Despite record production, U.S. pork exports had a tremendous first quarter with new March records for volume and value. That’s according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation which reported pork export value per head slaughtered reached $63.99, up 32 percent from a year ago. Nebraska Pork Producers Association Executive Director Al Juhnke says that’s encouraging considering the impacts of the pandemic.
He says despite the pandemic, U.S. officials continue to push forward pork exports which is critical for the economic success of the industry.
Juhnke says there was strong demand from China and Hong Kong and also significant increases were seen in Mexico, Japan and Canada. He says while that’s helpful, exports to China need to be taken with a grain of salt as tariffs are still in place.
The U.S. Meat Export Federation is cautioning that temporary closures of processing plants are not reflected in the March numbers and April and May exports could slow as a result.
