The U.S. pork industry sold more than 1 million metric tons of pork and pork variety meat products worth more than $2.5 billion in 2005, making it the 15th consecutive record-breaking year for U.S. pork exports by volume.

With the release of December statistics by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) reports that U.S. pork (including variety meat) exports to countries around the world totaled $2.635 billion in 2005, more than a billion dollars more than the value of U.S. pork exported in 2003. The volume of U.S. pork (including variety meat) exports in 2005 was 1.158 million metric tons.

U.S. pork sales to the United States’ No. 1 market, Japan climbed 13 percent in volume (353,928 mt) and 11 percent in value ($1.088 billion).

After five successive record-breaking years, U.S. pork sales to the No. 2 market, Mexico, fell 8 percent in volume (331,488 mt) and 9 percent in value ($513.5 million), but still outshone all previous years except 2004.

U.S. Beef Exports Begin Recovery In 2005

The U.S. beef industry exported 472,668 metric tons of beef and beef variety meats in 2005, 47 percent more than in 2004.  The value of U.S. beef exports climbed 69 percent to $1.365 billion in 2005. 

U.S. beef export sales plummeted in 2004 after the discovery of a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the U.S. herd in December 2003. Of the 133 countries that immediately closed their borders to U.S. beef, 27 remain closed. Of the top six markets in 2003, three are open (Mexico, Canada and Middle East) with some restrictions and three are closed (Japan, Korea and Russia). Beef (including variety meat) exports in 2005 represented 37 percent of the volume and 35 percent of the value of exports in 2003.

The U.S. Meat Export Federation is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, lamb, corn, sorghum and soybean checkoff programs.

– USMEF –