Strong Week for U.S. Pork; Beef Sharply Lower

U.S. pork exports for the week of Aug. 26 through Sept. 1 totaled 19,500 metric tons (mt), up 4 percent from the previous week and 8 percent above the previous four-week average.

Increased exports to Mexico (7,500 mt, +9 percent and the largest since December), Japan (4,050 mt, +4 percent), Hong Kong (1,260 mt, +16 percent and the largest since June 2015), Chile (690 mt, +54 percent and the largest since March), the Philippines (610 mt, +305 percent and the largest since October) and Colombia (530 mt, +44 percent) outweighed lower results for Canada (1,390 mt, -10 percent), China (1,320 mt, -1 percent), South Korea (960 mt, -24 percent) and Australia (380 mt, -13 percent).

Pork net sales were 24,300 mt, up 1 percent from the previous week and 16 percent above the previous four-week average. Sales increased to Korea (7,720 mt, +151 percent and the largest since June 2015), Canada (1,670 mt, +8 percent), Chile (1,380 mt, +119 percent and the largest since July 2015), Colombia (760 mt, +43 percent) and the Philippines (340 mt, +18 percent). Sales slowed to Mexico (6,110 mt, -10 percent), Japan (3,960 mt, -5 percent), Hong Kong (1,400 mt, -10 percent), China (510 mt, -6 percent) and Australia (140 mt, -86 percent).

U.S. beef exports were the lowest of 2016 at 8,100 mt, down 41 percent from the previous week and 43 percent below the previous four-week average. Exports were down to all primary destinations including Japan (2,750 mt, -34 percent), Korea (1,740 mt, -56 percent), Hong Kong (1,220 mt, -19 percent), Mexico (890 mt, -49 percent), Taiwan (770 mt, -32 percent) and Canada (330 mt, -61 percent).

Beef net sales were 9,200 mt, down 20 percent from the previous week and 36 percent below the previous four-week average. Sales increased to Canada (890 mt, +32 percent), but slowed to Japan (3,110 mt, -34 percent), Korea (3,100 mt, -10 percent), Mexico (880 mt, -43 percent), Hong Kong (530 mt, -74 percent) and Taiwan (130 mt, -87 percent).

Source: USDA/FAS (includes exports and sales of whole muscle cuts).
Percent change is compared to the previous four-week average, unless otherwise noted.
Export is defined as an actual shipment from the U.S. to a foreign country.
Export sale is defined as a transaction entered into between a reporting exporter and a foreign buyer. Sales can be cancelled or adjusted in following weeks, thus “net” sales are reported as the difference between new sales and any cancellations or adjustments.