Pork Exports Just Short of 2024 Record; Beef Feels Pinch of China Lockout; Strong Year for Lamb Exports

U.S. pork exports posted the second highest value and third largest volume on record in 2025, according to year-end data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). December beef exports were the largest in eight months, but full-year shipments fell substantially year-over-year, largely due to the ongoing trade impasse with China. Exports of  U.S. lamb muscle cuts were the largest in more than a decade.

December pork exports totaled 257,846 metric tons (mt), down 3.5% from the large volume posted a year ago, but still the third largest of 2025. Export value was $746 million, down 3% but also the third highest of the year. December shipments trended higher year-over-year to Mexico, reaching the second largest monthly volume and value on record. Exports also increased to South Korea, Japan, the Caribbean, ASEAN and Taiwan. But these results were offset by lower volumes to China, Canada, Central and South America and Oceania.

The December results pushed total 2025 pork exports to 2.94 million mt, down 3% from the 2024 record but the third largest on record (also slightly below 2020). Export value was also down 3% from the 2024 record but was the second highest ever at $8.4 billion. Exports were record-large to leading market Mexico and to Central America and the Caribbean. Exports to Colombia were down less than 1% from 2024’s volume record and reached a new high in value.

“Last year was outstanding for U.S. pork, especially in our Western Hemisphere markets,” said USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom. “Demand in these destinations has maintained multi-year momentum, and duty-free access to our FTA partner countries is a foundational factor in this growth. We are hopeful that current trade negotiations will not only maintain this access, but remove barriers for U.S. pork in other markets.”

December beef exports totaled 98,595 mt, down 10.5% from a year ago but the largest since April (access to China was largely lost in March). Export value was $809.2 million, down 10% but also the highest since April. December shipments increased year-over-year to Taiwan, the Middle East, ASEAN, Caribbean, South America and Hong Kong, were steady to Japan and fell only modestly to Korea, Mexico and Canada. But exports to China were minimal, offsetting gains elsewhere. When excluding China, December beef exports increased 4% year-over-year in volume and were 6% higher in value.

For the full calendar year, beef exports were down 12% from 2024 in volume (1.14 million mt) and were 11% lower in value ($9.33 billion). But excluding China, 2025 exports were down 3% in volume and just 0.4% in value.

“Global demand for U.S. beef – where it’s available to the millions of consumers who love it – has remained strong despite tight supplies and numerous headwinds,” Halstrom said. “USMEF is encouraged by recent market access gains in some markets, but implementation remains key and the industry looks forward to capitalizing on these wins. But for U.S. beef exports to hit on all cylinders and help maximize the value of every animal, it is imperative that access to China is fully restored.”

This increase in demand is especially important because U.S. pork is subject to retaliatory duties in China, the primary destination for U.S. pork variety meat.

As USMEF has previously reported, Mexico is currently conducting an antidumping and anti-subsidy investigation on U.S. pork hams and shoulders. The U.S. industry is participating in the investigation and will be submitting detailed information refuting the notion that these products – which are selling at strong prices driven by robust demand – are being dumped on the Mexican market.

Although December pork exports to Central America were lower year-over year, shipments to the region were still record-large in 2025. Fueled by record performances in Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and El Salvador, exports exceeded the previous (2024) record by 10% in volume (182,249 mt) and 13% in value ($592.7 million). Over the past five years, pork exports to Central America have climbed 84% in volume and 146% in value.

Strong demand in the Dominican Republic and Cuba pushed December pork exports to the Caribbean to 13,560 mt, up 31% from a year ago, while value soared 35% to $45.1 million. These results solidified full-year records for the region, as 2025 exports climbed 4% in volume (132,697 mt) and 10% in value ($417.7 million).

Other 2025 export results for U.S. pork include:

• Despite a decline in China (see below), variety meat demand was a December bright spot for U.S. pork, as shipments reached 49,789 mt – up 9% year-over-year and the largest since August. Export value was $104.8 million, up 3% and the highest since March. In addition to the gains previously mentioned in Mexico, December variety meat exports increased year-over-year to the Philippines, Central America, Colombia, Japan and the Dominican Republic. For the full year, variety meat exports were down 7% to 547,271 mt, while value declined 9% to $1.18 billion. 

• After a slow start to the year, pork exports to South Korea regained momentum in the second half, posting year-over-year gains in six consecutive months. Full-year export volume to Korea was down 4% from 2024 at 206,631 mt, while value was 8% below the 2024 record at $667.1 million.

• Pork exports to Colombia followed the opposite trend, exceeding the record pace of 2024 for most of last year but losing momentum in the fourth quarter. Full-year exports to Colombia were down less than 1% from the previous record at 124,031 mt. Export value topped the 2024 record by 2%, reaching $365.4 million.

• December pork exports to Japan were up slightly year-over-year at 24,370 mt, while export value was steady at $94.4 million. For the full year, exports to Japan were down 8% from 2024 in volume (310,864 mt) and were 11% lower in value ($1.24 billion).

• U.S. pork has faced numerous obstacles in Taiwan, but an agreement on reciprocal trade announced last week is aimed at reducing both tariff rates and non-tariff barriers. December was an encouraging month for pork exports to Taiwan, as shipments climbed 143% (to 1,187 mt) from the low total posted a year ago and export value jumped 139% to $3.2 million.

• Weighed down by retaliatory duties and sluggish overall demand, pork exports to China – more than 70% of which are variety meat – were down 21% from 2024 at 367,416 mt, while value fell 23% to $857.5 million.

• While down 10% from the robust year-ago average, December pork export value per head slaughtered remained strong at $64.73. The 2025 per-head average was $65.47, down just 1.6% from the 2024 record. Exports accounted for 28.5% of total December pork production, down from the very robust year-ago ratio of 31.9%. For muscle cuts only, exports accounted for 24.7% of production, which was down from 28.4%. The 2025 ratios were 29.6% of total production and 26.1% for muscle cuts, both down slightly from 2024.

Exports to Korea, the leading value market for U.S. beef, were modestly lower in December but finished 2025 steady with a year ago at 232,175 mt. Export value was slightly higher at $2.23 billion – the third highest on record and the fifth consecutive year that shipments to Korea have exceeded $2 billion in value. In 2026, U.S. beef reached zero-duty status under the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. Before this FTA entered into force in 2012, U.S. beef entering Korea was tariffed at 40%.

December beef exports to Taiwan totaled 6,569 mt, up 7% from a year ago. Although down 2% year-over-year, export value was the highest of 2025 at $75.3 million. Exports to Taiwan rallied late in the year but still finished 2025 down 6% year-over-year in both volume (58,714 mt) and value ($667.6 million). The reciprocal trade agreement with Taiwan (linked above) will eliminate tariffs on U.S. beef, as well as outdated non-tariff barriers related to BSE.

Other 2025 export results for U.S. beef include:

• Despite a slight decline in volume, beef export value to Central America shattered the previous record in 2025. Although shipments to the region were down 5% from 2024’s record volume at 20,724 mt, export value soared 26% to $201.3 million, led by exports to Guatemala topping $105 million, an increase of nearly $27 million from the previous year’s record. Exports also achieved annual value records in Panama, Honduras and Nicaragua.   

• December beef exports to Mexico were down 4% from a year ago in volume (19,818 mt) but still climbed 4% in value ($118.2 million). Full-year exports to Mexico were down 10% from 2024 at 209,094 mt, but value fell just 3% to $1.3 million. These results included more than 115,000 mt of beef variety meat, valued at $323.4 million. December variety meat shipments were valued at $35.8 million, up 29%.

• The largest variety meat shipments to Egypt in 11 months and a continued rebound for muscle cuts to the United Arab Emirates pushed December beef exports to the Middle East to 4,816 mt, up 48% from a year ago, while value increased 52% to $21.8 million. Full-year exports to the region were down 2% in volume (51,338 mt) but still increased 4% in value ($239.7 million).

• Fueled by growth in the Dominican Republic, December beef exports to the Caribbean increased 9% from a year ago to 2,948 mt, while value climbed 16% to $30.9 million. Shipments to the region fell slightly in volume in 2025 (31,119 mt, down 4%) but increased 11% in value, reaching $314.1 million. Exports were record-large to the DR, Netherlands Antilles, Leeward-Windward Islands, Turks and Caicos and Cayman Islands.

