American-raised beef and pork are regaining lost ground in the global market after a frustrating 2015.
U.S. beef and pork exports for March increased year-over-year in volume, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) said.
USMEF reported beef exports above 89,000 metric tons (mt) in March, up 3 percent from this time last year.
Hog farmers saw a similar gain of 3 percent in March, and USMEF noted this was the largest volume of pork exported in nearly a year.
Asian markets led export growth in the first quarter for both beef and pork.
“The U.S. pork industry is now better positioned to capitalize on strong demand in China,” said USMEF President and CEO Philip Seng. “On the beef side, exports continued to perform well in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. So while U.S. exports continue to recover from a down year in 2015, volumes are on track for improvement in most markets this year.”