August 23, 2007

 

June the highest-ever month for US broiler exports

 

 

After being lower than previous year levels for March, April, and May, broiler exports for June rose 32 percent above the same month a year before and became one of the highest monthly level ever, according to the USDA Livestock, Dairy and Poultry outlook released Monday (Aug 20).

 

Broiler exports amounted to 548 million pounds.

 

However, broiler exports for 2006 has been adjusted downwards by 68 million pounds from previous estimates due to a lowering of exports in the first quarter of 2006 to 1.27 billion pounds.

 

These changes meant broiler exports in the first quarter of 2007 were up slightly (0.4 percent) whereas exports in the second quarter were 7.4 percent higher at 1.39 billion pounds.

 

The increase in June was mostly the result of larger shipments to Russia, China, and Angola.

 

Exports to Russia was up 89 percent to 209 million pounds while exports to Hong Kong/China were 69 million pounds, up 77 percent from June 2006.

 

Shipments to Angola was 24 million pounds, more than triple the previous year.

 

However, the US lost the Romanian market due to its ascension to the EU. As the EU bans US broiler products, this effectively eliminates 100 million pounds of chicken exports for the US.

 

With a higher volume of exports and higher prices for broiler products, the value of broiler exports was much higher than the previous year.

 

In the first half of 2007, the value of broiler exports rose 44 percent to US$1.18 billion, US$360 million higher than in the first half of 2006.

 

Broiler exports in the second half of 2007 are estimated at 2.7 billion pounds, just up 2.3

percent from the same period in 2006.

 

The smaller increase is due to the expectation that broiler prices in the second half of 2007 would not reach the high levels seen in the first half of the year.