Meat + Poultry - October 2009 - 28

International
Asian markets are ripe for U.S. beef sales
Trade officials regularly hold U.S. beef
promotions for consumers in Japan.
(Photo courtesy of USMEF)

Untapped opportunities in China,
South Korea and Japan represent a
"shovel-ready stimulus" for the U.S.
beef industry, if trade issues can be resolved, according to U.S. Meat Export
Federation Chairman-elect Jim Peterson, who recently returned from Asia.
Peterson, a rancher from Buffalo,
Mont., noted the industry especially
needs modification of the 20-month
cattle-age limit Japan imposes on U.S.
beef, and that the U.S.-Korea Free

Trade Agreement could provide relief from high tariffs in that market.
"If we could develop these international markets and get our access
back to anything close to what it was
in 2003, the economic stimulus would
be huge for U.S. livestock producers,"
he said. "This market is, as they say,
'shovel ready' - so if you want a shovel-ready economic stimulus for the
livestock industry in the U.S., international markets are the place to do it."

The next step is to get the governments talking to one another and gain
U.S. beef access, he added.
Peterson also discussed his visit
with executives from Daiei, Japan's
third-largest supermarket chain.
"Their demand for U.S. beef is extremely good," he said. "They say that
really the only limiting factor is they
can't get enough of it certain times
of the year because of the 20-month
limitation. The point-of-purchase
displays that are being put on by the
U.S Meat Export Federation are very
impressive. The product is beautiful,
consumers are buying it and the opportunity is for us to get back to our
own governments and get these government-to-government talks going
and get these markets open so we can
stimulate our livestock industry during
these depressed times. The opportunity is there. We just have to do it." ■

U.S. beef, pork export
pace sluggish in July

NCC: China's anti-dumping
probe is unjustified

U.S. pork and beef exports from January through July
lagged behind last year's pace due to a difficult global
economic climate and lingering effects from the H1N1
influenza outbreak, according to the U.S. Meat Export
Federation.
Pork exports totaled 1.08 million metric tons (2.38 billion lbs.) valued at $2.53 billion, based on the most recent
statistics released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
and compiled by the USMEF. Although these totals are a
respective 10 percent and 9 percent below last year's recordshattering pace, they are still 53 percent higher in volume
and 48 percent higher in value than in January-July 2007.
Beef exports of 512,053 metric tons (1.13 billion lbs.)
valued at $1.94 billion are 6 percent below last year's volume
and 10 percent lower in value. This difference, however,
is primarily due to a very sluggish global market for beef
variety meat. Beef muscle-cut exports of 338,217 metric
tons (745.6 million lbs.) are slightly above last year's volume, while trailing in value ($1.445 billion vs. $1.48 billion) by only 2 percent. ■

China's anti-dumping investigation into poultry exports
there is unjustified, the U.S. chicken industry said Sept.
14 in a statement from the National Chicken Council.
"China's announcement is obviously in direct retaliation for the U.S. action in putting tariffs on tires made
in China," the statement said. "Charges of dumping of
poultry products are completely unjustified. Our companies engage in normal trade with China, not dumping. We
believe chicken is being targeted by the Chinese because
of the concerns they have expressed over the provision in
the U.S. appropriations act that prohibits the U.S. Department of Agriculture from determining China's ability to
ship fully cooked poultry products to the United States."
China has requested a dispute resolution panel from
the World Trade Organization over the appropriations
provision.
In the fi rst seven months of 2009, the U.S. exported
436,544 metric tons of chicken valued at $376 million
to China. In 2008, the chicken trade with China totaled
757,786 metric tons valued at $682 million. ■

28 * Meat&Poultry * October 2009 * www.MeatPoultry.com

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Meat + Poultry - October 2009

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