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OVERVIEW

Total exports of bone-in broiler parts and feet during January-November 2025 attained 2,868,161 metric tons, 4.0 percent lower than in January-November 2024 (2,986,653 metric tons). Total value of broiler exports decreased by 0.6 percent to $4,281 million ($4,307 million).

Total export volume of turkey products during January-November 2025 attained 173,676 metric tons, 14.8 percent less than in January-November 2024 (203,861 metric tons). Total value of turkey exports increased by 15.9 percent to $715 million ($617 million).

Average unit price attained by the broiler industry is constrained by the fact that leg quarters comprise over 96 percent of broiler meat exports by volume (excluding feet). Leg quarters represent a relatively low-value undifferentiated commodity lacking in pricing power. Exporters of commodities are subjected to competition from domestic production in importing nations. Generic products such as leg quarters are vulnerable to trade disputes and embargos based on real or contrived disease restrictions. To increase sales volume and value the U.S. industry will have to become more customer-centric offering value-added presentations with attributes required by importers. Whether this will increase margins is questionable given that leg quarters are regarded by U.S. integrators as a by-product of broiler production. A more profitable long-term strategy for the U.S. industry would be to develop products using dark meat to compete with and displace pork and beef in the domestic retail and institutional markets. Due to a shortage and hence high price for beef products this opportunity is now evident.

HPAI is now accepted to be panornitic affecting the poultry meat industries of six continents with seasonal and sporadic outbreaks. The incidence rate and location of cases in the U.S. has limited the eligibility for export from many plants depending on restrictions imposed by importing nations. Incident cases in the U.S. continued at a low rate in egg-production flocks and in turkeys during late 2025 but a resurgence is evident during the first quarter of 2026.

Uncertainty surrounding tariff policy is an added complication potentially impacting export volume in 2026. In the event of reduced exports, leg quarters would be diverted to the domestic market resulting in a depression in average value derived from a processed bird.

To offset an anticipated decline in exports of U.S. agricultural products the USDA will make available $285 million during 2026 for trade promotion including trade reciprocity missions and credit guarantees under the GSM-102 program. The USAPEEC received $7.0 million for export promotion for FY 2026. Of this total, $5.8 million was through the Market Access Program (MAP) and $1.2 million through the Foreign Market Development Program (FMDP). For FY 2026 The USDA will distribute $181 million among 68 industry associations under the MAP and $31 million under the FMDP to 18 organizations.

EXPORT VOLUMES AND PRICES FOR BROILER MEAT

The following table prepared from USDA data circulated by the USAPEEC, compares values for poultry meat exports during January-November 2025 compared with the corresponding months during 2024:-

                  COMPARISON OF U.S. CHICKEN AND TURKEY EXPORTS

                                    JANUARY-NOVEMBER 2025 COMPARED TO 2024

BROILER EXPORTS

Total broiler parts, predominantly leg quarters but including feet, exported during January-November 2025 compared with the corresponding months in 2024 declined by 4.0 percent in volume and value was down 0.6 percent. Unit value was 3.5 percent higher to $1,492 per metric ton.

For comparison during 2024 exports attained 3,251,000 metric tons valued at $4,689 million, down 10.5 percent in volume and down 1.1 percent in value compared to 2023. Unit value was up 10.7 percent to $1,442 per metric ton

Broiler imports in 2025 are projected to attain an inconsequential 67,000 metric tons (134 million lbs.) compared to 82,000 metric tons (180,000 million lbs.) in 2024

The top five importers of broiler meat represented 50.2 percent of shipments during January-November 2025. The top ten importers comprised 66.2 percent of the total volume reflecting concentration among the significant importing nations.

Third-ranked Cuba imported 209,639 metric tons over 11 months representing 7.3 percent of shipments that were valued at $265 million with a unit price of $1,264 per metric ton. Volume and value were respectively 7.3 and 6.4 percent lower than for the corresponding period in 2024. Continued trade with Cuba is imperiled by declining economic strength. Their capicity to import was recently exacerbated by the energy crisis resulting from action in Venezuela and U.S. policy on the supply of fuel to the nation.

