US sees pork and beef export volumes fall
Beef volumes were down 5% compared to a year earlier, to 96,348mt, while value increased 19% to $626.7m.
The month also saw the smallest volume of beef exports to Japan since March, reflecting "a seasonal slowdown". However, export value was up 35%.
Pork saw a 13% drop in volumes exported (168,062mt) as well as value – down 6% to $519.9m. Volumes to Mexico and Japan slowed over the month, with the Japanese market greatly impacted by an influx of pork from the European Union, said USMEF.
Cumulative volumes for the year to November paint a rosier picture, with beef and pork seeing positive growth. Beef exports have already set a full-year value record of $6.49bn – up 16%, with December’s figures still to be published.
The value of pork exports looks set to break the 2012 record, with data revealing a 11% to $6.13m in the year to November.
Philip Seng, president and chief executive officer of USMEF, said the first 11 months of last year, reflected a very solid performance for US beef and pork exports.
"But lower slaughter numbers reduced 2014 supplies, which obviously had an impact on prices and, in recent months, buying power in many key markets has been affected by slowing economic growth and weaker currencies.
"Market access restrictions in several important markets, including China and Russia, also had a big impact on opportunities for US exports last year."
He said the outlook for next year was more of the same, but he still sees good potential for further expansion of red meat exports in 2015, across the globe.
US lamb exports were also down in November, breaking a four-month run of increases.
