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U.S. pork export sales must now be reported to USDA
Story Date: 3/20/2013
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Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 3/19/13
Beginning today, all exporters of U.S. pork will begin reporting weekly export sales to USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), the agency announced.
The data will allow USDA to issue weekly export sales reports to the public, allowing for information on the total volume of pork export sales and shipments to be available within two weeks of the activity, rather than the two month period customary to exports as reported by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.
More frequent reporting will improve market transparency and enable the pork commodity market to better adjust to changing export activity, according to USDA.
The Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 requires the reporting of exports of certain commodities and gives the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to include others. Recent amendments to that act mandated the addition of pork as a commodity for which export reporting is required.
A final rule published in today’s Federal Register amends the Export Sales Reporting (ESR) requirements to add pork to the list of commodities covered by the program, including wheat and wheat flour, feed grains, oilseeds, cotton, rice, cattle hides and skins, and beef.
Exporters will report the quantity, destination, and marketing year of all pork export sales totaling one metric ton or greater, including certain changes in previously reported sales.
Implications
This product-weight reporting by FAS will be in addition to information provided by the Agricultural Marketing Service as part of the mandatory wholesale pork price reporting system that went into effect in January, according to the Daily Livestock Report, published by Steve Meyer and Len Steiner Inc.
The analysts noted that similar weekly data already published for beef exports has often not agreed with the “official” monthly export data that originates with the Customs Service and is published by FAS.
Distillers dried grain
In addition, a proposed rule was also published in today’s Federal Register seeking public comment on the addition of distillers dried grain (DDG) as a reportable commodity under the ESR requirements.
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