January 17, 2005

US Pork Exports Exceeds $2 Billion In 2004

In 2004, the U.S. pork industry sold more than $2 billion worth of pork and pork variety meat products to export markets for the first time, and the tonnage shipped last year set a record high for the 14th consecutive year, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation.

"Although December statistics are not yet in, U.S. pork exports to countries around the world totaled $2.015 billion in the first 11 months of the year," the USMEF said. The value of the sales through that period was almost half a billion dollars more than for the pork exported in the whole of 2003.

In 1991, U.S. pork exports, including variety meats, broke the previous record set in 1989, and every year since then the industry has exported more product. USMEF said that "although the value of U.S. pork exports has also increased exponentially, fluctuations in prices mean that the record setting has not been in a consistent line. In 2004, however, the U.S. pork industry's exports exceeded $2 billion for the first time."

U.S. exports of pork and pork variety meats had already broken the tonnage record set in 2003 though the October statistics, USMEF said. The November figures thus just added to the record volume. Through the first 11 months, total pork exports were 36% higher in volume compared with the same period in 2003, and 40% higher in value at $2.015 billion. U.S. total pork exports to Japan were up 14% in volume and 22% in value versus the previous year. Mexico retained the No. 1 rank in tonnage with a 73% increase in volume and a 98% increase in value to $511.2 million.

The U.S. Meat Export Federation is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn, sorghum and soybean checkoff programs.