May 9, 2014

US beef and pork exports in March have been quickened by the double-digit increases in shipments to leading markets such as Mexico, the China/Hong Kong region and South Korea, the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) reported.

In March, US pork exports increased 29% in both volume and value compared to a year ago. Pork exports totalled 209,704 tonnes with a value of US$606.7 million which represents their highest monthly total since October 2012, according to USMEF.

Beef exports gained 12% in volume and 17% in value during March. Total volume was 93,380 tonnes valued at US$516.2 million.

"Even with high prices and supply concerns, we are working to keep the visibility of US beef and pork high in our key export markets, and they continue to respond positively," said Philip Seng, USMEF president and CEO.

Among the many encouraging signs are the continued strength of the Mexican market in both pork and beef, and the rebound of South Korea, which has been an area of focus for USMEF as that market has been challenged over the past year by an over-supply of domestic product, Seng said.

Despite the impact of porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDv) and a 4% decline in US pork production, pork exports remained strong in March, USMEF noted. It said increased exports reflect the fact that some product was shipped out of cold storage from previous months' production.