The pace of U.S. beef and pork exports in­­creased sharply in March, driven by double-digit increases to leading markets such as Mexico, the China/Hong Kong region and South Korea, according to statistics released last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

U.S. pork exports reached their highest monthly total since October 2012:...