US poultry exports set records again

US poultry meat exports for the first five months of 2012 increased by 13% from the same span last year, reaching 1.66 million metric tons, while export value for the period climbed 24% to $2.22 billion, according to trade data released recently by the Foreign Agricultural Service.

For the second consecutive month, quantity and value of poultry meat exports set year-on-year records.

Poultry exports for May reached 336,387 tons valued at $460 million, up 5% and 13%, respectively, from the May 2011. Export value for the month was the highest ever.

Broiler meat
May exports of broiler meat (excluding chicken paws) totaled 271,883 tons, up 6% from May 2011. Export value reached $353.8 million, up 17% year over year.

For January through May, cumulative exports of broiler meat (excluding paws) rose by 13% to 1.33 million tons, while value reached $1.68 billion, up 28% from the same period in 2011, both setting year-on-year records.

Broiler meat shipments to Mexico for the period grew by 18% over last year to 217,062 tons, while exports to Russia increased by 138% to 111,333 tons. Exports to Cuba hit 64,367 tons, up 267% year on year, while shipments to Canada were 63,712 tons, up 19%.

Important markets
Exports to other important markets included Angola, 62,445 tons, up 30%; Taiwan, 60,581 tons, up 17%; Hong Kong, 59,279 tons, down 34%; Iraq, 53,558 tons, down 11%; Kazakhstan, 43,504 tons, up almost eight-fold year on year; and China, 34,108 tons, up 64%.

Chicken paws
Exports of US chicken paws in May were 32,319 tons valued at $44.2 million, up 9 and 2% compared to May 2011. Cumulative paw exports for the first five months reached 163,518 tons, up 20% year on year. Export value set a year-year-year record at $219.8 million, up 9%.

Of total paw shipments, 81% were shipped to Hong Kong, and 17% were shipped to mainland China.

Total January-May broiler exports (including paws) this year set year-on-year records in both volume and value, with an export quantity of 1.5 million tons valued at $1.9 billion, up 14% and 26%, respectively.

Of the total, 43% was shipped to the top five markets – Mexico, Hong Kong, Russia, Cuba, and Canada.

Turkey exports
May exports of US turkey meat declined to 27,989 tons, down 5% from the same month in 2011. Even so, export value set a record for the month of May at $52.3 million, up 4% from May 2011.

Cumulative January-May turkey exports reached 139,183 tons, up 11%, with a value of $267.6 million, an increase of 23% from the same period in 2011. Both quantity and export value set year-on-year records.

Exports to Mexico, the top market for US turkey, were 75,956 tons valued at $156.7 million, up 6% and 14%, respectively. Shipments to China, the second most important market for U.S. turkey, dropped by 20% to 14,931 tons, while export value reached $24.4 million, up 21%.

Five markets accounted for 79% of total US turkey meat exports – Mexico, China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Canada, with Mexico alone accounting for 55%.

Table egg exports
For table eggs, export quantity for May 2012 was 10.2 million dozen valued at $8.6 million, up 21.7 and 5.6%, respectively, thanks largely to increased shipments to Hong Kong and the UAE.

January-May table egg exports reached 39.7 million dozen valued at $35.6 million, up 28% and 26% year on year, respectively. The top five markets of Hong Kong, Canada, the UAE, the Bahamas, and Netherlands Antilles accounted for 81% of total exports.

Processed eggs
For processed egg products, May exports were $12.6 million, up 4% from May 2011. While export value to Japan, which is normally the top market for U.S. processed eggs, decreased by 43% to $3.9 million, exports to the European Union increased by 116% to $4.6 million, largely a factor of the shortage of breaking stock in the EU.

The cumulative value of egg products exports for January through May were $59.1 million, up 19%. Exports to the EU increased by141% to $23 million, accounting for 39% of US total exports, while shipments to Japan decreased by 27% to $18.1 million, accounting for 31% of the total.

Total egg exports (table eggs plus egg products in shell egg equivalents) for the first five months of this year were 99.3 million dozen, up 6% from the same period of last year, while export value hit $94.7 million, up 22% year over year. Both export quantity and export value set year-on-year records.