The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) conducted a press conference prior to the USMEF Spring Conference in Arlington, Virginia. The call featured opening remarks from Philip Seng, USMEF president and CEO, Joel Haggard, USMEF senior vice president, Asia Pacific, and Oscar Ferrara, USMEF regional director, Mexico, Central America and the Dominican Republic.

In the conference, the speakers discussed their support for Sonny Perdue’s nomination and expressed excitement to see the U.S. Department of Agriculture become fully-staffed. Also discussed was the strong demand currently felt across the world for U.S. pork and beef, and how USMEF believes that great opportunities for growth continue to take shape.

The speakers also discussed several challenges facing U.S. meat exports, including the lack of clarity surrounding the current trade map under the Trump administration.

“For a lot of us who saw significant progress in TPP, to have that canceled on the day after the administration, that was hard to take,” Haggard said on the call. “We are always interested in improving trade agreements over time, because things do change, but we do not want to lose any gains that we’ve made as far as trade access goes.”

Listen to the full conference here:
USMEF Press Conference on State of Industry