U.S. meat exports poised for continued growth under new U.S-Japan agreement

The trade deal with U.S. and Japan is set to boost American beef and pork exports.

Japan is our second-largest market for pork and beef. The U.S. Meat Export Federation says that the agreement brought a sense of relief to Japan.

According to Dan Halstrom, “I think the fact that a deal had been done on autos, which is obviously one of the big sticky points with Japan, kind of laid to rest any concerns there might have been on possible retaliation from the Japanese side should a deal not have been reached.”

Bottom line, Halstrom says that this is a big deal and the numbers themselves prove it.

“When you’re talking about your second-largest export market in the world, 2024, we saw about $1.9 billion on beef and about $1.4 billion on pork, for a total of about $3.3 billion in sales, and it’s been pretty consistent right in that range,” he adds.

Halstrom was in Japan when the Trump adminsitration announced the deal. He met with several importers and distributors while there.

Related Stories
Farm Bureau economist Dr. Faith Parum says agriculture still needs to see U.S. products actively moving into China.
Richard Gupton says reliable roads, bridges and rail systems remain essential for ag retailers and the broader farm supply chain.
The proposed merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern would create the nation’s first transcontinental railroad connecting the East and West coasts under a single carrier.
North Dakota State University’s Dr. Shawn Arita joins us to break down new research on U.S. ag export losses tied to retaliatory tariffs and what they signal for trade moving forward.
NPPC President Rob Brenneman says rising fuel and input costs are creating pressure across pork production despite steady trade.
ISA says Southeast Asia continues driving demand for soy-based feed products through expanding livestock and seafood industries.