The meat trade between Mexico and the United States demands a logistics system capable of maintaining timeliness, food safety, and the cold chain. Although trucking dominates border crossings, rail is beginning to gain ground as an alternative for building intermodal, two-way routes .
In 2025, Mexico imported more than 1.24 million tons of pork and 209,000 tons of beef from the United States , with a combined value exceeding $4.1 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) . Mexico also exported meat to 27 countries and shipped 304,000 tons to the U.S. market, representing 65.6% of its total exports, according to the 2025 Statistical Compendium of the Mexican Meat Council (Comecarne) .
This influx opened up opportunities for refrigerated rail services. In August 2025, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) of Mexico announced the addition of SuKarne to its refrigerated container solution, operated with Americold to the United States.
“We have Senasica personnel in an office alongside USDA staff to handle meat imports and expedite inspections from Kansas City. What we’re trying to do is streamline the process. Senasica welcomed this as a way to alleviate congestion and provide support at the border. In Salinas Victoria, we have an inspection point, and obviously in Laredo, where many shipments converge. Finally, at the Toluca ramp, we just received permission to receive grains, cotton, and dog food,” explained Linda Hernández, Business and Industrial Development Manager for the company, at the 2026 National Freight Transportation Forum of the National Association of Private Transportation (ANTP) .
CPKC has 1,000 temperature-controlled containers and four inspection points at the point of origin authorized by the National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety and Quality (Senasica) . This aims to prevent disruptions and delays.
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