Exports of U.S. pork are down by 17 percent for the first half of this year compared to 2014, due to the strong dollar and to increased competition for sales to Asia, says the U.S. Meat Export Federation, a trade group based in Denver.
“The European Union, for one, has been aggressive in targeting specific markets and large supplies of European pork are making it into the coveted Asian market,” said USMEF in a release. The EU turned to Asia because of Russia’s ban on imports from Europe and the United States. Sales to Japan, the No. 1 customer for U.S. pork, are down by 20 percent, to a total of $835 million.
Beef exports for the first half of the year were on par with 2014 to total $3.26 billion, with larger sales to South Korea and Taiwan offsetting setbacks in most markets. Lamb sales were down by 27 percent, to total $10.1 million. Lamb showed “promising growth” in the Middle East but sales to Canada and Mexico were down sharply.