DENVER — Last week, US beef industry leaders visited South Korea and Japan — the two largest destinations for US beef — to see how US beef is being promoted through US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) activities in the regions. The group also met with buyers and distributors of US beef to learn about emerging consumer trends.
The delegation representing 10 states was sent to South Korea and Japan through the Beef Checkoff Program.
Among the delegation was Andy Bishop, beef producer in Kentucky and chair for the Cattlemen’s Beef Board. Bishop believes having staff on the ground in foreign markets offers a key advantage for US red meat.
“We can send those cuts over here, build the demand for US beef that Asian consumers enjoy, but not without the work of the USMEF,” he said. “And so, I think it's really important to remember that if we didn’t have boots on the ground over here, constantly staying in front of consumers and building that brand, that’s pretty cool to see that someone’s over here constantly working on your behalf to support your product and build a product name like we’ve got for US beef.”
Many underutilized US beef cuts are very popular in the Asian market. Bishop noted that this demand has brought a positive impact on carcass value, with beef export value reaching nearly $890 million in March and $454 per head of fed slaughter.
In South Korea and Japan, demand is strong for short plate, short rib, chuck roll and chuck flat tail — products not as common in the United States that add value to the carcass.
“I think about South Korea in general,” Bishop said. “In 2008, you had people boycotting in the streets about US beef coming out of BSE. And you think about even back to 1975 when they were eating 14 lbs of total meat a year per capita, and now they’re eating 134 lbs. So, when you tell producers what’s USMEF doing with your checkoff dollars in that export market, you can say, well, they’re adding $454 of value to a carcass by utilizing cuts of meat that we’re not going to consume in the United States.”
