Source: MEATINGPLACE, 5/26/16

A shortage of pork in China has led to a jump in that country’s imports from around the world, and U.S. exporters have been able to take advantage of the demand surge, officials with the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) said today on a conference call for the media.

“China’s pork shortage is the big story,” said Joel Haggard, USMEF’s senior vice president for the Asia Pacific region. “The volumes are going to be massive this year.”

China removed restrictions for 14 U.S. pork processing plants and cold storage facilities last October after implementing a ban in 2014 due to ractopamine findings.

U.S. exporters, however, face increasingly aggressive competition in the pork market, especially from the European Union, Philip Seng, USMEF chief executive, said on the group’s call, held in conjunction with its board meeting and product showcase in St. Louis.

Some European countries now export more than half of their production, he noted.

“The Europeans have become a juggernaut when it comes to pork in the market. We are seeing rising competition in almost every market that we deal in,” Seng said.

Europe is the world’s second-largest producer of pork, after China, and the world’s largest exporter, said John Brook, USMEF regional director for Europe, Russia and the Middle East. European pork farming is efficient, and the sector is under pressure after Russia closed its borders to U.S. and EU pork exports.

In general, the United States needs to intensify its promotional programs, to better compete with European marketing efforts that support exports once trade agreements are reached, Seng said.

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