September Beef Export Value Climbs 8% to $712.4 Million

September U.S. beef export value climbed 8% year over year to $712.4 million, on volume of 81,310 metric tons, up 1%, according to USDA data compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation and released November 6. Pork moved the other direction. Pork exports fell for the fifth consecutive month, totaling 216,353 mt, down 7.5%, with value down 13.5% to $591.3 million.

The divergence matters for packer margins and cutout values heading into the fourth quarter. Beef value growth on flat volume means buyers paid more per pound, a signal of demand holding despite record-high beef prices at home. Pork weakness, by contrast, traces partly to a one-off policy shock still working through the supply chain.

Which markets drove the beef gains?

Taiwan led the September beef performance, and USMEF pointed to the island's strong economy as a tailwind. South Korea and the Caribbean also posted year-over-year increases.

The market picture was mixed elsewhere:

• Japan, the Middle East and South America: higher value despite lower volumes.
• Mexico, Canada and Central America: lower in both volume and value.
• China: above the minimal volumes shipped a year ago, but far below the levels of earlier years when U.S. beef had stronger access to that market.

Through the first three quarters of 2026, beef export value held steady with last year at just over $7 billion, while volume fell 6% to 802,460 mt. In practical terms, the industry shipped roughly 51,000 fewer tons than a year ago and still matched the dollars earned.

"Beef exports were once again encouraging in September, as global customers continue to show a powerful and loyal appetite for U.S. beef," said USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom. "While consumers everywhere are feeling the pinch of higher household expenses, they still prioritize high-quality protein in their daily diet."

Halstrom noted that economic conditions across markets vary widely, and that U.S. beef is benefiting directly from Taiwan's strong economic performance.

Why did pork exports keep sliding?

The pork decline was not broad-based. September shipments rose year over year to Japan, Canada and Taiwan, and exports stayed on a record pace to Central America, Colombia and the Dominican Republic. September shipments to Cuba were record-large. But gains there could not offset lower volumes to Mexico, China, Oceania and the ASEAN region, and a sharp decline in variety meat shipments weighed on the totals.

Halstrom tied the value erosion to hog markets worldwide. "Global hog prices have come under intense pressure in recent months, and export value is feeling the impact of this situation," he said.

He identified four specific drags:

• Domestic hog production has rebounded in several countries, including Mexico.
• Mexico's suspension of U.S. pork variety meat exports earlier this year, now resolved, still lingers in the supply chain.
• Retaliatory tariffs in China persist, where overproduction is pressuring the market.
• Low-priced product from Brazil and Spain has cut into U.S. pork's competitiveness elsewhere.

For January through September, pork volume held slightly above last year's pace at 2.17 million mt, up 0.3%, but export value slipped 2% to $6.1 billion. More product moved, in other words, and earned less for it.

What about lamb?

Lamb muscle cut exports posted a modest rebound in September, led by the Caribbean. Volume rose 17% to 152 mt and value increased 10% to $884,000, with growth in the Netherlands Antilles offsetting lower shipments to Mexico.

For the first nine months of 2026, lamb volume fell 9% to 1,979 mt while value edged up 1% to $11.8 million. Shipments trended higher to the Bahamas, the Netherlands Antilles, the Leeward-Windward Islands, Costa Rica and Honduras, and declined to Mexico.

What does this change for producers?

What does this change for anyone selling cattle, hogs or lambs? For beef producers, the September numbers confirm that international demand is absorbing tighter supplies at higher prices, keeping upward pressure on cutout values. For pork producers, the recovery is a supply-chain question rather than a demand question. Mexico's variety meat market has reopened, but rebuilding those flows takes time, and Chinese tariffs plus Brazilian and Spanish competition cap the upside until they shift.

USMEF has posted detailed January-September summaries with market-specific highlights for all three proteins on its website. Watch the October data for whether the pork variety meat channel has healed enough to snap the five-month losing streak.