USMEF Supports U.S. Pork Producers Amid Mexico’s Trade Investigation
The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) is actively supporting U.S. pork producers as Mexico conducts an anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation into pork imports. Mexico announced the investigation in December, focusing specifically on pork hams and shoulders—key products in U.S. export trade.
Erin Boer, USMEF’s Vice President of Economic Analysis, emphasized the importance of Mexico as the top export destination for U.S. pork and highlighted the strong demand fundamentals driving trade between the two countries.
“Mexico is our top export destination for U.S. pork.
They are our dominant customer for hams in particular, of which this case is focused, again, specifically on hams and shoulders.”
Export volumes and values underscore Mexico’s critical role in the U.S. pork industry. According to Boer, 2025 marked a record year for pork shipments south of the border.
“So if we look at our total U.S. pork and variety meat exports to Mexico in 2025, they will have exceeded about 1.2 million metric tons and valued around $2.8 billion. Those are both new records.
And Mexico will have accounted for about 42% of our export volume last year.”
Boer stressed that trade growth has been driven by strong consumer demand rather than pricing distortions.
“Remember that U.S. pork production peaked in 2020, and so we’ve had some relative stability on the supply side, but Mexico continued to pull that product and thus larger volumes at higher prices. That’s demand.
There is no dumping factor whatsoever. So it’s a demand-driven market. That’s what we continue to see.”
Mexico’s domestic production challenges have also played a role in increased reliance on imported pork. Disease pressures have limited local supply, creating opportunities for U.S. exporters to meet consumer needs.
“And we also know that Mexico, like many producers around the world, has struggled with disease. And there is a need for imported pork in Mexico, partially because of PERS and PUD. That’s also been part of the reason they’ve had such a huge demand for imported pork.”
USMEF continues to work alongside U.S. pork producers to ensure Mexico’s investigation reflects market realities. With record exports, stable U.S. production, and clear demand signals from Mexican consumers, industry leaders maintain that U.S. pork trade with Mexico is built on legitimate market forces and mutual benefit.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.