In the short run, the trade dispute with China is not expected to have a significant impact on the hog market. Kerns and Associates market analyst Steve Meyer says China is dealing with large domestic supplies and the U.S. wasn’t going to be selling much product there even before the tariff issue. “Mexico has the potential for much more impact. They are the number one muscle meat customer; they take a lot of fresh hams, about 40 percent of what we produce. Any hiccup there is a problem, but the reason they buy so much from us is because they can buy them from us for less money than anyone else delivered into Mexico. I’m almost 100 percent certain that a ten percent tariff doesn’t change that.” Meyer says the NAFTA issue needs to be addressed, but does not anticipate a big trade impact.
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