For the fourth year in a row, U.S. pork exports eclipsed the $6 billion mark. In 2014, 4.803 billion bounds of pork and pork variety meats valued at $6.674 billion were exported, up 2% and 10%, respectively from 2013.

“We saw a dynamic environment for U.S. pork exports last year,” said Brian Zimmerman, chair of the Pork Checkoff’s Trade Committee and a Beatrice, Neb., producer. “Our strong global partnerships and rising demand across the globe for our product meant that despite record prices, we continued to see growing revenue from exports. However, our exporters dealt with many trials, as it was a highly competitive market.”

In 2014, 26.5% of U.S. pork and pork variety meat were exported adding $62.45 per hog marketed. Strong pork variety meat demand around the world continues to increase exports and positively impact producer profitability. For every $1 million of pork variety meats exported, the live value of hogs increased by $0.20 per hundredweight, according to a regression analysis conducted by Iowa State University.

“While 2014 exports remained strong, the industry faced many challenges, such as market closures, increasing competition, export port issues, a high-valued U.S. dollar and global trade shifts,” says Becca Hendricks, vice president of international marketing for the Checkoff. “Checkoff resources were extremely important in monitoring and reacting to situations to allow for continuous trade.”

During 2014, more than 100 countries around the world imported U.S. pork.