Overseas buyers check out U.S. meat processing plants

Overseas buyers check out U.S. meat processing plants    The U.S. Meat Export Federation has spent the past week leading overseas pork and beef buyers on tours of feedlots and processing plants to promote the quality of U.S. meats.
   Last week, more than 20 meat representatives from the Caribbean met with U.S. Department of Agriculture officials and a meat handling operations in Nebraska. They concluded the tour on Friday with a visit to the largest consolidation, distribution and export center for the Caribbean market in Miami.
   At the same time, 10 pork buyers from Singapore and Malaysia spent most of last week touring Iowa pork production locations. The U.S. Meat Export Federation organized the tour, which wraps up on Oct. 18.
   The federation noted that the domestic pork industry in Malaysia is declining and the country will need to import larger volumes of pork in the near future. Through August, the United States exported 226 metric tons of pork to Malaysia, valued at $326,000. U.S. pork exports to Singapore through August totaled 781 metric tons, valued at $1.9 million.