Published in Market Analysis
Pork's New Buyers: How the Global Trade Map Is Being Redrawn
China is buying far less pork, and the gap is reshaping global trade, as Mexico and Southeast Asia take the lead while Brazil and Europe compete for new customers.
Martina Osmak
Director of Marketing
The market that China built is changing
Global pork trade grew fast in 2020 and 2021, reaching about 12 million tonnes. China drove most of that growth. An African swine fever crisis had cut its own pig herd, so the country bought record volumes from abroad.
That era is now fading. As Chinese farms recovered, imports fell, and world trade slipped back to just under 10 million tonnes by 2022 and 2023. According to Rabobank's World Pork Map 2026, China's share of global pork imports dropped from 43% in 2021 to 23% in 2025.
Rabobank links the fall to three things: stronger home production, softer consumer demand as the economy cooled, and a slow shift in Chinese diets toward poultry and beef. The result is a simpler headline for the whole industry. No single market now sets the direction of world pork prices.
New buyers step in
With China smaller, other importers matter more. Rabobank reports that Mexico has become the world's largest importer of pork meat, not counting offal, as its own production struggles to keep pace with demand.
Southeast Asia is the other growth story. The Philippines and Vietnam are buying more pork because disease outbreaks have thinned their local herds. That is opening room for exporters in Brazil, the United States and Canada to lift their sales.
The trade is now more spread out and harder to predict. Instead of leaning on one dominant buyer, exporters have to chase several markets at once and react quickly to shifts in demand, veterinary rules and trade policy.
Brazil rides the shift
Brazil is one of the clearest winners from this change. The Brazilian Association of Animal Protein (ABPA) reported that the country shipped 131,500 tonnes of pork in July 2026, up 3.7% from the same month in 2025.
Volume is rising even as prices ease. July export revenue came to $298.3 million, down 5.6% year on year. Across the first seven months of 2026, Brazil exported 925,600 tonnes, a 9.1% increase, worth $2.158 billion.
The Philippines was Brazil's top customer in July. The main destinations were:
Philippines: 20,300 tonnes
Japan: 18,400 tonnes
Chile: 13,900 tonnes
China: 9,100 tonnes
Argentina: 6,500 tonnes
ABPA president Ricardo Santin said the results confirm an upward trend, and that wider market spread shows the sector can hold its ground in both established and new destinations.
Europe grows more pork, but sells it differently
Europe is still a giant in pork, and Spain leads the bloc. Spain's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) reported that the country produced 2.76 million tonnes of pork in the first half of 2026, up 3.2% from a year earlier.
The rise came from two sources: more animals and heavier ones. Spain slaughtered 28.4 million pigs in the period, up 2.1%, while the average carcase weight rose from about 96 kilograms to 97.1 kilograms.
But Europe faces a tougher sales task. Rabobank notes that African swine fever in Spain is limiting the country's export options, which leaves more pork inside the regional market and weighs on prices. So European supply is climbing at the very moment its best-paying export routes are under pressure.
What this means for buyers and traders
The pork map of 2026 rewards flexibility. Prices, trade rules and disease risk can all move quickly, and no region is a safe bet on its own.
Key points to watch:
China is buying less, so Mexico, the Philippines and Vietnam now shape much of global demand.
Brazil is gaining volume with competitive prices, even as its revenue per tonne slips.
Europe has more pork to sell but fewer easy export routes, which could mean keener offers inside the EU.
Buyers who track several origins at once, and who stay close to animal health news, will be best placed to secure supply at the right price.