As U.S. Faces Meat Shortages, Pork Exports from the U.S. to China Increase
Last week (April, 2020), we published a report on the state of America's hospital system in the midst of the Coronavirus outbreak, and I wrote then: "The so-called Coronavirus pandemic crisis is very quickly taking a back seat to more serious crises in the U.S. right now, and perhaps none more critical than the closure of hospitals and emergency rooms, along with doctors and nurses being laid off, which is happening all across the country." The other crisis facing the U.S. right now that may soon dwarf the Coronavirus "crisis" is the nation's looming meat shortage. The nation now faces meat shortages, America's primary source of protein, as processing plants across the country have shut down or reduced operations. 80% of the U.S. meat processing plants are owned by only 4 companies. Some grocery stores have already begun to limit meat purchases in advance of the expected shortages. At recent White House Coronavirus Task Force Press briefings, the nation has heard President Trump boast about how he had brokered a trade deal with China back in January of 2020, that includes China buying $12.5 billion of American agricultural products. Trump has been highlighting this as a great deal for American farmers. So which agricultural products did China choose to increase in purchase and export to China after Trump negotiated the trade deal between the two countries back in January? Pork seems to be at the head of the list. China has had major pork supply problems since last year (2019), due to an outbreak of "African swine fever." Some estimates claim that about two-thirds of China’s swine herd has been lost to the disease. So being forced by President Trump into purchasing agricultural products as part of his trade deal, it is no surprise that pork is at the top of the list of exports China wanted. U.S. livestock reports for last week (last week of April, 2020) show a five-week high in U.S. pork exports to China. "The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported export sales of U.S. pork in the week ended April 23 at 50,300 tonnes, a three-week high. China was the top buyer, booking 35,138 tonnes, while actual pork shipments to China totaled 20,683 tonnes, the most in five weeks." As U.S. pork sales soar due to the growing export market to China, U.S. customers are having an increasingly difficult time finding pork in their grocery stores, which may soon be bare of any pork products at all. One has to wonder who got the better end of this trade deal with China?
