USMEF - U.S. Meat Export Federation
05/22/2026 | Press release | Archived content
CAFTA-DR to Continue Driving U.S. Red Meat Exports to Central America
CAFTA-DR to Continue Driving U.S. Red Meat Exports to Central America
Published: May 22, 2026
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Central America will continue to be a a growing market for exports of U.S. pork and beef, due in large part to the Dominican Republic - Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR). That was the message from Ricardo Zúniga, founding partner of Dinámica Americas and featured speaker at the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Spring Conference in Oklahoma City.
Zúniga noted that CAFTA-DR survived challenges in the past year as the textile industry voiced opposition to a Section 301 tariff investigation that could have terminated CAFTA-DR benefits for Nicaragua and threatened the stability of the agreement. While Zúniga is bullish on the economic outlook for Central America, he cautioned that a number of factors could limit the region's growing demand for U.S. beef and pork. These include the Iran war and a potential reduction of remittances sent from relatives working in the U.S. due to increased border enforcement.
More information about the Spring Conference is available on the USMEF website.
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