Haggard comments on surging pork exports to China

(Audio with Joel Haggard (pronounced: HAG-urd), the U.S. Meat Export Federation’s senior vice president for the Asia-Pacific region)

Exports of U.S. pork have gained tremendous momentum in 2008, growing worldwide by about 60 percent in volume and by more than 50 percent in value over the same period a year ago. A large portion of this growth has occurred due to a strong increase in pork exports to China and Hong Kong - which have more than quadrupled in volume over last year, and have enjoyed a five-fold increase in value. In fact, pork exports to China/Hong Kong in just the first five months of 2008 already surpassed the final total for all of 2007.

Joel Haggard, who is based in Hong Kong as the U.S. Meat Export Federation’s senior vice president for the Asia-Pacific region, says several factors have come together to make China a very attractive market for U.S. pork. One of the most critical has been a decline in China’s domestic pork production.

Audio Clip #1:              :24        Outcue:           “… a significant amount. ”

Haggard added that while short-term factors are likely to cause fluctuations in exports to China, the economic outlook for long-term growth in U.S. meat exports is extremely positive.  

Audio Clip #2               :26        Outcue:           “… looks very bright.”  

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The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org) is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn, sorghum and soybean checkoff programs.