According to year-end data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), exports of U.S. pork eclipsed previous highs in both volume and value in 2024, while beef export value climbed 5% from 2023. Rusty Halvorson has more details.
According to USMEF, December pork exports totaled 267,132 metric tons (mt), slightly below last year’s large volume, while value increased 1% to $771.8 million. These results pushed the full-year volume to 3.03 million mt, up 4% from a year ago and topping the previous high (2.98 million mt) reached in 2020. Export value totaled $8.63 billion, up 6% from the previous record set in 2023.
December beef exports totaled 110,171 mt, up 1.5% from a year ago, while value climbed 4% to $897.6 million – the highest since July. For the full year, beef exports were 1.29 million mt, down 0.5% year-over-year, while value increased 5% to $10.45 billion.
U.S. Pork Exports Record-Large in 2024; Beef Export Value Trends Higher
Published: Feb 06, 2025
Exports of U.S. pork eclipsed previous highs in both volume and value in 2024, according to year-end data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Beef export value climbed 5% from 2023 despite a slight decrease in volume as unit export values were record high. Lamb exports trended higher than a year ago in both volume and value.
December pork exports totaled 267,132 metric tons (mt), slightly below last year’s large volume, while value increased 1% to $771.8 million. These results pushed the full-year volume to 3.03 million mt, up 4% from a year ago and topping the previous high (2.98 million mt) reached in 2020. Export value totaled $8.63 billion, up 6% from the previous record set in 2023.
“Market diversification has been a key goal of the U.S. pork industry for many years, and the resulting broad-based growth has never been more evident than in 2024,” said USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom. “While exports to Mexico were record-large for the fourth consecutive year, U.S. pork’s footprint expanded greatly in the Western Hemisphere and made gains in the Asia-Pacific, which bolstered global export totals and pushed export value per head slaughtered to a new high of more than $66.”
In addition to Mexico, pork exports achieved annual volume and value records in Central America, Colombia, New Zealand, Malaysia and several Caribbean markets. Value records were reached in South Korea, Australia and the Dominican Republic.
December beef exports totaled 110,171 mt, up 1.5% from a year ago, while value climbed 4% to $897.6 million – the highest since July. For the full year, beef exports were 1.29 million mt, down 0.5% year-over-year, while value increased 5% to $10.45 billion.
“Considering the formidable headwinds in the large Asian markets – especially in the first half of the year – and the challenges on the supply side, beef exports exceeded expectations in 2024,” Halstrom said. “The economic climate in Asia has shown modest improvement and in the meantime, demand for U.S. beef strengthened in other regions, including double-digit growth in Mexico. The U.S. beef industry continues to export a steady percentage of production at higher prices, as evidenced by export value per head of fed slaughter reaching $415. U.S. beef always sells at a premium internationally, and the strong U.S. dollar contributed to further increases in pricing in local currencies. So the 2024 results confirm that global demand is extremely resilient.”
Market diversification also paid dividends for beef exports, which achieved annual volume and value records in a number of emerging markets, including the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, the Leeward-Windward Islands, Netherlands Antilles, Turks and Caicos, Cuba, Guyana, Singapore and Morocco. Value records were reached in the Bahamas, Bermuda, Qatar, Jordan and Bahrain.
Record pork exports to FTA partners underscore importance of duty-free access
Pork exports to Mexico totaled 1.15 million metric tons in 2024, up 5% from the enormous total exported in 2023. Export value climbed 10% in 2024 to $2.58 billion – more than doubling since 2020. These results were achieved even as more competitors target Mexico as a growth market. Mexico eliminated duties on all imports of red meat and poultry in 2022 in an effort to contain food price inflation, and this policy remains in place.
Brazil is the latest beneficiary, exporting about 43,000 mt of pork to Mexico in 2024, which equated to 3% of Mexico’s imported pork market. Brazil now trails only the ……
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