After all the talk about trade with Mexico and the still to be ratified United States – Mexico – Canada Agreement (USMCA), we still saw a very strong July for pork exports to our southern neighbor. Much of this is due to pork regaining a duty-free status.
A 20% retaliatory duty, which was imposed on most U.S. pork products for nearly a full year in response to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum, was removed in late May. In July, exports to Mexico topped 67,000 mt, up 19% from a year ago, while value surged 38% to nearly $127 million.
Gerardo Rodriguez is the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) marketing director for Mexico, Central America, and the Dominican Republic. He says when we faced a tariff, the USMEF was playing defense and trying to not lose market share to competitors with a better trade picture. However, now we are back to playing offense with the duty-free status.
For the full article from the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network CLICK HERE
