Photo courtesy morgueFile.Photo courtesy morgueFile.
Sarnia

High Prices Cut Export Demand For U-S Pork

U-S domestic demand for pork was up in November, but export demand was way down.

University of Missouri Agricultural Economist Ron Plain says the domestic supply was up just over 7 per cent while export demand was down nearly 20 per cent.

Plain suggests the high death loss from PED pushed 2014 U-S pork prices to levels that were not very competitive on the world market.

Speaking of prices - Plain reports the average retail U-S price was down 7 point 3 cents from November to December.

That price was still 23 cents higher than December of 2013.

Those December retail U-S pork prices were the lowest since April.

December's average live price for 51-52 per cent lean hogs was 61.24 per hundredweight.

Plain says that's down 2.52 from November - and the lowest since January of 2013.

Last week's U-S hog slaughter was 2 point 276 million head.

That's up 6 point 4 per cent from the previous week - up 0 point 6 per cent from the same week last year.

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