Although no detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been recorded in the U.S. for several months, the toll the virus has taken on the U.S. poultry and egg industry this year is staggering, according to information from the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC).
Poultry export volume for the first eight months of this year declined by 13.6 percent to 2,365,959 metric tons, as value plummeted by 21.1 percent to $2.85 billion from the same period in 2014.
Broiler exports for January through August dropped by 11.4 percent to 1,970,992 tons, while value decreased by 21 percent to $2.138 billion.
Exports of table eggs and egg products, meanwhile, fell by 17.4 percent to 178.62 million dozen measured in shell-egg equivalent units, while value slipped by 5 percent to $206.7 million.
Cumulative January-August exports of table eggs declined by 5.9 percent to 106.42 million dozen, while value rose by 9.1 percent to $134.41 million. The top five markets of Canada, Mexico, Hong Kong, Bahamas, and the Netherlands Antilles accounted for 95.5 percent of the total volume, with Canada alone importing 48.2 percent.
The cumulative export value of egg products for January through August declined 23.4 percent to $72.25 million. Export value to Japan decreased by 21.0 percent to $23.56 million, while exports to Mexico dipped by 27.3 percent to $17.72 million, and shipments to Canada fell by 14.0 percent to $10.76 million. Export sales to the top five markets totaled $60.96 million, accounting for 84.4 percent of U.S. total exports worldwide.
This sharp drop in export value is a graphic example of the economic effect this year's multi-state outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza has had on the industry.
The good news, USAPEEC said, is that some countries have begun lifting their import restrictions on poultry products originating in certain states, now that more than 90 days have passed since affected farms were cleaned and disinfected, as is recommended by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
Hong Kong announced in August that it has lifted restrictions on 10 previously banned counties in the states of Arkansas, Washington, Oregon and California. Some U.S. trading partners have been slow to remove restrictions, however, including Mexico, the industry's largest export market. Japan and Singapore have also recently removed restrictions.
While no HPAI detections were made in the U.S. during the warmer months of summer, the U.S. poultry industry is bracing for its possible return this fall, as migratory birds - thought to be the primary carriers of the virus - head south for the winter. State and federal officials worry that wild birds will carry the virus into the Atlantic flyway that cuts through the heart of the main poultry-producing areas of the mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
Exporters, meanwhile, hope for the best after a disheartening first half of the year. The impact goes beyond exports, as more product on the domestic market means lower prices that add to the losses.
Exports of poultry meat for the month of June were down 14 percent to 305,504 tons, while value dipped by 25 percent to $348.8 million, compared to the same month a year earlier.
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