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United States pork exports totaled 237,250 mt in April, down 15% from a year ago and the lowest in 10 months. Export value fell 13% to $675.3 million. Exports to China declined 35% from a year ago. Shipments were also lower year-over-year to leading market Mexico and to Japan and Canada. But April was another outstanding month for pork exports to Colombia and Central America, which are both on a record pace. For January through April, pork exports were 5% below last year’s record pace at 991,738 mt, while value fell 4% to $2.78 billion.
Pork exports to leading market Mexico totaled 91,441 mt in April, down 15% from the record volume posted a year ago, while value ($197.8 million) was down 18% from the April 2024 record. This broke a remarkable stretch of nine consecutive months in which exports to Mexico topped $200 million in value. For January through April, exports to Mexico were slightly below last year’s record pace at 385,844 mt (down 1%), while value was still 2% higher at $835.6 million. Exports to Mexico averaged 10.7% of U.S. muscle cut production through April, up slightly from the same period last year.
Colombia’s demand for U.S. pork remained red-hot in April, with shipments totaling 12,079 mt – up 58% from a year ago. Export value soared 68% to $34.7 million. Through April, exports to Colombia were 14% above last year’s record pace at 45,343 mt, while value climbed 20% to $130.7 million. While most pork exports to Colombia are muscle cuts, USMEF has heightened promotions of pork variety meat during the trade impasse with China. Variety meat shipments to Colombia more than doubled year-over-year in April, reaching 1,140 mt (up 107%) valued at $3.5 million (up 169%). Frozen pork feet accounted for about one-fifth of this total.
Fueled by larger shipments to Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Panama, April pork exports to Central America totaled 15,644 mt, up 6% from a year ago, valued at $49.4 million (up 12%). Central America also took more pork variety meats in April, with volume (1,246 mt) up 9% from last year’s large total. For January through April, pork and pork variety meat exports to the region were 16% above last year’s record pace at 60,811 mt, with value up 20% to $191.1 million. Growth is broad-based, as exports to Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Nicaragua were all on a record pace through April.
Pork exports to China fell sharply in April due to prohibitive retaliatory duties. Exports totaled 26,365 mt, down 35% from a year ago, while value fell 32% to $64.9 million. January-April shipments to China were down 7% in volume (141,584 mt) and 4% lower in value ($342.3 million). While China’s retaliatory duties were lowered on May 14, the total duty rate on U.S. pork cuts and most pork variety meat is still 57%, while most of China’s imports are tariffed at the most-favored-nation rate of 12%.
While below last year’s large total, pork exports to Korea remained relatively strong at 23,954 mt – down 9% from a year ago but up slightly from the strong performance in March. Export value was $79.2 million, down 11% year-over-year but up nearly $2 million from March. Through April, exports to Korea were 14% below last year’s pace at 82,168 mt, valued at $265.8 million (down 15%).
April pork exports to Japan totaled 30,015 mt, down 13% from a year ago, while value declined 15% to $118.4 million. January-April shipments to Japan were down 14% in volume (105,858 mt) and 15% lower in value ($423.2 million).
Canada’s demand for U.S. pork slowed significantly in April, down 45% from a year ago to 8,282 mt. Export value was $33.9 million, down 41%. These results pushed January-April shipments to Canada 16% below last year’s pace at 58,344 mt, while value fell 14% to $235.1 million. Since March 4, Canada has imposed a 25% retaliatory duty on U.S. sausages. However, the decline has been mostly driven by other product categories as Canada’s imports of U.S. sausages were down only slightly through April. It is also worth noting that Canada’s exports of pork to the U.S. were down 9% in the first four months of the year, but Canada is exporting significantly larger volumes to Japan (up 21%), China (up 9%), Mexico (up 17%), Korea (up 29%) and Taiwan (up 38%).
June 7, 2025/ USMEF/ United States.
https://www.usmef.org
