Meat + Poultry - May 2008 - 21

BUSINESS NOTES
F ORMA) G

Photo courtesy of USMEF

There 's mo re In It fo r you.

U.S. pork, beef exports post solid gains
MORE PRODUCTIVE.
MORE HYGIENIC.
MORE FLEXIBLE.
THAT'S TODAY'S FORMAX .
®

INTRODUCING POWERMAX4000.™
The newest innovation in advanced
slicing technology.
SUPERIOR PORTION AND WEIGHT CONTROL
The system can be configured with up to four independent
product drives to provide complete control over each log,
ensuring accurate weight control of every sliced portion.

UNSURPASSED HYGIENE AND FOOD SAFETY
Laser technology minimizes the amount of mechanical
guarding required, resulting in an open and hygienic design.
The cleanup mode provides complete and easy access to
all components thereby
simplifying and
speeding
washdown.

TO LEARN MORE, VISIT:

TODAYSFORMAX.COM

Data recently released by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and compiled
by the U.S. Meat Export Federation show continuing success in the export market helped buoy the U.S. pork industry in the first two months
of 2008, while U.S. beef exports continued to post solid gains over the
previous year,
"The growth engine for the U.S. meat industry will continue to be the
export market," said Philip Seng, USMEF president and CEO. "The weakened U.S. dollar, competitive pricing for U.S. exports and declining production by some of our competitors combine to create conditions that
support continued growth internationally."
The U.S. pork industry saw its fifth-consecutive month of recordbreaking exports (including variety meats) in February. Exports in February reached 346 million pounds (156,969 metric tons), an increase of
6 percent over the record set in January, and a 55 percent jump over export totals from February 2007.
"Pork production is running 12 percent over last year, making it impossible to raise prices to cover the ever-increasing costs of production,"
said Erin Daley, USMEF manager of research and analysis. "Without pork
exports, at these production rates the U.S. market would have to absorb
the equivalent of an additional 60,000 hogs per day, which would drive
prices down significantly."
For the two-month period ( January-February 2008), pork plus pork
variety meat exports were up 41 percent, totaling 671.6 million pounds
(304,651 metric tons) valued at $685 million.
Meanwhile, exports of beef muscle cuts increased 36 percent to 168.5
million pounds (76,445 metric tons) when compared to the same twomonth period in 2007, and beef variety-meat exports increased 17 percent to 118 million pounds (53,529 metric tons) for a combined total of
286.5 million pounds (129,974 metric tons) valued at $442 million, an
increase of 40 percent.

USA: 9150 191st Street, P.O. Box 330, Mokena, IL 60448 (near Chicago)
22 I MEAT&POULTRY I May 2008 I www.MEATPOULTRY.com
708-479-3500 E-mail:marketing@formaxinc.com ©2008 Formax,® Inc. FM0798(I)

http://www.TODAYSFORMAX.COM http://www.MEATPOULTRY.com

Meat + Poultry - May 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meat + Poultry - May 2008