(NAFB) – Both U.S. beef and pork exports are on a record pace through September, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation.

Beef exports posted one of the best months on record in September, at 123,600 metric tons, up 20 percent from a year ago and the fourth largest volume of the post-BSE era. Export value jumped 59 percent to $954.1 million, the second-highest month on record, trailing only August 2021. For the first three quarters of 2021, beef exports increased 18 percent from a year ago to 1.08 million metric tons, valued at $7.58 billion, up more than $2 billion from the same period last year.

Pork exports totaled 219,680 metric tons in September, down one percent from a year ago, but value was eight percent higher at $608.3 million. For January through September, exports were one percent above last year’s record pace at 2.24 million metric tons, while value climbed nine percent to $6.23 billion.