USA - Demand for U.S. pork still strong in Japan, Mexico; offset by limited market access in China, Russia

In the first half of the year, the declining performance of certain pork export markets was largely offset by gains in the two leading destinations for U.S. pork (Mexico by volume, Japan in terms of value). While Mexico and Japan continue to perform above their record pace of 2008, the gains achieved in these markets are no longer sufficient to overcome the decline in exports to China and Russia, which are at least partially the result of market access restrictions.