Source:  Richard Smith, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 1/20/11

Both the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in South Korea and the dioxin scare in Germany could provide opportunities in Asia for U.S. meat exporters, according to U.S. Meat Export Federation International Program Assistant Vice President and former Japan director Greg Hanes.

"We've already seen an increase in the prices of the meats (in South Korea), so probably in the long run there will be an increase in imports," Hanes told Meatingplace in Tokyo.
 
U.S. pork exporters could also fill a void left by Germany, suffering from a dioxin problem in its pork and poultry, Hanes said.
He said one of the things USMEF stresses in foreign markets is the U.S. meat industry's safety processes. "I think people will see the U.S. product as a safe and reliable choice for them," Hanes said.

In Japan, both U.S. beef and pork have been doing well, Hanes said, pointing to a 34 percent year-on-year increase for beef. He valued U.S. beef exports to Japan in 2010 at over $600 million, noting that would make it the best year since the 2003 outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathywhich has curbed beef exports ever since.

Hanes said 2010 pork exports exceeded $1.5 billion in value, noting, "That's up six percent over last year."
Hanes put the uptick in U.S. beef exports in part to consumers trusting the imported product. U.S. pork competes well on price and quality, he noted. "(Consumers) get the same quality as domestic pork at a better price," he said.

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