Exports of U.S. pork eclipsed previous highs in both volume and value in 2024, according to year-end data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Beef export value climbed 5% from 2023 despite a slight decrease in volume, as unit export values were record high. Lamb exports trended higher than a year ago in both volume and value.
Record pork exports to FTA partners underscore importance of duty-free access
December pork exports totaled 267,132 metric tons (mt), slightly below last year’s large volume, while value increased 1% to $771.8 million. These results pushed the full-year volume to 3.03 million mt, up 4% from a year ago and topping the previous high (2.98 million mt) reached in 2020. Export value totaled $8.63 billion, up 6% from the previous record set in 2023.
“Market diversification has been a key goal of the U.S. pork industry for many years, and the resulting broad-based growth has never been more evident than in 2024,” said USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom. “While exports to Mexico were record-large for the fourth consecutive year, U.S. pork’s footprint expanded greatly in the Western Hemisphere and made gains in the Asia-Pacific, which bolstered global export totals and pushed export value per head slaughtered to a new high of more than $66.”
In addition to Mexico, pork exports achieved annual volume and value records in Central America, Colombia, New Zealand, Malaysia and several Caribbean markets. Value records were reached in South Korea, Australia and the Dominican Republic.
Beef exports post strong finish, with annual records in Caribbean and Central America
December beef exports totaled 110,171 mt, up 1.5% from a year ago, while value climbed 4% to $897.6 million – the highest since July. For the full year, beef exports were 1.29 million mt, down 0.5% year-over-year, while value increased 5% to $10.45 billion.
“Considering the formidable headwinds in the large Asian markets – especially in the first half of the year – and the challenges on the supply side, beef exports exceeded expectations in 2024,” Halstrom said. “The economic climate in Asia has shown modest improvement and in the meantime, demand for U.S. beef strengthened in other regions, including double-digit growth in Mexico. The U.S. beef industry continues to export a steady percentage of production at higher prices, as evidenced by export value per head of fed slaughter reaching $415. U.S. beef always sells at a premium internationally, and the strong U.S. dollar contributed to further increases in pricing in local currencies. So the 2024 results confirm that global demand is extremely resilient.”
Market diversification also paid dividends for beef exports, which achieved annual volume and value records in a number of emerging markets, including the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, the Leeward-Windward Islands, Netherlands Antilles, Turks and Caicos, Cuba, Guyana, Singapore and Morocco. Value records were reached in the Bahamas, Bermuda, Qatar, Jordan and Bahrain.
Led by Caribbean and Mexico, U.S. lamb exports trend higher
Exports of U.S. lamb totaled 2,723 mt in 2024, up 16% year-over-year, while export value climbed 14% to $14.3 million. For lamb muscle cuts, exports totaled 2,003 mt valued at $11.8 million, each down slightly from 2023. The Caribbean and Mexico are the two largest destinations for U.S. lamb muscle cuts, and exports to the Caribbean were up 14% to 976 mt, valued at $7.1 million (up 13%), fueled in part by a doubling of shipments to the Bahamas. Exports to Mexico were the highest since 2019 at 759 mt, up 21% year-over-year as a wider range of cuts – including shoulder and flap meat – gained traction in Mexico’s foodservice sector. Export value to Mexico jumped 20% to $2.4 million.
A detailed summary of the 2024 export results for U.S. pork, beef and lamb, including market-specific highlights, is available from the USMEF website.
Hear USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom talk about the year-end numbers on Thursday’s AOA with Jesse Allen, live from CattleCon 2025 in San Antonio, TX:
