Were 2023 pork exports a blip – an unexpected, temporary deviation from the general trend? Courtney Knupp, National Pork Board’s vice president of international market development, says not by a long shot.
“We are excited about 2024 and predict another strong year,” Knupp says. “For example, the week ending Feb. 16 boasted the largest weekly export volume on record. Year to date, we are up nearly 30% in pork exports. We saw over 100% increases to Australia and the Philippines and saw very large increases to China, Colombia and Korea. That’s really telling that things continue to go well.”
Knupp says she is continuing to watch China closely because the industry is seeing some contraction. The largest producer and consumer of pork is also dealing with a decreased population that is starting to eat a little less pork.
But Knupp argues they remain a key market of focus for the U.S. variety meats, currently our largest importer of these products.
“The European Union (EU) contraction is ongoing because of disease spread and regulation. If the EU is going to focus less on exports and focus more on domestic demand, it’s our opportunity to step up to the plate. And we are,” she says.
Positioned to Be a Global Leader
The U.S. is well positioned to be a global leader, Knupp says. She predicts the U.S. could surpass the EU this year as the largest global pork exporter for the first time ever.
“If it doesn’t happen in 2024, likely it will in 2025,” she says.
Why? The infrastructure of the U.S. pork industry’s approach on exports is the differentiator, Knupp replies.
“The U.S. pork industry was a founding member of U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) that represents pork, beef and lamb, three powerhouses in the global red meat trade. Their presence on the ground adds great value and facilitates relationships that remain very important in our key markets around the world,” she adds.
Support from the USDA, both with market-access program funds and staff in embassies around the world, also helps facilitate relationships and uplift the red meat trade.
“We’ve participated in a number of USDA’s ag trade missions with the Foreign Agricultural Service to showcase U.S. pork support, interest and celebrate success in key markets,” Knupp says.
In 2024, they plan to be in Vietnam, Korea, Colombia and Canada.
“It truly shows how a private-public partnership can celebrate and move the needle for our ag exports. That’s something our competitors envy about the U.S. structure,” Knupp adds. “It shows the foresight of our producers to create long-term value.”
She says it’s exciting to see how the U.S. worked to develop markets like Colombia, the Philippines and Vietnam starting decades ago. Now U.S. pork products are becoming staples in those markets.
What’s Ahead in 2024?
In 2024, the National Pork Board’s board of directors continue to identify international marketing as a top priority.
“We continue to see strength in maximizing the carcass – we want to utilize the excess primals and variety meats we won’t consume in the U.S.,” she says. “We’re extremely focused on the 70% of U.S. pork that gets consumed in our country and have a lot of work going on there. However, without this 30% of our production going to exports, our industry would look very different.”
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