S. products in response to President Trump’s duties on imports from Canada.
The U.S. exported more than $850 million of pork to Canada in 2024, while that country sent $1.7 billion of pork to the U.S. Additionally, Canada exported more than $560 million worth of live swine to the U.S. last year, primarily to U.S. finishing and slaughter facilities where they were comingled with U.S. swine, and much of the pork was later exported back to Canada.
“This two-way trade is mutually beneficial for our countries and for producers and consumers alike,” NPPC said in written comments to Canada’s Department of Finance. “In contrast, escalating trade wars will produce no winners. A trade war will leave the North American pork sector weaker and more fragmented.”
Trump has pledged to impose the tariffs on Canada – and China and Mexico – as a way to reduce the flow of illegal immigration and fentanyl into the U.S., NPPC wrote in Capital Update, as well as to address an $80 billion trade deficit with Canada.
“[T]he tit-for-tat tariff exchanges will disrupt supply chains that have been built up over decades,” NPPC wrote. “We request that Canada seeks to preserve the benefits of the integrated North American market to the maximum extent practicable, including by excluding U.S. pork imports from retaliation.”
NPPC said the organization vigorously advocates for trade and market access, which allows for the highest value markets for pork products – and supports U.S. producers and their communities across the nation.
Your Next Read: Consumer Meat Sales Are Higher Than Ever
