U.S. Pork Secures Taiwan Access After Decades-long Effort

Feb 16, 2026

In a key win for U.S. pork producers, President Trump has finalized a beneficial trade agreement with Taiwan, a direct result of the National Pork Producers Council’s long-fought effort to secure greater market access in the Asian nation.
“Our 15-plus year endeavor to break down trade barriers in the high-value market of Taiwan has paid off. This means more U.S. pork on international tables and more opportunities and prosperity for American producers,” said NPPC President Duane Stateler, a pork producer from McComb, Ohio. “Thank you, President Trump and Ambassadors Greer and Callahan, for ensuring American pork producers were included in and greatly benefit from this historic agreement.”
The agreement stands to boost U.S. pork exports by:

Cutting tariffs on U.S. pork exports by half.
Following maximum residue levels (MRLs) set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission for ractopamine in pork fat, kidney, liver, and muscle. For other edible swine offal, the MRL is set at 0.09 ppm (90 ppb) or any Codex MRL.
Eliminating import licensing procedures that restrict U.S. imports, as well as removing facility and product registration requirements.
Ending 100% batch-by-batch inspection for ractopamine residues and country of origin labeling requirements on U.S. pork products in favor of import inspection rates based on compliance history.
Accepting U.S. pork exports from all plants listed in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry Inspection Directory, which is maintained by the Food Safety and Inspection Service, without requiring audits before exporting.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.