JOC Staff | Feb 15, 2013 12:09PM EST
U.S. beef and pork exports set new value records in 2012, topping highs set in 2011, according to end-of-year statistics released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation.
Pork exports set both volume and value records in 2012, reaching 2.26 million metric tons, valued at $6.3 billion, a 3.5 percent increase year-over-year.
The value of beef exports in 2012 rose 2 percent to a record $5.5 billion on 12 percent lower volumes of 1.1 million metric tons.
“The export markets are a critical profit center for the industry at a time when the industry is challenged by high input costs and, on the beef side, a historically low herd size,” said Philip Seng, USMEF president and CEO, in a written statement.
