March 8, 2004

US Pork Sales, Agriculture Exports Up Despite Animal Diseases

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman confirmed in an address to pork producers Friday that U.S. pork sales have gotten a boost as a result of animal health issues such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy and avian influenza.
 
Veneman touched on a variety of topics as the featured speaker at the National Pork Forum in Atlanta. Issues regarding exports and efforts to clamp down on the threat of animal diseases resonated with most in attendance.
 
Veneman said USDA's "bright economic picture" for U.S. agriculture in 2004 is tied to trade. Forecasts are for near-record exports of $59 billion for all agricultural products this year, despite the loss of sales recently of U.S. beef and poultry overseas due to BSE, or mad-cow disease, and avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, that developed in parts of the country, she said.
 
The government's outlook includes new records and continued pork export growth with more than 800,000 tons forecast for this year, which is up 3% from a year ago, said Veneman.
 
Although Japan, the U.S.'s leading pork-export destination, has restrictions in place regarding beef and pork from North America, progress was made recently when Japan allowed in poultry that was already "in the pipeline" prior to the avian flu cases in the U.S., said Veneman.
 
Agreeing to accept poultry that was already in the shipping process was helpful because it alleviated questions about what to do with product after it had been loaded and headed for destination, she said.
 
"Animal health issues have kept us busy over the last couple of months, said Veneman. Although BSE doesn't affect pork producers directly, ripples are being felt throughout agriculture, she said.
 
Veneman said that trade barriers due to the BSE and bird flu situations will create additional export opportunities for pork. She cited Japan's ban on North American beef and poultry as an example.
 
"Interrupted beef and poultry supplies have caused demand increases for both pork and fish," said Veneman.
 
BSE has also increased the urgency for plans to develop an effective and verifiable national system for animal identification, Veneman added.
 
Veneman also touted President Bush's plan to allocate $178 million in his fiscal-year 2005 budget for finishing renovation of the National Centers For Animal Health, located in Ames, Iowa. The funds are part of a larger $381 million food and agriculture defense initiative designed to protect public health and respond to the threat from foreign animal diseases, she said.
 
A high USDA research priority is focused on the field of genomics, with an area of increasing emphasis paid to animal genomics, said Veneman. The swine genome is the next livestock species in line to be sequenced and could yield valuable information that could improve product quality and safety and enhance animal health, and it holds potential benefits for human health, she said.