December 21, 2005

US pork exports rise after bird flu, BSE

US hog producers and pork processors are seeing a boost in sales after food-safety concerns on beef and chicken raised global demand for pork.

The US pork industry sold 20.5 billion pounds of pork last year, up from 19.9 billion pounds the previous year, according to University of Missouri's estimates.

Pork sales increased in both domestic and export markets but the increased pork demand is mainly boosted by exports, according to National Pork Producers Council consultant Steve Meyer, pointing out that pork exports jumped almost 30 percent to 1.6 billion pounds in 2004.

Pork became an alternative meat source after worldwide consumer concerns on bird flu in poultry and BSE in beef, resulting in several countries banning US beef imports. A weak US dollar also contributed to the pork export boost.