While the industry is highlighting its achievements during the World Pork Expo, the head of the National Pork Producers Council says hog farmers are taking a beating.

ccording to an Iowa State University analysis, hog futures have plummeted 18-dollars per head since China first proposed retaliatory tariffs.

John Hemerl says that equals’s a $2.2 billion dollar industry loss on an annualized basis,” Heimerl said. Heimerl says while that drop isn’t completely due to trade issues, it’s the dominant factor and involves more than just the impasse with China. Mexico imposed tariffs on U.S. pork this week.

Heimerl Farms is located outside of Columbus, Ohio, and operates 140 livestock barns and a feed mill.