March 24, 2009
US beef, poultry exports going strong; pork sales slowing
US meat exports have performed strongly in early 2009 despite the ongoing world economic woes, with shipments well above the same period last year while pork sales suffered.
US beef exports for January increased 8 percent on-year to 58,344 tonnes cwt.
Mexico and Canada remained the top two markets for US beef in January, though import volumes have decreased 10 percent and 30 percent on-year, respectively. Offsetting the declines to Mexico and Canada were increased sales to South Korea, Vietnam and Japan.
The economic crisis has led to consumers seeking cheaper protein sources, resulting in a 27-percent increase in US poultry exports to 298,936 tonnes cwt.
US pork exports declined 9 percent in January to 160,296 tonnes cwt, mainly due to a slump in shipments to China and Russia as financial and credit issues lowered demand for imported meat.
Despite the decline, the overall volume for January was stronger than analysts expected, and exports to Mexico posted strong growth. The increase of pork sales to Mexico was attributed to a stronger demand for cheaper meat products and a decline in Mexican pork supplies.
