A partner with Polar Pork suggests lower global meat supplies offer good cause for optimism in the pork sector heading into 2026.
Despite concerns over the possibility of U.S. tariffs on Canadian pork as a result of the renegotiation of the Canada U.S. Mexico Agreement, market conditions are favorable.
Florian Possberg, a partner with Polar Pork, observes global beef, pork and poultry supplies have been stressed.
2024 was a difficult year in the hog business profitability wise and 2025 kind of started out slow as well but then, as we got into springtime, prices picked up and we actually had a pretty good last three quarters of 2025 for our hog industry so it started slow but picked up.
The good times that ended 2025 seem to be spilling over into 2026. USDA had their Hog and Pig Report come out in December and it showed that there’s really no significant expansion. In fact, the sow herd actually contracted in the U.S. You add to that the beef herd is at an all time low since the 90’s so the supply of beef is stressed. The poultry industry is still challenged with high path avian influenza so proteins are going to be in short supply in 2026 as it looks today and that means, combined with reasonably priced feed grains, makes for optimism that we’re going to have a profitable 2026.
~ Florian Possberg, Polar Pork
Possberg says, if it’s market based, we’re looking at a pretty decent summer and fall but, if politics get involved and disrupt things, who knows? He says although market conditions are favorable the political situation is a bit worrisome.
