SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Illinois Pork Producers Association (IPA) President Jennifer Tirey had barely finished unpacking from a trade mission to Mexico City, Mexico, when news came down that China would increase their retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. to 81 percent on pork products from the 34 percent raise previously announced.

With the status of U.S. international trade partners as unsteady as ever due to the Trump administration’s latest tariffs, Tirey’s goodwill trade mission to Mexico as a guest of Governor JB Pritzker, which resulted in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the nation’s trade leaders, couldn’t have been timelier.

“I felt really honored to be part of the conversation, and proud that the governor saw the critical need for us to be there,” Tirey said. “Agriculture is such a huge economic engine for our state, with soybeans and corn obviously having a huge footprint in that space as well. We weren’t there to solve the world’s problems overnight, but we did make some very necessary connections that I think moving forward will really help us.”

The Illinois-specific trade mission began on March 30 and concluded April 2. Because of weather-related flight delays, Tirey did not arrive back in Springfield until April 3. The trip, organized by Pritzker, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) and Intersect Illinois also included state ag commodity representatives Rodney Weinzierl, of Illinois Corn, John Lumpe, of Illinois Soybean, and Josh St. Peters, of Illinois Beef. Also present was Jerry Costello II, IDOA director. 

“On Monday morning (March 31) the entire delegation had a morning briefing in the U.S. Embassy, and the (USDA Foreign Agriculture Service) minister of agriculture, Morgan Perkins, was present at that meeting. Representatives from four different sectors were also present at the U.S. Embassy meeting: the Councils for Commercial Affairs, Political Affairs, Economic Affairs, and Agricultural Affairs,” Tirey reported.

“I found that panel to be very interesting in how all of these sectors are connected, and it was nice to hear how some sectors’ issues affected others. From there we were able to talk directly to the minister of agriculture about the issues that are impacting us, including the bilateral trade agreement and how important it is to us.”  

Topping the list of issues discussed with Mexican trade partners and company representatives was the existing 25 percent tariff on Mexican products entering the U.S., along with the potential of additional tariffs on Mexican products from the U.S. and retaliatory measures against U.S. products by Mexico.

“We did talk to a few buyers that were concerned with the tariffs and were talking about looking at other markets just to potentially hedge their bets,” Tirey said. “That is one of our biggest concerns, potentially losing that (Mexican) market. It would be so hard to get back.”

An Ag Roundtable was held April 1, during which the Illinois ag commodity leaders met with buyers for Mexican food companies. Some approached Tirey with questions about how to work more effectively one-on-one with the Illinois pork industry. “This meeting opened up potential doors that we hadn’t opened before,” Tirey said, “and it gave all our commodity groups an opportunity to share why we were there with the Mexican delegation.”

The National Pork Board reported in 2024 that Mexico is the largest export market for U.S. pork, accounting for around 37 percent of exports. From January to April 2024, exports to Mexico increased by 11 percent in volume to 388,855 metric tons (mt) and 18 percent in value to $815.6 million. April 2024 pork exports to Mexico reached a record 107,594 mt, up 34 percent from the previous year, with a value of $240.5 million, a 61 percent increase.

According to a state of Illinois news release, bilateral trade between Illinois and Mexico exceeded $32 billion in 2024, making Mexico Illinois’ second-largest export market. Exports include chemicals, agricultural products and machinery. Conversely, Mexico is Illinois’ third-largest import market, with Illinois importing over $19 billion in goods, including beverages, transportation equipment and electronics.

In addition to tariffs, Tirey and her ag colleagues also discussed migrant labor issues with the Mexican delegation and trade representatives. 

“It was important to be able to share the importance of livestock and why the industry is one of the overall economic drivers of the state of Illinois, but also to share how interdependent we are as an industry on TN (temporary nonimmigrant) visas. A lot of those workers come from Mexico, and our interrelationship goes so far and is so necessary to keeping our industry in the positive moving forward,” Tirey said.

A MOU between Mexico and the state of Illinois was renewed near the conclusion of the trip for the first time since the 1990s, solidifying their historic trade relationship and shared spirit of cooperation. “Regardless of what may or may not come out of the tariffs, there was an assurance that these two entities want to continue working together into the future,” according to Tirey.