Pork supported US meat exports in 2025

In 2025, US pork exports reached historic highs, ranking second by value and third by volume on record.

A total of 2.94 million tonnes were exported, valued at €7.98 billion ($8.4 billion). This success was primarily driven by record demand in the Western Hemisphere, particularly in markets such as Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. In December 2025 alone, the value of pork shipments reached €708 million ($746 million).

In contrast, beef exports were directly affected by the trade impasse with China. Although December was the most successful month in eight months (98,595 tonnes worth €768 million/$809.2 million), annual export volumes in 2025 fell by 12% in volume and 11% in value, reaching €8.86 billion ($9.33 billion). However, the industry emphasizes that excluding China from the statistics, global demand remained strong, and exports fell by only 0.4% in value.

The report highlights the strong performance of by-product exports, which reached €116 million for beef offal and €100 million for pork offal in December.

Sources point out that access to the Chinese market remains limited by high tariffs, trade guarantees requiring quotas, and difficulties in registering businesses. Dan Halstrom, President of the American Wildlife Conservation Foundation (USMEF), emphasized that restoring full access to the Chinese market is crucial to maximizing the value of each animal.

This scenario is consistent with the USDA’s 2026 forecasts for China, which project that beef imports into China are expected to continue to decline to 3.5 million tons due to new protective measures and weakening domestic demand. Similarly, pork imports into the Asian country are projected to remain low (1.1 million tons), given abundant local supplies and anti-dumping duties imposed on other competitors, such as the EU.

Tags: USA, export, pork, Beef cattle