"The mood is very positive, despite all the challenges we have faced," said US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) chair Leann Saunders at the organisation’s board of directors meeting last week, held in San Antonio, Texas.
"We heard a lot this week about the large volume of protein that’s going to be entering the market in the next 10 years, and our members know the international markets are essential to their ability to move that protein into the value-added marketplace."
West coast port congestion, stiff competition in the main markets and a very strong US dollar have all conspired to make life challenging for the American meat market recently. To add insult to injury, American lamb is currently banned from several key export markets because of BSE in the US.
However, Greg Ahart, vice-president of sales for Superior Farms and a member of the American Lamb Board, said the lamb sector has recently increased its efforts to boost exports, though unlike US beef and pork, the US lamb industry isn’t focused on growing international markets, but simply gaining access to them.
Despite the difficulties, Saunders said that USMEF members still had great confidence in international marketing. "They are definitely in this for the long haul and understand this is not a sprint, but a marathon," she said.
An increase in pork production in the US last year will require an increased emphasis on pork exports, according to National Pork Board chief executive Chris Hodges. "If our production is going to go up 6-7%, exports are going to be very important, because Americans cannot consume that much pork," he said.
As for the beef sector, it is important that the industry does not put all its eggs into one basket, said the Cattlemen’s Beef Board CEO Polly Ruhland.
"In the long term, we need to balance our portfolio internationally," she said. "We must have a good mix of emerging markets, mature markets and a product mix that allows us to be balanced."
As consumers worldwide increasingly demand more information about the provenance of their meat, branded meat products are predicted to make up a growing proportion of total US meat exports, and were the subject of a panel discussion at the meeting.
"In the Japanese market, it’s all about the story – where does our beef come from?" said Jay Theiler, executive director of marketing for Idaho-based Agri Beef.
This approach is vital in a market like Japan, where consumers can choose from around 400 brands of pork and more than 300 brands of beef, said Takemichi Yamashoji, USMEF’s senior marketing director in Japan. "Branded beef and branded pork are very important in Japan because of that competition," Yamashoji said. "Whatever is unique or special about your beef or pork needs to be highlighted."