Gerardo Rodriguez, USMEF director for Mexico, Central America and the Dominican Republic, explained that while Mexico has been developed into the largest destination for U.S. red meat, the U.S. industry now faces unprecedented levels of competition in the Mexican market. He noted that it is more important than ever to differentiate U.S. red meat from other suppliers’ products and educate consumers about its unique attributes.

USMEF Latin America Representative Homero Recio highlighted the U.S. industry’s efforts to overcome Colombia’s restrictions on U.S. beef, which were imposed for much of last year due to findings of highly pathogenic avian influenza in dairy cows. The ban, which eventually extended to beef from 14 U.S. states, was lifted in September 2024 but the impact has persisted, in part because it created a new opportunity in the Colombian market for Canadian beef. Recio said that while reclaiming this business has not been easy, it has resulted in heightened efforts to establish customer loyalty to U.S. red meat.

John Newton, executive head of Terrain, was the featured speaker at USMEF’s Thursday general session. Newton applauded the House of Representatives’ passage of President Trump’s budget reconciliation bill earlier that morning.

Heightened U.S.-China trade tensions, which have severely limited beef and pork exports to China in recent weeks, were a major topic of discussion throughout the USMEF Spring Conference. But President and CEO Dan Halstrom noted that rather than dwell on trade obstacles, the conversation focused mostly on how to develop and capitalize on alternative destinations

Source: USMEF