Although May exports of U.S. pork were higher year-over-year, volumes were significantly diminished by Mexico’s restrictions on pork offal items, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). May beef exports were below last year’s volume but edged higher in value.
May pork exports to Japan, Colombia, Central America offset lower totals for Mexico
Pork exports totaled 245,874 metric tons (mt) in May, up 10% from a year ago, with value up 8% to $701 million. But exports in May 2025 were unusually low due to heightened trade tensions with China, which temporarily pushed China’s tariff rate on U.S. pork as high as 172%. This impasse heavily impacted exports of pork variety meat, which totaled just over 30,000 mt in May 2025. While pork variety meat exports exceeded 40,000 mt in May 2026, this was easily the lowest total of the year as January-April shipments averaged nearly 49,000 mt. May variety meat exports to Mexico were just 3,157 mt, down 80% from a year ago, due to restrictions imposed after the April 30 detection of pseudorabies virus (PRV) antibodies in five boars in Iowa. May bright spots for U.S. pork included the largest shipments to Japan since 2021, an outstanding performance from Colombia and strong growth in Central America. Export value per head slaughtered topped $71.
For January through May, pork and pork variety meat exports totaled 1.28 million mt, up 5% from a year ago, while value was also up 5% to $3.59 billion. In both volume and value, pork exports are less than 1% below the record pace established in 2024.
“While U.S. pork exports are posting a strong performance in 2026, the May results underscore the urgent need for Mexico to fully remove its PRV-related restrictions on pork offal and other products,” USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom explained. “This situation is costing the U.S. industry millions of dollars per week and severely impacting customers in Mexico, who are scrambling to find alternative products and suppliers.”
Although Mexico modified its restrictions in early June to allow pork offal shipments from states other than Iowa and Texas, source verification requirements, and the importance of Iowa as the leading hog-producing state, continue to pose significant obstacles for exporters.
May beef export highlights led by value growth in Taiwan, Japan, Latin America
May beef exports totaled 91,925 mt, down 5% from a year ago. But value increased 2% to $818.1 million, bolstered by value increases in Taiwan, Japan, the ASEAN region, Central and South America and Egypt. Export value per head of fed slaughter soared to $468 in May, the highest in nearly four years. Despite China’s mid-May renewal of expired U.S. beef plant registrations, May exports to China remained minimal as technical obstacles are yet to be resolved.
For January through May, beef exports were 10% below last year’s pace at 457,063 mt, while value fell 5% to $3.95 billion. But when excluding China from these results, January-May beef exports were down less than 1% in volume and were 6% higher in value.
“Despite significant headwinds, we are seeing some encouraging trends on the beef side,” Halstrom said. “Many facilities remain suspended and unable to export to China, while exporters overall remain reluctant to ship until technical obstacles are resolved and China agrees to meet its Phase One Agreement commitments. But Taiwan has been a major bright spot this year and while exports to South Korea have trended lower, we expect an uptick in Korea’s demand when a higher tariff rate on Australian beef is triggered later this month.”
By mid-July, Korea’s imports of Australian beef are expected to exceed the safeguard threshold established in the Korea-Australia FTA. Through the end of the year, Korea’s tariff rate on Australian beef will increase from 5.3% to 24%. U.S. beef enters Korea at zero duty under the Korea-U.S. FTA. Australia triggered its beef safeguard for China on June 18, and has since faced a 55% tariff for exports entering that market.
Lamb exports continue downward trend
Exports of U.S. lamb muscle cuts totaled 215 mt in May, down 41% from a year ago, valued at $1.3 million (down 28%). After a strong start to the year, January-May exports slipped 8% below a year ago in volume (1,257 mt) and 5% lower in value ($7 million). Larger exports to the Caribbean and Central America have been offset by lower shipments to Mexico and no exports to Canada have been reported in 2026.
A detailed summary of the January-May export results for U.S. pork, beef and lamb, including market-specific highlights, is available from the USMEF website.
