Source: Susan Kelly, MEATINGPLACE, 6/14/17



Nebraska’s Greater Omaha Packing announced it is the first U.S. supplier to ship beef to China in 14 years.

The shipment was due to be sent today by air freight to a customer in Shanghai, the company said. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and Nebraska Department of Agriculture Director Greg Ibach joined Greater Omaha Packing Chief Executive Henry Davis to load the first box of beef destined for China.

Final details concerning export requirements to resume beef shipments to China were released Monday. Among the requirements, U.S. producers must track the birthplace of cattle born in the United States that are destined for export to China.
The White House in May announced a deal whereby China agreed to resume imports of U.S. beef after nearly 14 years. China had imposed a ban due to concerns stemming from a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy that occurred in Washington state in December 2003.

Ricketts, in a statement, said China is a $2.5 billion market for beef.

Since 2005, Nebraska’s share of international U.S. beef sales has increased from 3.6 percent to more than 18 percent, and Nebraska’s market share in Europe has increased from 5 percent to nearly 50 percent of total sales, the governor’s office said.

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