U.S. Beef and Pork Export market Sluggish

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USDA statistics indicate the pace of U.S. beef and pork exports cooled somewhat in January. The U.S. Meat Export Federation says - muscle cut exports held up fairly well but total exports were held down by a very sluggish market for variety meat.

Beef plus beef variety meat exports were 9 percent higher in volume and 6 percent higher in value than in January 2009. Beef muscle cuts fared even better, rising 16 percent in volume and 15 percent in value. However, these totals represented a decline from December 2009 and were also lower than the 2009 monthly average. Beef variety meat exports were down only 4 percent in volume but plummeted 26 percent in value compared to January 2009.

Pork plus pork variety meat exports were 8 percent lower in both volume and value than in January 2009, but variety meat also weighed heavily on these results. Muscle cuts fell only 4 percent in volume and 5 percent in value, while variety meat exports declined 18 percent in both categories.

U.S. Meat Export Federation President and CEO Philip Seng says - beef exports are off to a better start to 2010 than they were last year. He says - our focus is on reclaiming the momentum we had established late in the year. As for pork, Seng says the U.S. is - still the market leader in Japan, and this market is still performing at a very high level. A notable increase in domestic pork production last year is pressuring the Japanese market this year. Also, exports to Canada and Mexico are gaining momentum.