February 22, 2006

US 2005 pork net exports rose to 7.9 percent of production

US pork net exports in 2005 rose to 7.91 percent of production, the highest ever, and contributed US$17.24 to the return per hog for US producers, according to Glenn Grimes, agricultural economist and professor emeritus at the University of Missouri.

Grimes' import/export data compiled since 1987 showed that the US was a net importer of pork through 1994 but has been a net exporter in the years since. Exports have far outdone imports the past two years, with the 2004 net figure at 5.26 percent of production.

Pork exports for 2005 were up 22 percent from 2004 while pork imports declined by 6.9 percent from a year earlier. The biggest declines in pork imports were from the US's two largest suppliers, Canada at down 5.5 percent and Denmark at 28.2 percent lower, Grimes said. Live hog imports were also down in 2005. Feeder pig imports from Canada fell by 3.7 percent, while slaughter hog imports were down 3.7 percent from 12 months earlier.