USDA’s red meat export data for September, delayed by the recent government shutdown, showed a fairly steady performance for U.S. pork exports, matching year-ago value while down slightly in volume.
Pork exports totaled 233,816 metric tons (mt) in September, down 2% from a year ago, reports the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Export value held 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.
“We are encouraged by the robust and resilient global demand for U.S. pork – especially in Mexico, but also in a broad range of international markets,” says USMEF president and CEO Dan Halstrom.
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.
September pork export value equated to $62.29 per head slaughtered, down 4% from a year ago, while the January-September average was $65.17, down 1.5% from last year’s record pace. Exports accounted for 27.8% of total September pork production and 24% of muscle cuts, down from 29.6% and 25.4%, respectively, in September 2024. The January-September ratios were 29.7% of total production and 25.9% for muscle cuts, each down slightly from a year ago.
Mexico Led Strong September for Pork
Exports to leading market Mexico, which have already topped $2 billion in value in 2025, and to Central America, are expected to reach new annual highs. January-September shipments also increased year-over-year to Colombia, the Caribbean, Hong Kong and Vietnam.
Led by growth in Honduras and Guatemala, pork exports to Central America were a bright spot in September, jumping 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.
Other notable findings from the January-September data for U.S. pork exports include:
• Pork exports to Colombia slowed in both August and September, but January-September shipments remained 6% above last year’s record pace in volume (95,311 mt) and 8% higher in value ($275.5 million).
• Led by a doubling of shipments to Cuba and larger volumes to the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Bermuda, Jamaica and French West Indies, pork exports to the Caribbean increased 2% from the first three quarters of last year to 92,457 mt, while value was up 6% to $284 million. Demand has remained strong in the Dominican Republic, the region’s largest destination for U.S. pork, but exports were modestly lower in both volume (66,313 mt, down 5%) and value ($195.9 million, down 2%).
• Pressured by a weak yen and other headwinds, January-September pork exports to Japan were 9% below last year at 235,083 mt, while value fell 12% to $937.4 million. Japan recently suspended pork imports from Spain due to findings of African swine fever (ASF), which could create growth opportunities for the U.S. industry, USMEF notes.
• ASF-related opportunities could also emerge in the ASEAN region, USMEF says. Malaysia and the Philippines have also temporarily suspended imports of Spanish pork. January-September shipments to the ASEAN were 8% below last year at 56,409 mt, while value fell just 1% to $132.2 million.
• Although 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 hovered around 57% for much of this year, before being reduced to 47% recently. 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.
