Weekly USMEF Audio Report: USMEF Vice Chair Comments on World Pork Expo, Latest Pork Export Statistics...

June 14, 2010 - USMEF Vice Chair Danita Rodibaugh, a pork producer from Rensselaer, Ind., attended last week’s World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa, and found the outlook among her fellow producers to be enthusiastic and optimistic. Rodibaugh said international trade was a major topic of discussion at the conference, highlighted by a visit from Jong hyun Choi (pron: YUNG-YOON CHOY), Minister for Economic Affairs at the South Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C.  While at the World Pork Expo, Minister Choi highlighted the importance and urgency of thepending free trade agreement between Korea and the United States.

Rodibaugh also visited with a team of pork buyers from Mexico that was hosted by USMEF at the World Pork Expo. She noted that the latest pork export statistics (from April 2010, released on Friday) show excellent growth to Mexico despite the recent rise in pork prices. Rodibaugh also commented on exports to Japan, the U.S. pork industry’s No. 1 market in terms of value. Exports to Japan slowed in the first quarter of 2010 compared to the past two years, but regained significant momentum in April – beating the April 2009 value total by 8 percent and the April 2008 value total by more than 25 percent. Japan is always a very highly competitive market for imported pork, but may see even more import activity in coming months due to a recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in its domestic swine herd.

Audio Link:

Complete April 2010 statistics for U.S. pork, beef and lamb are available in this USMEF news release.

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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. It is funded by USDA; the beef, pork, lamb, corn and soybean checkoff programs, as well as its members representing nine industry sectors: beef/veal producing & feeding, pork producing & feeding, lamb producing & feeding, packing & processing, purveying & trading, oilseeds producing, feedgrains producing, farm organizations and supply & service organizations.

USMEF complies with all equal opportunity, non-discrimination and affirmative action measures applicable to it by contract, government rule or regulation or as otherwise provided by law.