Hong Kong                                  ...

Hong Kong                                                                                 

USMEF And USDA Hold Meeting With Trade On New Beef Import Conditions

USMEF and USDA held a joint meeting today (Jan. 3) for more than 90 members of Hong Kong's beef trade. The meeting reviewed the newly established import conditions for U.S. beef and the provisions of USDA's beef export verification (BEV) program for Hong Kong. USMEF also briefed attendees on current U.S. beef market conditions and discussed promotion and marketing plans for the U.S. beef relaunch in the territory. Lloyd Harbert, the director of USDA's Agricultural Trade Office, demonstrated key BEV supply information contained on the Agriculture Marketing Service website and encouraged buyers to visit USDA's site on a daily basis to keep abreast of new approved plants.

Hong Kong traders are keenly interested in restarting U.S. beef imports but are cautious about current price movements. USMEF-Hong Kong notes that ample supplies of certain Canadian beef items are in stock, and thus buying interest in certain product categories may be muted in the short run. On the other hand, a host of establishments, including a number of hotels, restaurants and retailers are anxious to put U.S. beef back on their shelvesand in menus, and this has prompted some early air-freight orders for U.S. chilled beef. USMEF expects the first U.S. beef shipments to arrive in Hong Kong by late this week or early next week. This week, USDA will attempt to engage Macau officials about re-establishing U.S. beef import eligibility, as that territory pledged to follow Hong Kong's lead in re-opening. Macau, unlike Hong Kong, currently allows imports of bone-in Canadian beef.

Hong Kong                                                                                 

USMEF And USDA Hold Meeting With Trade On New Beef Import Conditions

USMEF and USDA held a joint meeting today (Jan. 3) for more than 90 members of Hong Kong's beef trade. The meeting reviewed the newly established import conditions for U.S. beef and the provisions of USDA's beef export verification (BEV) program for Hong Kong. USMEF also briefed attendees on current U.S. beef market conditions and discussed promotion and marketing plans for the U.S. beef relaunch in the territory. Lloyd Harbert, the director of USDA's Agricultural Trade Office, demonstrated key BEV supply information contained on the Agriculture Marketing Service website and encouraged buyers to visit USDA's site on a daily basis to keep abreast of new approved plants.

Hong Kong traders are keenly interested in restarting U.S. beef imports but are cautious about current price movements. USMEF-Hong Kong notes that ample supplies of certain Canadian beef items are in stock, and thus buying interest in certain product categories may be muted in the short run. On the other hand, a host of establishments, including a number of hotels, restaurants and retailers are anxious to put U.S. beef back on their shelvesand in menus, and this has prompted some early air-freight orders for U.S. chilled beef. USMEF expects the first U.S. beef shipments to arrive in Hong Kong by late this week or early next week. This week, USDA will attempt to engage Macau officials about re-establishing U.S. beef import eligibility, as that territory pledged to follow Hong Kong's lead in re-opening. Macau, unlike Hong Kong, currently allows imports of bone-in Canadian beef.