"This week, there will be many remembrances of what we've accomplished in this organization over the past 40 years, and everyone here should take great pride in that, but for most of you, it's not the past that drove you to attend this meeting. It's about what we're going to do today, tomorrow and into the future," Philip Seng, USMEF president and chief executive officer, told attendees.There is that forty year perspective again, what happened after Nixon took us off the gold standard (lite). So this article is about "It's not the hand you are dealt, it's how you play the cards." This is how the meat industry played the ex nihilo credit card, if you'll pardon the double entendre.
According to Seng, the U.S. eclipsed $13 billion in meat exports. “That’s quite an accomplishment when you consider some of the challenges we’ve had over all these years,” he said, adding that the goal is for $20 billion in meat exports in the near future.Here again, in an ex nihilo credit regime, he who borrows the most wins.
Some recent highlights for U.S. trade include that the U.S. beef industry just surpassed Australia as the number-one supplier in the South Korean market. The U.S. also recently passed Australia in chilled beef exports to Japan, which Seng called a milestone.If there was any doubt that trade is important, Seng pointed out that 80% of the world’s buying power lies outside of the U.S., so “the more we can have this export mentality, (and) the more we can challenge ourselves to do better, the better it is going to be for all of us.”
1. They are not sure what it is.
2. It is hard to spot, making it hard to control.
3. It is hard to kill, and the killing process relieves the meat of most nutritional value.
4. It is 100% the result of cruel and stupid animal farming.
But it makes cheap bovine meat at the cash register, but Big Meat gets so much in up-front subsidies and preferences, plus the cost of the damage done is after the fact, so here again we have the fascist Big Government and Big Industry acting as one, to privatize profits and socialize losses.
(Grass fed beef is natural and popular, and on unused "government land" it can be produced inexpensively. This is why the FEDS kill ranchers who won't back off from grazing rights, as in Oregon. This terrorism is employed to smash any competition for Big Meat.)
The Chinese market has provided some success stories for the U.S. Seng noted that there are now nine pork plants in the world’s fastest-growing market for pork. However, challenges remain, as it’s still not easy selling in China, he said, adding, “It’s not the most transparent place, and it’s very hard to follow product in that market.”
"Trade is no longer rising around the world," Seng explained. "Actually, this is the first time since World War II that trade has declined during a period of economic growth. That's why what we are doing in the meat industry — whether it's the beef complex, the pork complex, the lamb complex — the fact that we are increasing our exports (means) we're really going against the grain right now, because most industries are not enjoying robust export sales."
Seng referenced World Trade Organization data showing that 2,100 new trade restrictions were imposed from 2008 to 2016. Sometimes, it may seem like there are fewer trade restrictions and more free trade agreements, but he said, “frankly, we are still in a very protectionist world.”
Fifteen countries account for 63% of world trade. “What that means is there are certain countries that are franchised in, and there are certain countries that are franchised out,” Seng said.
"This is one of the challenges we have with the WTO," he said. “There are more losers than actual winners when it comes to trade, just given those 15 countries. Usually, it’s those 15 countries that write the rules, so it’s become quite complicated when we take a look at international trade.”
The challenges ahead, according to Seng, include the state of the Korean economy, the impact of Britain's vote to leave the European Union and whether societal norms will begin to affect trade deals.
The paramount question on everyone’s mind, however, is how to deal with the “tsunami of meat” heading toward us, Seng said. It will be key, he said, to focus on what can be done over the next couple years to move more meat, as well as what can be done for demand enhancement in this industry.
The solution is simply end the subsidies to Big Meat, and deregulate Mad Cow testing. At the same time, people need to work hard developing markets for USA produced good food, so the good food producers (necessarily specialty) can grow their operations.
One reality is wherever the USA has introduced a market for Meat Industrial Complex compromised products, there is always as specialty market growing alongside. So where USA exports the most, there is the most likely specialty market.
It cannot be foreseen, it must be searched and learned. How to is no secret, I learned it from people in the business, and he meta studies confirm how to, it is just apparently i am the only person who teaches it.
If you have a passion for food, and want to start a business doing the urgent work of restoring balance in world trade and protecting specialty food in USA, then I have a hard core online course open to anyone in the world. The next session is coming up in January. If you wish to enroll, you may do so here. If you do not see your local school, you can scroll down to the bottom of the page and enroll directly with me. I'll bill you the course fee after the course. Don't worry if you are overseas, the tools, tactics and attitude apply in all countries. I am happy to have you enroll too.
Feel free to forward this by email to three of your friends.