Exports of U.S. beef and pork posted year-over-year increases in October, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).
Federation president and CEO Dan Halstrom say beef exports rebounded in the Asian region.
“You look at Korea, for example, 19,600 tons, up about 5%. It was the largest month in Korea since March of this year. And China actually had a big month as well, at almost 17,000 tons. You overlay that with the continued momentum that we’ve been seeing in Latin America, that continues. Mexico almost 20,000 tons, up 7%.”
For January through October, beef export value was 4% above last year, despite a 2% decline in volume. Pork exports continued their record pace in October – with volume and value both up 3 percent compared to a year ago – led by strong sales to Mexico.
“You cannot overstate the importance of Mexico as it relates to our overall business on export support. But if you look a little further down the list of other countries, Central America continues to perform well, as they have been for most of the year, up 6%.”
Overall, USMEF reports that beef exports during October, at 105,269 metric tons, were up one percent from last year, while the value jumped three percent to $860.4 million. From January through October, beef export value was four percent higher than last year at $8.68 billion despite a two percent drop in volume to 1.066 million metric tons.
Pork exports reached 252,411 metric tons during the month, three percent higher than last year, while value also rose three percent to $710.4 million. Through the first ten months of 2024, pork exports rose five percent from a year ago to 2.49 million metric tons, valued at $7.07 billion, six percent above 2023.