January Beef Exports Above Year-Ago with Pork Trends Modestly Lower

U.S. beef exports trended higher than a year ago in January, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Pork exports were slightly below last January’s large totals, despite another outstanding performance in Mexico and Central America.

USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom shares that continued momentum from late 2024 and a good month for beef increased volume.

“Volume was up 3% overall and value up a little over 5%,” Halstrom says.

Key markets contributing were Korea, China and Canada.

“Central America had a 24% increase during the month on the value side,” Halstrom adds.

He puts a cautionary note on the China numbers.

“While the business has been good the last half of 2024 and good here in early 2025, we do have a large pending issue on plant eligibility in terms of registrations,” he says. “Several U.S. plants have scheduled for renewals on March 16, which is unusual to have them not renewed yet.”

Beef variety meets had large growth in both Mexico and Egypt, Halstrom says as another positive.

USMEF reports January beef exports reached 102,840 metric tons (mt), up 3% year-over-year, while value increased 5% to $804.6 million.