The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) works to build demand for U.S. red me...

The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) works to build demand for U.S. red meat in other countries. To increase U.S. meat sales in these countries, USMEF brings the people who regulate, buy and prepare U.S. beef and pork here, to the United States, so they can see all elements of U.S. beef and pork industries for themselves.

It has been a busy summer for USMEF hosting international government decision makers, media and meat buyers, all interested in gaining a broader understanding of the U.S. meat industries and safety measures to ensure high quality products.

As negotiations with Japan to reopen its market to U.S. beef were moving forward in May, USMEF arranged a visit to the United States for members of the Diet of Japan, the legislative body that enacts laws, ratifies treaties and investigates government activities.

USMEF accompanied Diet team members to a U.S. beef feedlot so the team could see feeding practices assuring compliance with the feed ban and a processing plant to observe removal of specified risk materials (SRMs). These visits helped Diet team members see BSE surveillance and safety measures in practice. The team also met with the USDA in Washington, D.C.

A team of Japanese BSE experts also visited the United States the first week of August to observe the latest situation on BSE research and preventive measures in addition to meeting with Dr. Keith Belk, a renowned animal scientist and BSE expert.

During the team’s week-long visit they met with USMEF representatives and Colorado State University experts to discuss current industry circumstances. The team visited the BSE Diagnostic Lab and Colorado State University Agriculture Research and Development Education Center (ARDEC). Team members commented the U.S. beef industry is making notable progress to eradicated BSE to regain consumer confidence.

Japan was the largest importer of U.S. beef before it imposed a ban in December 2003 when the United States discovered its first case of BSE. At that time, the Japanese market represented $1.4 billion in annual income for the U.S. beef industry.

USMEF also has arranged and hosted trips for other government teams from South Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, Hong Kong and Russia.

From government teams to trade teams, USMEF arranged for several members of the trade to visit the United States to re-develop business partnerships and discuss the strategy for U.S. beef sales after the resumption of U.S. beef trade with Japan in addition to observing the U.S. beef production system.

To expand the U.S. pork market, USMEF led staff from Japanese companies Nippon Ham and Sendo on visits to U.S. pork processing companies to develop new chilled products, including half cut spareribs, belly-strip, head-off tenderloin and loin end. Sendo sells these products in 13 supermarket outlets and added the half cut spareribs after this visit in May.

Japan also is the leading destination for U.S. pork and pork variety meat with export volume increasing 15 percent to 185,303 metric tons (mt) in the first six months of this year over the same period last year. Value also increased 14 percent during that time period to $573.9 million.

To encourage sales of U.S. pork in the Russian retail sector, USMEF escorted a Russian Far East trade team to visit three packing plants, all approved to export pork to the Russian retail sector, and three trading companies in the United States.

While other groups are more interested in importing pork for processing, this team’s interest lies in importing U.S. pork for retail. During all visits, the team showed a great deal of interest in U.S. pork products such as ham, Boston butt, jowls, loins, skirt meat, back fat, and lean trimmings. All participating companies had U.S. pork quotas from 200 to 3,000 metric tons.

Exports of U.S. pork and pork variety meat to Russia in the first six months of this year have increased 153 percent in volume to 21,322 mt over the same period last year while value increased 210 percent to $36.7 million.

U.S. pork buyers from New Zealand and Russia will make separate visits to the United States next week. USMEF has arranged for the teams to visit feed lots and several plants. They will also tour retail establishments to see how U.S. pork products are marketed and meet interested traders.

New Zealand is a smaller, but expanding marked for U.S. pork producers as export volume has increased 48 percent to 2,275 mt in the first half of this year over last year with value rising 113 percent to $6 million.

Retail buyers from Mexico were led by Gilberto Lozano, USMEF-Mexico director on tours of U.S. processing facilities and supermarkets. It was a chance for U.S. suppliers to talk with Mexican retailers to get U.S. meat back into retailer’s meat cases and explore possibilities of join programs to expand U.S. meat in Mexico. As a result, Costco outlets in Mexico

Lozano also led a group of five Mexican reporters on a five-day trip to Iowa and Washington, D.C. The television, radio and newspaper journalists attended a U.S. pork seminar at Iowa State University (ISU) on nutrition composition, livestock practices, quality attributes and hazard analysis critical control points (HACCP). In Washington, they were briefed by USDA representatives on the U.S. safety and inspection system.

Another media team from Mexico visited in July to observe the complexities of the U.S. agriculture system and see how they all work together. By delivering these messages to Mexican reporters, USMEF influences many thousands of Mexican consumers’ buying decisions.

Mexico is the largest market for U.S. beef and beef variety meat. U.S. beef and beef variety meat exports to Mexico totaled 130,540 mt, a 132 percent increase on the first half of 2004 due to the closing of the market in the beginning of that year and the restrictions on what products can be exported. The value of U.S. beef and beef variety meat exports to Mexico climbed 150 percent to $412.7 million.

USMEF accompanied a team from Bulgaria and Romania in May to visit stock exchanges and test kitchens in Chicago along with stock yards, packing plants and a family farm in Nebraska. The team of a television chef, camera crew, and a Bulgarian beef importer gained a better understanding of the U.S. beef industry and observed high levels of safety and quality.

U.S. pork and pork variety meat exports to Bulgaria and Romania have jumped up 401 percent to 16,166 mt in volume and 540 percent in value to $29.5 million through June of this year compared to the same period last year.

USMEF also arranged chef teams to visit the United States to sample food and wine, observe inner workings of restaurant kitchens and learn new cutting methods of underutilized meat cuts. Chefs who are aware of how to cut and prepare U.S. meat are more likely to buy and utilize U.S. meat in their restaurants.

Teams from Japan and Taiwan recently toured a culinary test kitchen, attended a cutting demonstration of cuts, such as shoulder clod, tri-tip and culotte, and met local restaurant chefs and toured their kitchens.

The U.S. Meat Export Federation 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.

– USMEF –

Photos available with this release:

Photo 1 - A team of Japanese experts visited the United States the first week of August to observe the latest situation on BSE research and preventive measures. The team also visited a privately-owned ranch to see animal tracking records of performance-oriented, range-ready bulls and females that are produced emphasizing balanced trait selection.

Photo 2 - Five Mexican reporters attended a U.S. pork seminar at Iowa State University (ISU) on nutrition composition, livestock practices, quality attributes andhazard analysis critical control points (HACCP). The reporters observed these practices firsthand.