As the pork industry navigates low-profit margins, Mike Borgic with the Illinois Pork Producers says that global exports are helping keep the market afloat.
“Whether it’s the beef side, poultry, or pork- all proteins, we are having a worldwide shortage.”
Moving forward, Borgic says the industry is focusing on exporting pork to countries that the United States has established free trade agreements with.
“We’re trying to push more pork into those countries,” says Borgic, “because policy-wise, don’t see anything in the near future, at least not being talked about, of any kind of new countries with new free trade agreements. “
However, with the current price of pork, Borgic says that countries are still importing U.S. pork, despite regulatory tariffs.
“China being the big one on pork going into their country, and we’re still selling them pork. That’s just showing you how really cheap it is here,” says Borgic. “That is, they’re still buying it.”
Wendell Shauman, past chairman of the U.S. Grains Councils adds that reports in early September found an increase in pork exports in 2024.
“We’ve sent $7.8 billion worth of pork out so far this year exported,” says Shauman, “it’s a 4% increase over last year.”
According to the Pork Checkoff, around 30 percent of pork produced in the United States was exported.