• Beef exports to South America saw modest volume growth in 2025, up 3% from a year ago to 19,861 mt. But export value soared 34% to $152.2 million, led by robust demand in Chile ($59.7 million, up 28%) and an ongoing rebound in Colombia ($40.8 million, up 77%). Exports to Peru also increased in value ($36.3 million, up 17%) despite a decline in volume.

• Beef exports to the ASEAN region declined sharply in 2025, falling 15% in volume (35,844 mt) and 20% in value ($273.1 million). But a newly announced agreement with Indonesia includes tremendous market access gains for U.S. beef. USMEF offers more details on the agreement in this statement.

• Variety meat exports were a major bright spot for U.S. beef in December, increasing 20% from a year ago to 28,394 mt, the highest since May 2022. These shipments were valued at a record $122.1 million – up 47%. In addition to growth in Japan, Mexico and Egypt, shipments increased to Taiwan, Chile, Peru and Jamaica. For 2025, beef variety meat exports were down 6% in volume (270,606 mt) but were just 1% lower in value ($1.08 billion).

• As previously noted, U.S. beef has been effectively locked out of China for several months due to China’s failure to renew plant and cold storage facility registrations and its unjustified suspension of many plants for technical reasons. Exports to China finished 2025 dramatically lower year-over-year in both volume (59,403 mt, down 48%) and value ($497.6 million, down 69%). But shipments have been minimal since April, following the expiration of most facilities on March 16.  

• December beef export value equated to $393.13 per head of fed slaughter, down 11% from a year ago. The 2025 average was $391.94, down 6%. Exports accounted for 12.5% of total December beef production and 9.5% of beef muscle cuts, down from 14.6% and 12.3%, respectively, in December 2024. The full-year ratios were 12.7% of total production and 10.4% for muscle cuts, each down just over one full percentage point from 2024. The lower per-head average and the smaller ratios exported largely reflect the loss of the China market.

Lamb exports gained momentum in 2025

December exports of U.S. lamb muscle cuts totaled 188 mt, down 10% from a year ago, but export value increased 11% to $1.1 million. Value growth was driven primarily by Mexico and the Bahamas.

For the full year, lamb muscle cut exports totaled 2,765 mt, up 38% and the largest since 2013. Export value climbed 29% to $15.2 million, the highest value since 2014. Shipments posted strong year-over-year growth in Mexico, Canada, Central America and Trinidad and Tobago. Mexico’s demand continues to expand to a wider range of items, including underutilized cuts from the breast and shoulder.  

Complete 2025 export results for U.S. pork, beef and lamb are available from USMEF’s statistics web page. 

For questions, please contact Joe Schuele or call 303-547-0030.

NOTES:

• Export statistics refer to both muscle cuts and variety meat, unless otherwise noted.

• One metric ton (mt) = 2,204.622 pounds.

• U.S. pork and beef currently face retaliatory duties in China. In February 2020, China announced a duty exclusion process that allows importers to apply for relief from duties imposed in response to U.S. Section 301 duties. When an application is successful, the rate for U.S. beef can decline to the MFN rate of 12% and the rate for U.S. pork can decline to 37% (the MFN rate plus the 25% Section 232 retaliatory duty, which remains in place). But China imposed an additional 10% retaliatory duty on U.S. pork and beef on March 10, 2025, and additional retaliatory duties were announced in April 2025. China’s new retaliatory duties were first announced at 34% but were later increased to 84% and further increased to 125%. The additional tariffs pushed China’s effective duty rate on U.S. pork and pork variety meat to 172% and the rate for beef and beef variety meat increased to 147%. These rates were temporarily lowered to 57% for pork and 32% for beef on May 14, 2025, when the U.S. and China agreed to a temporary de-escalation to allow for further negotiations. The rates were further lowered to 47% for pork and 22% for beef on Nov. 10, 2025.

• Beginning March 4, 2025, U.S. sausages entering Canada were subject to a 25% retaliatory duty. This duty was removed effective Sept. 1, 2025.