Provides Affordable, Quality Option to Local Consumers

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 12 December 2019 - The U.S. Meat Export Federation ("USMEF") is pleased to announce the bulk shipment of U.S. chilled pork to Hong Kong for local consumers. The import initiative has been taken to fill the supply-demand gap for pork amid rising fresh pork prices and to offer an alternative to consumers at an affordable price. U.S. Consul General Mr. Hanscom Smith was present at the press conference as the guest of honor.

With the establishment of a continuous supply chain, U.S. chilled pork is available in the Hong Kong market from December 2019

Mr. Joel Haggard, Senior Vice President of USMEF Asia Pacific, said, "We are delighted to bring U.S. chilled pork to Hong Kong amid rising interest and demand for our products. U.S. pork is produced to the highest quality and safety standards. The hogs' diet of homegrown corn and soy gives U.S. pork a unique sweet flavor and tenderness that consumers love. The chilled pork we are bringing here will be a fine choice for Chinese cuisine with its excellent quality and affordability, and makes an excellent alternative to fresh pork for home cooking and restaurant catering."

Live pig auction prices in Hong Kong have increased 2.63 times in 2019, from the monthly average of HK$1,188 per 100 catties in January to HK$3,132 per 100 catties in November, according to data from Hong Kong's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. The price surge is attributable to the significant drop by approximately 56.9% in the number of live pigs imported from Mainland China, from an average of around 4,083 per day in January to around 1,757 per day in November.

"As the world's largest pork exporter at a value of US$6 billion (HK$46.8 billion) in 2018, the U.S. is also the largest chilled pork supplier to Asian markets, including Japan and Korea," added Mr. Haggard. "Over half of the U.S.'s total chilled pork export value was derived from sales to Asia. The U.S. currently has ample supplies of pork to export, with live market hog prices in the U.S. approximately 80% below recent Hong Kong auction prices. The high quality and competitive price of U.S. chilled pork make it an appealing choice to Hong Kong consumers."

USMEF is a vertically integrated trade association in the U.S. meat and livestock industry representing pork producers and feeders, beef/veal producers and feeders, lamb producers and feeders, packers and processors, purveyors and traders, oilseeds producers, feedgrains producers, farm organizations and supply and service organizations.

About the U.S. Meat Export Federation

The U.S. Meat Export Federation(USMEF) is a nonprofit trade association workingto create new opportunities and develop existing international markets forU.S. beef, pork, lamb and veal.Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, USMEF has more than adozen offices worldwide. Along with the 275 USMEF member, theorganization shares its local intelligence and more than four decadesof experience with U.S. exporters, traders and buyers inaddition to end users and processors in each market.