Weekly USMEF Audio Report: Australian Demand for U.S. Pork Surging
DENVER, CO – July 2, 2019 – Despite significant import restrictions, Australia is currently one of the fastest-growing markets for U.S. pork. Joel Haggard, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) senior vice president for the Asia Pacific, discusses some of the factors driving this tremendous growth, including Australia’s rising per capita pork consumption and the country’s shifting demographics.
Last year U.S. pork exports to Australia topped 80,000 metric tons (mt), valued at $227.3 million. The U.S. also gained significant market share, climbing from 40 to 46 percent of Australia’s total pork imports. Through April of this year, U.S. market share has climbed above 50% as exports to Australia increased 37% year-over-year in volume (37,979 mt) and 21% in value ($98.6 million). Haggard notes that this impressive growth has been achieved despite the fact that U.S. pork must be cooked before entering the Australian marketplace, so demand is driven by U.S. raw material destined for further processing and for processed U.S. pork products.
Haggard on Growing Pork Exports to Australia 7-1-19
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.
Submitted to the BARN by:
Joe Schuele
Vice President, Communications
U.S. Meat Export Federation
303-226-7309 (office)
303-547-0030 (mobile)