Source: Susan Kelly, MEATINGPLACE, 5/23/18


Total red meat supplies in freezers were up 4 percent from the previous month and up 7 percent from last year, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) said in its May Cold Storage report.

Total pounds of beef in freezers as of April 30 were up 2 percent from the previous month and up 3 percent from last year. Frozen pork supplies were up 5 percent from the previous month and up 9 percent from last year. Stocks of pork bellies were up 9 percent from last month and up 93 percent from last year.

Total frozen poultry supplies were up 2 percent from the previous month and up 7 percent from a year ago. Total stocks of chicken were down 1 percent from the previous month but up 9 percent from last year. Total pounds of turkey in freezers were up 7 percent from last month and up 5 percent from April 30, 2017.

Inventories of beef, pork, chicken and turkey in cold storage at the end of April were an estimated 6.7 percent higher than a year ago and 9.7 percent higher than the five-year average, according to the Daily Livestock Report. Inventories in April increased 2.6 percent from the previous month; on average in the last five years, April inventories have increased by 4.3 percent.
“Larger cold storage stocks and higher production in May/Jun/Jul should help moderate price  inflation across the category,” the DLR analysts wrote.

They said higher prices for fat beef trimmings last year likely caused some end users to accumulate product to cover their needs ahead of seasonal retail demand, while beef imports have also increased, which may have bolstered the supply of beef in cold storage. There also is more pork in cold storage compared to a year ago, but the inventory build has been in line with recent years, the analysts said.

“Still, with more pork expected to come to market in late spring and summer, and softer export demand, the larger inventory may temper the seasonal price increases we see during this time of year,” according to the DLR.

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