Chicken exports in January 2026 increased 2.8 percent in quantity; decreased 3.7 percent in value when compared with January 2025, according to USDA.
Chicken exports for January 2026 were as follows:
| U.S. Chicken Exports in the Month of January | ||||||
| Quantity | Value | |||||
| 2025 | 2026 | Change | 2025 | 2026 | Change | |
| metric tons | % | million dollars | % | |||
| Chicken Parts | 230,555 | 234,140 | 1.6 | 330.77 | 312.95 | -5.4 |
| Prepared Chicken & Sausages | 10,081 | 10,259 | 1.8 | 43.03 | 41.15 | -4.4 |
| Whole Chickens | 1,538 | 4,604 | 199.3 | 2.82 | 8.60 | 205.0 |
| Total | 242,173 | 249,002 | 2.8 | 376.62 | 362.70 | -3.7 |
Chicken parts exports January 2026 were as follows:
| Destination | U.S. Chicken Parts Exports for the Month of January | |||||
| Quantity | Value | |||||
| 2025 | 2026 | Change | 2025 | 2026 | Change | |
| metric tons | % | million dollars | % | |||
| Mexico | 63,964 | 55,012 | -14.0 | 74.88 | 59.68 | -20.3 |
| Cuba | 26,180 | 15,577 | -40.5 | 33.57 | 19.02 | -43.3 |
| Taiwan | 21,040 | 14,421 | -31.5 | 29.71 | 16.91 | -43.1 |
| Vietnam | 7,398 | 14,287 | 93.1 | 8.77 | 15.83 | 80.5 |
| Canada | 14,041 | 13,390 | -4.6 | 36.96 | 34.62 | -6.3 |
| Philippines | 5,960 | 11,770 | 97.5 | 6.88 | 13.83 | 101.0 |
| Guatemala | 11,388 | 11,609 | 1.9 | 15.49 | 14.34 | -7.4 |
| Angola | 5,676 | 9,634 | 69.7 | 6.76 | 11.88 | 75.7 |
| Haiti | 4,387 | 8,044 | 83.3 | 5.01 | 10.32 | 106.0 |
| Turkmenistan | 2,178 | 7,536 | 246.0 | 2.43 | 8.82 | 263.0 |
| Ghana | 4,358 | 5,824 | 33.6 | 6.28 | 8.74 | 39.2 |
| Dominican Republic | 6,089 | 5,298 | -13.0 | 9.37 | 9.04 | -3.5 |
| Hong Kong | 1,807 | 4,597 | 154.4 | 2.72 | 5.80 | 113.2 |
| Colombia | 2,100 | 4,526 | 115.5 | 3.83 | 7.66 | 100.0 |
| Gambia, The | 2,270 | 4,340 | 91.2 | 2.86 | 5.29 | 85.0 |
| Top 15 Countries | 178,836 | 185,864 | 3.9 | 245.52 | 241.78 | -1.5 |
| Other Countries | 51,718 | 48,276 | -6.7 | 85.25 | 71.17 | -16.5 |
| Grand Total | 230,555 | 234,140 | 1.6 | 330.77 | 312.95 | -5.4 |
U.S. total broiler slaughter data for the week ending April 4, 2026, is estimated by USDA’s Poultry Market News Service to be 168,174,000 broilers, no change from the same week a year earlier.
The no change in slaughter compares with a 2-percent increase in eggs set in the United States, 10 weeks earlier, and a 2-percent increase in chicks placed 7 weeks earlier in the United States. USDA’s latest Broiler Hatchery report can be viewed here.
