June pork exports to Mexico were down as expected, but the good news is that the reason why – fallout on access due to an isolated incident of pseudorabies – has been solved, says U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) president and CEO Dan Halstrom.
Robust First Half for U.S. Pork
Pork exports totaled 224,822 metric tons (mt) in June, down 6% from a year ago, with value falling 9% to $624.5 million. While pork muscle cuts were modestly lower, Halstrom says most of the decline was due to a 21% drop in pork variety meat exports. As USMEF previously reported, Mexico and Colombia suspended imports of U.S. pork offal at the beginning of May, and this situation was not resolved until early July for Colombia and mid-July for Mexico. Fortunately, these countries have now removed pseudorabies-related restrictions on pork variety meat, though exporters still face prolonged clearance times in China due to heightened inspections.
“In mid-July, we got back with exports resuming with no restrictions whatsoever, and even included pipeline product would be allowed as well,” Halstrom adds. “Aside from that, Mexico continues to be a strong dominant player on the muscle cut side. Combine this with some of the other regions of the world - CAFTA-DR, similar to beef on the pork side, this continues to be a large success area. We’re on record pace in the DR and Central America.”
How are Pork Exports Tracking in 2026?
June pork exports to Mexico were still relatively strong, though down significantly from the large totals posted a year ago. Here are some other key findings in the latest report:
- Exports increased year-over-year in June to Japan, Colombia, Central America and the Dominican Republic, but declined to China, Korea, Oceania and the ASEAN region.
- For the first half of 2026, pork exports totaled 1.51 million mt, up 4% from a year ago, while value increased 3% to $4.22 billion.
- Export volume to Mexico was slightly lower, but value remained steady with last year’s record pace.
- Exports are also on a record pace to Central America and the Dominican Republic and increased substantially to Japan.
“Although the June data certainly show the impact of Mexico’s restrictions on U.S. pork variety meats, the good news is that this issue was resolved the right way – with full access restored and no limits on pipeline product,” Halstrom explains. “USMEF greatly appreciates the engagement by USDA, which resulted in the full lifting of the restrictions imposed by Mexico and Colombia. Meanwhile, thanks to an outstanding performance in Japan and the CAFTA-DR region, pork exports are not far off the record pace we saw in 2024.”
