Source:  Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 6/22/11

The U.S. pork industry must take advantage of current domestic challenges in South Korea and the U.S. beef industry must find a way to emphasize the safety of its product to make further inroads in that market.

So said pork producer Leon Sheets and cattleman Ed Greiman in a U.S. Meat Export Federation report following an Iowa agricultural delegation visit to South Korea. Both marveled at recent gains U.S. pork and beef have made in Korea, and said opportunities in this key market will accelerate even further when the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement is ratified, according to USMEF.

Sheets, president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association, said a recent foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak has taken a severe toll on Korea’s swine industry, creating a big window for imported pork.
He said Korea currently needs at least 30 percent of its total meat supply from foreign suppliers, and that even if Seoul began importing extra animals today, “you’re going to be looking at a year and a half before they’re putting significant numbers back into their system.”

Greiman, president-elect of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, said U.S. beef’s continued success still hinges on convincing the general public of its top-notch safety, a topic he repeatedly discussed with local media on the trip.

“They had me rank beef safety, quality and profitability. I said, “Well, this is simple; safety is No. 1, quality is No. 2, and profitability — yes, I need to be profitable, but I will be profitable if we take care of the first two.”

Through the first four months of 2011, Korea has been the third-largest value market for U.S. pork — increasing by 245 percent over last year to nearly $240 million. It has been the second largest value market for U.S. beef at $284 million — an increase of more than 150 percent over the first four months of 2010.

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