| U.S. Eggs Set, Chicks Placed, Broiler Slaughter Report | ||||||||||
| Week ending | Eggs set | Chicks placed | Eggs set | Chicks placed | Broilers slaughtered | |||||
| change from | change from | 10 weeks previous | 7 weeks previous | |||||||
| 1 year | 1 year | 1 year | 1 year | 1 year | ||||||
| -000- | % | -000- | % | -000- | % | -000- | % | -000- | % | |
| Feb | ||||||||||
| 21 | 254,948 | 102 | 192,408 | 101 |
253,045 | 102 | 196,861 | 102 | 172,407 | 106 |
| 28 | 254,423 | 102 | 193,098 | 101 |
252,529 | 102 | 195,873 | 103 | 170,100 | 101 |
| Mar | ||||||||||
| 7 | 253,744 | 102 | 194,166 | 102 |
252,666 | 102 | 196,122 | 103 | 172,229 | 103 |
| 14 | 254,767 | 102 | 196,111 | 102 |
252,239 | 101 | 194,978 | 101 | 173,432 | 104 |
| 21 | 254,820 | 102 | 195,837 | 102 |
253,361 | 102 | 195,386 | 102 | 170,237 | 102 |
| 28 | 255,665 | 103 | 195,857 | 102 |
254,388 | 103 | 195,573 | 102 | 168,527 | 101 |
| Apr | ||||||||||
| 4* | 252,754 | 102 | 196,420 | 103 |
253,842 | 102 | 195,378 | 102 | 168,174 | 100 |
| 11 | — | — | — | — |
251,111 | 101 | 192,408 | 101 | — | — |
*Easter Holiday Weekend
What Happened: USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on Tuesday published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) in the Federal Register seeking stakeholder input on whether — and how — the agency should update the size definitions it uses to classify meat and poultry establishments as “very small,” “small,” or “large.” FSIS is asking stakeholders to weigh in on alternative metrics such as production volume, corporate ownership structure, and business revenue.
Why It Matters: The current definitions, which are based on employee count and annual sales, date back to the 1996 Pathogen Reduction/HACCP Systems final rule and have remained largely unchanged since.
The size classifications determine, in part, which regulatory requirements apply to a facility, when compliance deadlines kick in, and which federal assistance programs an establishment is eligible for. Poultry processing facilities that fall under the “small” or “very small” categories may qualify for phased extended compliance timelines, reduced inspection fees, and exemptions from certain labeling and sampling requirements. The current definitions create some significant anomalies — an 11-employee plant and a 499-employee plant, for example, are both classified as “small,” even though their production capacity may be vastly different.
NCC’s Take: We have been advocating for a change to the establishment size definitions for some time and welcome this announcement. It is our position that establishments should be categorized by production volume instead of employee count, ownership structure, or revenue.
What’s Next: NCC will be providing comments to the agency which are due May 26, 2026.
WHAT HAPPENED: After 41 days, the Senate voted early Friday morning to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security, excluding ICE and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). In a near-empty chamber, senators approved the funding by voice vote at 3 a.m. The fight over ICE and CBP will be pushed to reconciliation, along with measures on funding the war in Iran and the SAVE America Act.
WHAT’s NEXT? House leadership isn’t sure when the chamber would take this up, but it is expected it will be today or Saturday, and the bill should pass the House before the end of the weekend at the latest.
WHAT HAPPENED: USDA on Tuesday announced the launch of a national public awareness campaign to inform meat, poultry, and egg producers of the “Product of USA” voluntary labeling standard which went into effect on January 1, 2026, and intends to increase consumer understanding of what the label means. The claim is voluntary and ends the prior practice which allowed imported products to carry the claim after minimal processing and strengthens consumer confidence by aligning with what Americans expect and demand.
WHY IT MATTERS: The new labels follow updated USDA rules governing which products can carry the designation. Previously, items that were merely packaged or processed in the U.S. could legally use the label. In 2024, USDA revised the labeling rules, with the new requirements going into effect earlier this year. USDA does not maintain mandatory country-of-origin labeling claims for other types of meat products.
NCC’s TAKE: Consumers seeking chicken that’s Made in the USA can already find the “Hatched, Raised & Harvested in the U.S.” label on American chicken. Nearly all chicken consumed in the USA (more than 99%) is hatched raised and processed here, and this must be noted on the package in retail, as chicken has mandatory country of origin labeling. “We are very proud of that distinction, and now our members have another tool to showcase that their chicken is American made,” said NCC spokesperson Tom Super.
NEXT STEPS: For more information and an FAQ, visit: https://www.usda.gov/usa.
