U.S. pork exports rise, beef shipments slowly recover

U.S. pork exports rise, beef shipments slowly recover    In 2005, U.S. pork producers exported about 1.16 million metric tons of products, valued at $2.64 billion, according to statistics recently released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
   Japan increased its imports of U.S. pork by 13 percent in 2005 for a volume of 353,928 metric tons. The total value of these shipments reached more than $1 billion.
   In a Feb. 13 statement, the Denver-based U.S. Meat Export Federation said pork exports have set record sales for the 15th consecutive year.
   U.S. beef exports are slowly returning to the international market after 133 countries closed their borders to this commodity in 2004 when the USDA confirmed a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or “mad cow” disease, in a Washington state cow.
   While 27 markets remain closed, the federation noted that six top markets have reopened their borders either fully or partially to U.S. beef, including Mexico, Canada, the Middle East, Japan, South Korea and Russia.
   In 2005, the U.S. beef industry exported 472,668 metric tons, a 47 percent increase in volume over 2004. The value of U.S. beef exports increased 69 percent to $1.37 billion in 2005.