Eighth-ranked China declined 44.7 percent in volume to 85,183 tons and concurrently by 31.3 percent in value to $262 million over the first eleven months of 2025 compared to the corresponding period in 2024. Unit value increased by 15.0 percent to $3,075 per metric ton reflecting the high proportion of feet in consignments

Nations gaining in volume compared to the corresponding period in 2024 (with the percentage change indicated) in descending order of volume with ranking indicated by numeral were:-

2. Taiwan, (+29%); 4. Philippines, (+29%); 5. Canada, (+12%); 10. UAE, (+5);             11.Ghana, (+18%); 12. Haiti, (+25%); 13, Dominican Rep., (+5%) and 16. Congo-Kinshasa), (+101%)

Losses during January-November 2025 offset the gains in exports with declines for:-

1. Mexico, (-7%); 3. Cuba, (-9%); 6. Guatemala, (-2%); 7. Angola, (-15%);

8. China, (-45%); 9. Viet Nam, (-33); 14. Hong Kong, (-36%) and 15. Columbia, (-2 %).         

TURKEY EXPORTS

The volume of turkey meat exported during January-November 2025 declined by 14.8 percent to 173,676 metric tons from the 11 months of 2024 but value was 15.9 percent higher at $715 million. Average unit value was 36.0 percent higher at $4,115 per metric ton.

Imports of turkey products attained 15,000 metric tons (33 million lbs.) in 2024 with a similar projection for 2025.

Mexico imported 137,717 tons during the 11-month period representing 79.3 percent of volume. Value attained $578 million comprising 79.5 percent of revenue at a unit price of $4,124 per ton. Canada imported 5,654 tons (3.3 percent of exports) valued at $20 million with a unit price of $3,573 per ton. 

It is important to recognize that exports of chicken and turkey meat products to our USMCA partners amounted to $1,264 million in 2021, $1,647 million during 2022, $1,696 in 2023 and $1,887 million over the first eleven months of 2025. It will be necessary for all three parties to the USMCA to respect the terms of the Agreement in good faith since punitive action against Mexico or Canada on issues unrelated to poultry products will result in reciprocal action by our trading partners to the possible detriment of U.S. agriculture.

 The emergence of H5N1strain avian influenza virus with a Eurasian genome in migratory waterfowl in all four Flyways of the U.S. during 2022 was responsible for sporadic outbreaks of avian influenza in backyard flocks and serious commercial losses in egg-producing complexes and turkey flocks but to a lesser extent in broilers. The probability of additional outbreaks of HPAI over succeeding weeks appears likely with recorded outbreaks in turkey farms in ND, SD and MN. Consistent with fall migration of waterfowl. Incident cases affecting egg-production and turkey flocks will be a function of shedding by migratory and domestic birds and possibly free-living mammals or even extension from dairy herds. Protection of commercial flocks at present relies on the intensity and efficiency of biosecurity including wild-bird laser repellant installations, representing investment in structural improvements and operational procedures. These measures are apparently inadequate to provide absolute protection, suggesting the need for preventive vaccination in high-risk areas for egg-producing, breeder and turkey flocks.

The application of restricted county-wide embargos following the limited and regional cases of HPAI in broilers with restoration of eligibility 28 days after decontamination has supported export volume for the U.S. broiler industry. Exports of turkey products were more constrained with plants processing turkeys in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Wisconsin and Iowa impacted.  The future challenge will be to gain acceptance for limited preventive vaccination of laying hens and turkeys in high-risk areas accompanied by intensive surveillance. It is now accepted that H5N1 HPAI is panornitic in distribution among commercial and migratory birds across six continents. The infection is now seasonally or regionally endemic in many nations with intensive poultry production, suggesting that vaccination will have to be accepted among trading partners as an adjunct to control measures in accordance with WOAH policy.

The live-bird market system supplying metropolitan areas, the presence of numerous backyard flocks, gamefowl and commercial laying hens allowed outside access, potentially in contact with migratory and now some resident bird species, all represent an ongoing danger to the entire U.S. commercial industry. The live-bird segments of U.S. poultry production represent a risk to the export eligibility of the broiler and turkey industries notwithstanding WOAH compartmentalization for breeders and regionalization (zoning) to counties or states for commercial production.