Page 10 - MWC 04-22-2021s
P. 10

US BEEF                               While the content of the                               The Midwest Cattleman · April 22, 2021 · P10
      continued from page 3              study repeatedly confirms the      2021 RED MEAT                     centages to 203,526 MT val-
                                         U.S. as the leader in sustain-                                       ued at $548 million.
      out them because their unique  able beef and cattle produc-           continued from page 3                Through February, pork
      digestive     system      allows tion, NCBA was disappointed          ident  and  CEO,  said  in  a     exports were 11% below
      them to convert human-in- to see a statement in the ab-               USMEF report. "Logistical         last year's pace at 487,896
      edible plants, like grass, into  stract that advocated for a re-      challenges, including conges-     MT, valued at $1.27 billion,
      high-quality protein.”             duction in beef consumption.       tion at some U.S. ports, are      down 13%. Pork muscle cut
         Although the study’s ab- This statement is not only                still a significant headwind      exports were also down 11%
      stract disingenuously advo- unfounded but is inappropri-              and tight labor supplies at       to 411,760 mt, valued at $1.1
      cates for decreased beef con- ate to include in a summary             the plant level continue to       billion and down 14%.
      sumption, the paper itself  of work that consistently val-            impact export volumes for            Pork  exports set new  re-
      repeatedly points out that the  idates American conservation          certain products - including      cords in February in the Do-
      advantages of the U.S. cattle  and management practices.              some variety meat items and       minican Republic, Guatema-
      and beef production model  Cattle production protects                 labor-intensive muscle cuts."     la, El Salvador and Costa
      far outweigh the impacts. The  open space, guards against               Export demand has re-           Rica and were very strong to
      U.S. has been a global lead- catastrophic wildfire, and pro-          mained solid despite logis-       the Philippines and Colom-
      er with the lowest emissions  tects wildlife habitat across           tical challenges and other        bia, USMEF said. As antici-
      intensity in the world for the  the country.  Those benefits,         pandemic-related obstacles,       pated, pork exports to China/
      past 25 years, producing just  and the practices that under-          USMEF reports. Continued          Hong Kong trended lower
      2 percent of U.S. greenhouse  pin them in the United States,          international demand, along       than the record volumes
      gas emissions, or 0.5 percent  further confirm the country’s          with robust domestic busi-        shipped in 2020, but the re-
      of global GHG emissions.           role as a global leader.           ness, contributed to stron-       gion continues to be the larg-
          The study examined live-            “Beef and cattle produc-      ger cutout values in the first    est destination for U.S. pork.
      stock lifecycle assessments  tion is a critical part of our           quarter, which were up an
      (LCAs) from across the globe  country’s identity as a global          average of 27% year-over-         Beef Exports See Decline
      to reach its conclusions and  leader in sustainable beef pro-         year for pork (nearly $90/        in Variety Meat Exports
      pointed out that there is sig- duction, but also in our long-         cwt) and 4% for Choice beef          Beef      exports     totaled
      nificant room for improve- held principle that economic,              ($224/cwt).                       103,493 MT in February,
      ment of global livestock pro- environmental, and commu-                 The     flow     of   exports   down 8% from a year ago, val-
      duction practices. While it laid  nity-based sustainability will      through U.S. ports is showing     ued at $669.5 million, down
      out many opportunities for  result in widespread bene-                some gradual improvement          2%. This was due mainly to
      improvement, it also recog- fits,” said Bohn. “U.S. farmers           as COVID-impacted crews           a decline in variety meat ex-
      nized the work already done  and ranchers are the best in             move closer to full strength,     ports, as beef muscle cuts
      by the U.S. cattle industry to  the world when it comes to            Halstrom said. However, it        were steady with last year in
      become the leader in sustain- producing safe, wholesome               still remains a serious con-      value at $597.9 million on a
      able beef production. Thanks  and sustainable high-quality            cern for the U.S. agricultural    volume of 82,530 MT or down
      to  early adoption  of innova- beef for  American families,           sector.                           3%.
      tive grazing practices com- and doing it with the smallest              "USMEF greatly appre-              Through February, beef
      bined with advances in cattle  possible footprint and we’re           ciates the members of Con-        exports  were 5%  below last
      breeding and nutrition, U.S.  committed  to  continuing  on           gress and ag industry repre-      year's pace at 208,540 MT,
      producers have already em- that path of improvement.”                 sentatives who have worked        valued at $1.32 billion and
      ployed many of the suggested                                          to bring more attention to        down 2%. Beef muscle cut
      practices that the study sug-      NCBA                               this situation, and the efforts   exports  were down  1% to
      gests employing around the                                            of maritime regulators to         163,928 MT and held steady
      world.                                                                address shipping practices,"      in value at $1.18 billion.
                                                                            Halstrom said in the report.         Beef exports to South
      CHINA’S MARCH                         A severe wave of infections     Pork Exports Drop in              Korea are off to a very strong

      continued from page 3              in the first quarter wiped out     February From a Year Ago          start in 2021, USMEF said,
                                         at least 20% of the breeding         February pork exports           and demand for U.S. beef con-
         It comes as China's output      herd in northern China, indus-     were down 12% from a year         tinues to grow in China fu-
      of pork, its staple meat, contin-  try sources and analysts have      ago at 239,240 metric tons        eled by access gains achieved
      ues to be affected by the dead-    told Reuters, causing some         (MT), valued at $629.4  mil-      in the U.S.-China Phase One
      ly hog disease  African swine      farmers to panic and slaughter     lion or down 13%, USMEF           Economic  and Trade Agree-
      fever, which reached the coun-     smaller pigs.                      reports. For muscle cuts only,    ment.
      try in 2018.                          Domestic pork prices have       exports fell by the same per-
         The large volume is likely a    plunged more than 40% since                                          Drovers
      record, according to Pan Chen-     the beginning of the year amid
      jun, senior analyst at Rabo-       liquidation of stocks and weak
      bank, and reflects the market      demand.
      expectation of a substantial          Imports are set to remain
      shortage of meat after renewed     high, however, with most peo-
      swine fever outbreaks over the     ple anticipating an ongoing
      winter.                            supply shortage, added Pan.
         "People  also  thought  the        Imports for the first three
      pandemic was over, but it          months of 2021 reached 2.63
      wasn't," she said, noting that     million metric tons, up 20.8%
      demand has not been as strong      versus the same period of last
      as expected.                       year, the data also showed.
         Market      sentiment     has
      changed since late March, said  Reuters
      Pan.
   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15