National Pork Producers Council President and Minnesota pork producer Lori Stevermer, President-elect and Ohio pork producer Duane Stateler, Vice President and Iowa pork producer Rob Brenneman, and Past President and Missouri pork producer Scott Hays — who chairs NPPC’s Trade Policy Committee — participated in the Third Intercontinental Congress of Pig Farmers May 14-18 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. NPPC CEO Bryan Humphreys and Vice President of Government Affairs Maria C. Zieba also attended the meeting.

The Congress saw representatives from pork industries around the world gathered to discuss the challenges for the industry, as well as best practices that help boost the business. There also were talks on pressing issues such as animal health, biosecurity succession planning, and sustainability practices. NPPC also accepted the invitation from the Mexican pork organization Opormex to be the honored guest for the 2025 Congress.

At the beginning of the Congress, officers of the pork organizations in Canada, Mexico and the United States — respectively, the Canadian Pork Council, Opormex and NPPC — held a trilateral meeting to address issues of importance to pork production in North America. Among the topics raised were animal welfare and health and the need for organizations to collaborate to reduce the risk of animal diseases.

According to NPPC, the Mexican Pork Congress was an opportunity for pork industry representatives to exchange ideas, discuss mutual challenges and possible solutions, and explore areas of common interest.

The U.S. pork industry enjoys mutually beneficial relationships with Canada and Mexico, making it imperative the three countries share information and maintain communication. Mexico was the No. 1 volume and value market for U.S. pork producers in 2023. Canada was the No. 4 market, taking just under 220,000 MT valued at about $876 million.