U.S. Pork Industry Celebrates Three Years Of USMCA, Exports To Mexico Have Nearly Doubled

Jul 10, 2023

What happened: July 1 is the third anniversary of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) entering into force, and the U.S. pork industry is celebrating. Pork exports to America’s neighbors, especially to Mexico, have soared under the successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Since the USMCA went into effect, U.S. pork exports to Mexico have increased from nearly $1.2 billion in 2020 to more than $2 billion in 2022, while exports to Canada have grown from about $853 million in 2020 to $867 million last year. For the first four months of 2023, both countries are on pace to take record amounts of pork for the year.

Why it is important: The USMCA updated and modernized the then-23-year-old NAFTA, adding provisions related to E-commerce and digital trade and expanding market access for U.S. eggs and dairy, among other changes. Importantly, the agreement maintained the zero-tariff rate on pork traded in North America that was established under NAFTA.

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Video: Porcine Gut Models in Nutrition Research - Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen, postdoc researcher at Aarhus University, discusses how porcine intestinal cell lines and organoids can help study the impact of nutrition on gut health. He explains how in vivo piglet trials identify diet-driven shifts in microbiota and metabolites, while in vitro models allow researchers to test specific metabolites, barrier function, immune markers, and future organ-on-chip systems before moving back to animal studies. Listen now on all major platforms!

"In vitro models can reduce early animal use by helping researchers screen nutritional candidates before moving back to in vivo trials."

Meet the guest: Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen / li-hsuan-chen-9a95a7279 is a postdoc researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark. Research focuses on porcine gut health, host-microbe interactions, cell lines, and organoids, with PhD work at Aarhus University studying how dietary protein and amino acid levels shape gut microbiota, microbial metabolites, and intestinal epithelial responses. Learn more from Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen on The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.