Tariffs make it more complicated for Smithfield Foods, the biggest US pork processor, to sell all parts of a pig, Reuters reported, citing CEO Shane Smith on Wednesday.
US President Donald Trump roiled agricultural markets by announcing tariffs last week on goods from China, Mexico and Canada, the top importers of American farm products. Two days after the announcement, Trump suspended most of the tariffs on Canada and Mexico for a month.
China, the world's biggest pork consumer, retaliated with hikes to import levies covering $21 billion worth of American agricultural and food products.
Smithfield does not export material amounts of meat to China, but ships offal products, such as pig stomachs, hearts and heads that US consumers generally do not eat, Smith said. The company believes China will still be the best market for offal with increased tariffs, he said.
"In fresh pork, it's really about finding a home for every piece of that," Smith said on a livestream of a Bank of America event.
"With the tariffs coming in, it makes it more complicated as you look around the globe and see how things are moving and how exchange rates are moving."
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