February 19, 2009

The value of US poultry, eggs and processed egg product exports in 2008 set a record at US$4.7 billion, topping the 2007 figure by 25 percent.

The USA Poultry and Egg Export Council said in a press release Wednesday (February 18) that it was the second consecutive year for record poultry exports.

Also, for the first time, exports of all poultry and egg products in 2008 topped US$5 billion. The total, at US$5.05 billion, was up 24 percent from the previous year and includes non-food items such as live breeding stock, hatching eggs and feathers and down, according to trade data compiled by the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service, USAPEEC said.

Broiler meat exports, not including chicken paws (feet), for 2008 set a new record in both quantity and value, USAPEEC said. The volume reached 3.2 million tonnes, up 18 percent from 2007, while the value reached US$3.5 billion, US$777 million or 28 percent above the previous year, said Renan Zhuang, director of economic analysis at the USAPEEC.

US turkey meat exports also established records in both volume and value in 2008. - "For US broilers, exports have become increasingly less concentrated," said Zhuang. "Volume to the top three markets last year - Russia, China and Mexico - totalled 1,464,625 tonnes. The combined share of broiler exports to these three largest markets was 46 percent in 2008, compared with 52 percent a year earlier. While export volumes to Russia for the year decreased by 4 percent, volumes to China and Mexico have increased by 12 percent and 27 percent, respectively.

Monthly US broiler meat shipments to all destinations in 2008 increased year-on-year over 2007 in every month except November, Zhuang said. Also, broiler meat export prices in the second half of 2008 increased about 6 percent from the first half of 2008, even as the world economy entered a severe economic downturn.