US red meat shows strong export performance

Statistics released by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and compiled by the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) revealed US pork exports were buoyed by strong growth in Mexico and the Central/South America region in November, hitting their highest monthly levels for a year. However, pork volumes for the month were still 4% down on 2012 levels at 192,657 metric tons (mt), with values down nearly 3% year-on-year to $550.7m. Mexico was the top performing market for the month, with volumes up 16% year-on-year to 58,678mt and value up nearly 26% to $124.3m. Pork exports to Central/South America were up 58% year-on-year in volume terms, and 77% in value, driven by strong growth in Columbia, Chile and Honduras. Hong Kong and the ASEAN region also saw growth of 35% and 25% in volume terms respectively, although volumes to China fell 15% to 27,978mt. Exports to Japan, which is the biggest market for US pork in terms of value, continued to trail 2012 levels, down 2% in volume and 7% in value in November. Year-to-date pork volumes are down 6% year-on-year in volume and 5% in value, although this is from record-breaking levels in 2012. USMEF said Russia’s meat ban, losses in Japan and limited access to the Chinese market were the key drivers behind the fall in exports. Beef records In contrast, US beef exports continued to climb, and were up 11% in volume and 16% in value in November, putting year-to-date totals at nearly 1.1 million mt, up 3% year-on-year. Export value for the first 11 months of the year was up 11% to $5.61bn. USMEF said beef exports for the month were “driven by sustained export growth to Japan and Hong Kong and the continued rebound of the Mexican market.” Beef exports to Japan – the biggest market for US beef – were up 74% to 17,135mt in November, with value up 41% to $101.2m. Volumes to Hong Kong were up 11% to 15,185mt, with values up an impressive 163% to $98.1m. US beef exports to Mexico, which was the second-biggest market for US beef last year, increased by more than 62% year-on-year in November to 20,114mt, with value up more than 50% to $82.9m. The ASEAN market also recorded an increase in volumes and value, which USMEF said was “led by a recovery of exports to Indonesia”. Barriers remain Although the results are broadly positive for US red meat exports, USMEF president and CEO Philip Seng said some markets continued to pose a challenge for exporters. “Market access, product availability, relationships... there are many factors that play a role in the export marketplace,” he explained. “We continue to see benefits from expanded market access for beef in Japan and Hong Kong. At the same time, the lack of access for US beef to mainland China and the closure of the Russian market for both pork and beef – which is approaching a year in duration – are significant barriers.”

US red meat shows strong export performance

US pork exports had their strongest month of 2013 in November, and beef exports for the month continued to break records.

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