Demand for US pork has rebounded dramatically in both Australia and New Zealand, pushing January-July exports to 45,173 mt, up 74% from a year ago, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the US Meat Export Federation.

Export value increased 64% to $159.1 million. While market access is limited, fresh/frozen US pork may be imported for further processing and the region has a growing appetite for value-added processed US pork products.

July pork export value equated to $65.38 per head slaughtered, down 3% from a year ago, while the January-July average increased 8% to $64.07. 

Exports accounted for 30.3% of total July pork production, up one percentage point from a year ago. For muscle cuts only, exports accounted for 25.5% of production, up from 24.7%. 

For January through July, these ratios were 29.9% of total production and 25.6% for muscle cuts, up from 26.8% and 23.6%, respectively, a year ago.