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Audio: Pork Industry Leaders Get Firsthand Look at Panamanian Market

Published: Nov 26, 2013
November 25, 2013

00:00 / 00:00

You may download the audio file here



Cathy Vaughan of Laverne, Okla., is one of 20 pork producers who recently visited Panama as part of the Pork Leadership Institute (PLI) program designed to help develop future leaders for the U.S. pork industry. The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) hosted the PLI team in cooperation with the National Pork Board and the National Pork Producers Council.

Vaughan, who is safety and worker compliance coordinator and communications coordinator for the Oklahoma operations of Murphy-Brown LLC, offers observations from the delegation’s activities in Panama, including a U.S. pork promotion at Supermercados El Rey, one of Panama’s leading supermarket chains. The group also enjoyed a visit to a specialty retailer known as a “meat boutique” operated by Pretelt Exclusive Meats. This family business was founded as a meat importer and eventually expanded into distribution, retail and foodservice. Pretelt has worked closely with USMEF for several years, expanding its menu of U.S. pork cuts to include baby back ribs, tenderloin and St. Louis ribs.

Since the U.S.-Panama Trade Agreement came into force just over a year ago, Panama has emerged as a very promising market for U.S. pork. Through September, pork exports to Panama are up 57 percent in volume (8,241 metric tons) and 46 percent in value ($17.1 million) compared to the same period in 2012, making Panama this year’s 15th-largest volume market for U.S. pork. It ranks 18th in terms of export value.

TRANSCRIPT:

Joe Schuele: In this U.S. Meat Export Federation report, we visit with Cathy Vaughn of Murphy Brown’s Oklahoma pork operations. Vaughn is one of 20 pork producers who recently visited Panama as part of a pork leadership institute program, designed to develop future leaders for the U.S. pork industry. The team had an opportunity to observe a U.S. pork promotion at Super Mercado’s El Ray, one of panama’s leading supermarket chains.

Cathy Vaughan: They had a really great exhibit set up at the grocery store, great signage identifying U.S. Pork, with chef prepared pork in different varieties that the people of panama will obviously be able to adapt and recreate themselves. It was a really great thing walking through the grocery store seeing the signage of the United States Pork, as well as other products from the United States. I also thought it was very refreshing to see some of the different products that come from the United States that are sold here (Panama). Utilize the impact of what we are doing every day and how far it moves.

Joe Schuele: the group also visited a specialty retailer that offers a wide selection of high end U.S. pork cuts.

Cathy Vaughan: This family, they are importers of U.S. products, basically meat; beef, pork, as well as the different products that you can get in the United States. They turned their business into not only importing these products, but they turn them around and provide it to some of the different entities in the area including food service facilities. Then they have also created their own restaurant, and so the people of panama can now go in and have our product, and either have it cooked there at the restaurant, or it kind of serves as a meat counter where they can purchase their own and take it home and cook it themselves. It was a really great opportunity to see somebody that is in the importing business, as well as where their supply goes to, and also how they created a third business in the form of a restaurant.

Joe Schuele: For more on this and other trade issues please visit USMEF.org. For the U.S. Meat Export Federation, I’m Joe Schuele.

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The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org) is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry. It is funded by USDA; the beef, pork, lamb, corn and soybean checkoff programs, as well as its members representing nine industry sectors: beef/veal producing & feeding, pork producing & feeding, lamb producing & feeding, packing & processing, purveying & trading, oilseeds producing, feedgrains producing, farm organizations and supply & service organizations.

USMEF complies with all equal opportunity, non-discrimination and affirmative action measures applicable to it by contract, government rule or regulation or as otherwise provided by law.