Trade and Consumer Events in New Zealand Draw Interest in US Pork

Though more than 60% of pork consumed in New Zealand is imported, awareness of U.S. pork is limited among the trade and consumers. U.S. pork exports to New Zealand have averaged $46 million the past two years, with most product utilized in further processed items such as bacon and ham.

Access limitations affect awareness and interest in U.S. pork in the Oceania region. Both Australia and New Zealand maintain strict time and temperature processing requirements for fully cooked pork products, and Australia allows no sales of fresh U.S. pork. New Zealand restricts fresh pork imports (pork imports not bound for further processing) to packaging under three...

ANALYSIS: New Zealand's H1 2026 Beef Exports Recover from Seven-Year Low, Up 6.3% YOY

New Zealand's H1 2026 beef exports recovered to 282,104 MT, up 6.3% YOY, recovering from 2025's seven-year first-half low, according to the latest Stats NZ data.

The 75-year low US cattle herd drove YTD exports to the US to 131,423 MT, pushing US market share to 46.6%, the highest on record. May's 27,971 MT to the US was the highest monthly export volume ever recorded to a single market in the data series...

ANALYSIS: New Zealand's May 2026 Beef Exports Surge to All-Time High on Peak Season Run

New Zealand's beef exports accelerated to an all-time monthly high in May 2026, driven by peak seasonal processing and sustained international demand.

Total outbound shipments reached 59,669 metric tons (MT), marking a strong 28.6% month-on-month (MOM) volume expansion and a 25.7% year-on-year (YOY) gain, according to recent Stats NZ data.

Despite regional cattle kills trailing behind last year, total volumes still grew during this peak processing run.

This performance successfully pushed the year-to-date...

ANALYSIS: New Zealand's April 2026 Beef Exports Surge 24.3% MOM on Peak Season Run 

New Zealand's beef exports rebounded strongly in April 2026, climbing 24.3% month-on-month (MOM) to 48,647 metric tons (MT) as the peak cow processing season materialized, according to recent Stats NZ data.  

Shipments rose 14.8% year-on-year (YOY), helping narrow the year-to-date (YTD) deficit to just -0.9% at...

ANALYSIS: New Zealand’s Q1 2026 Beef Exports Dips 3.8% YOY as March Volumes Plummet

New Zealand’s beef export sector concluded the first quarter of 2026 on the back foot according to recent Stats NZ data, with year-to-date (YTD) volumes failing to match the pace of the previous year.

Total outbound shipments for the quarter reached 127,831 metric tons (MT), marking a 3.8% year-to-date (YTD) decline compared to the same period in 2025. This quarterly deficit of 5,042 MT underscores the ongoing impact of constrained cattle availability and the...

ANALYSIS: New Zealand’s Feb 2026 Beef Exports Continue to Cool but Japan and Korea Hold Firm

New Zealand’s beef exports continued to cool in February 2026, following a sharp retreat in January from December’s nine-month high. Export volumes dipped a further 1.6% to 43,250 metric tons (MT), according to recent Stats NZ figures.

While most major markets saw declines, Japan and Korea acted as stable anchors.

This was driven by declining tariffs under free trade agreements (FTA) and their increasing role as a go-to alternative to US supply, as buyers in these regions look to New Zealand to...

ANALYSIS: Australia, New Zealand Beef Trade on Alert as Middle East Flashpoint Deepens

The Australian and New Zealand beef market is closely monitoring the latest escalation in the Middle East, with freight emerging as the immediate pressure point.

By Monday’s close, exporters were advised that cargoes moving to and from the Upper Gulf, Arabian Gulf and Persian Gulf would face a War Risk Surcharge (WRS) of over A$5,000 per reefer container, or about USD 3,500. 

Air freight routes have also been suspended, effectively halting chilled beef shipments...

ANALYSIS: New Zealand’s Jan 2026 Beef Exports Ease from 9-Month Highs to 43,933 MT

New Zealand’s beef exports in January 2026 retreated from December’s nine-month high, slumping to 43,933 metric tons (MT), according to the latest data from Stats NZ.

The New Year holiday closures kept outbound volumes lower by 11.0% or 5,403 MT from the prior month.

Declines were recorded across all major markets, with the exception of the United States (US), where November’s rollback of the 15% tariff under the US “Fair and Reciprocal Plan” helped lift...

ANALYSIS: Korea’s 2026 KAFTA Quota Drawdown Accelerates as Australian Beef Flows Surge

While China’s safeguard has dominated headlines for weeks, Korea’s safeguard quota for Australian beef is quietly racing toward early exhaustion.

Korea’s customs import data showed that January 2026 alone consumed 23.6% of Australia’s 2026 allocation. By February 19, 45.42% of the allocation had already been used, leaving 107,005 metric tons (MT) remaining.

Korea’s Special Agricultural Safeguards (SSG) under the Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement (KAFTA) is set at 196,050 MT for 2026, with the in-quota tariff reduced 2.7 percentage points from last year to 5.3%...

ANALYSIS: New Zealand’s 2025 Cattle Slaughter Sinks to Seven-Year Low at 2.47M Head

New Zealand’s total livestock slaughter in the 2025 calendar year fell to the lowest level since 2018, totaling 2,466,567 head, according to the latest Stats NZ data.

Marking a seven-year low, cull numbers for bulls, cows, heifers, and steers dropped 6.1% year-over-year (YOY), down 159,999 head.

Rising cattle retention, fueled by strong dairy global demand and elevated prices, kept beef production tight throughout the year, restricting herd slaughter and pressuring...

ANALYSIS: Higher Output Lifts New Zealand’s Nov 2025 Beef Exports from Five-Year Low

New Zealand’s beef exports in November 2025 rebounded strongly from October's five-year low, increasing to 31,402 metric tons (mt), according to the latest data from Stats NZ.

Higher production at the onset of the bull season boosted outbound shipments by 26.4% month-on-month (MOM), or 6,554 mt higher. Gains were recorded across all major markets, with the United States (US) and China delivering the strongest volume growth.

The cull rate in October 2025, covering bulls, cows, heifers and steers, rose for the second consecutive month and was recorded at 137,721 head, according to Stats NZ. Numbers increased 22.2% (25,029 head) from September 2025...

ANALYSIS: New Zealand’s July 2025 Beef Exports Dips to 9-Month Lows at 37,023 mt

New Zealand’s beef exports in July 2025 fell to the lowest level since October 2024, coming in at 37,023 metric tons (mt), according to the latest data from Stats NZ.

Outbound shipments fell for the second straight month by 13.6% or 5,850 mt compared to June 2025 across all key destinations including the United States, China, Canada, Japan and Korea. Export volumes were mainly capped by lower cattle slaughter and seasonal lows.

On a year-on-year (YOY) basis, volumes slipped 4.1%...