August Beef Exports and Trade in Pacific Rim Countries

August Beef Exports and Trade in Pacific Rim Countries

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
From the Ag Information Network, I'm Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.

**U.S. beef exports posted another outstanding performance in August, remaining well above last year's pace.

US Meat Export Federation's Jessican Spreitzer says August beef exports to Japan were the largest of the post-BSE era, despite the recent triggering of a higher tariff rate on Japan's imports of frozen U.S. beef.

Exports to Hong Kong also continued an upward trend in August, increasing more than 25% from a year ago.

**The U.S. needs to improve trade relationships with Pacific Rim countries where competitors like Australia and the European Union have advantages over U.S. exporters.

That's the word from USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue who stressed, Japan is the first target for new bilateral talks.

According to Agri-Pulse, Purdue was speaking during a Washington International Trade Association forum when he said, "we're eager to enter into bilateral trade negotiations with Japan and lower barriers that seem to favor other countries."

That's welcome news for cattle ranchers and beef exporters, disappointed since President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

**The U.S. Dairy Export Council's leader says he's making changes to their marketing strategy.

CEO Tom Vilsack says they want to increase export sales by another 5% totaling 20% of production. He tells Brownfield, to do that requires more presence in emerging markets and more people figuring out ways to meet market demand."

Vilsack says that will cost money, but producers won't see changes in the dairy checkoff program.

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