U.S. beef exports for the week of May 2-8 totaled 13,900 metric tons (mt), up 11 percent from the previous four-week average and trending steady-to-higher for all major markets, including Japan (4,200 mt, +16 percent), South Korea (2,500 mt, +26 percent), Hong Kong (2,200 mt, steady), Mexico (2,000 mt, +2 percent), Canada (1,400 mt, +24 percent) and Taiwan (740 mt, +9 percent).

Beef net sales totaled 12,700 mt, down 20 percent from the previous four-week average. Larger sales for Canada (2,200 mt, +40 percent) and Taiwan (1,000 mt, +48 percent) were offset by results for Japan (3,700 mt, -33 percent), Mexico (2,200 mt, -38 percent) and Korea (1,700 mt, -30 percent).

U.S. pork exports totaled 10,200 mt, down 5 percent from the previous four-week average. But primary destinations were mostly higher, including Mexico (3,300 mt, +4 percent), Japan (1,900 mt, +28 percent), Korea (1,500 mt, +35 percent), Canada (1,100 mt, +2 percent) and Hong Kong (800 mt, +23 percent). Lower exports were reported for China (340 mt, -7 percent).

Pork net sales of 8,000 mt were down 26 percent from the previous four-week average and were mainly reported for Mexico (3,200 mt, +3 percent), Japan (1,400 mt, +8 percent), Australia (800 mt, following negative corrections last week), Korea (600 mt, -57 percent), Canada (500 mt, -58 percent), Hong Kong (300 mt, +20 percent) and China (200 mt, -53 percent).

NOTES:

• Source: USDA/FAS (includes exports and sales of whole muscle cuts).
• Percent change is compared to the previous four-week average, unless otherwise noted.
• Export is defined as an actual shipment from the U.S. to a foreign country.
• Export sale is defined as a transaction entered into between a reporting exporter and a foreign buyer. Sales can be cancelled or adjusted in following weeks, thus “net” sales are reported as the difference between new sales and any cancelations or adjustments.