POULTRY EXPORTS SET A NEW RECORD IN 2013

Lindsay Mitchell

Feb 12, 2014  |  Today's News

Exports of U.S. poultry and eggs set a new record in 2013, reaching $5.862 billion, up 2.5 percent from 2012, according to trade data released last week by the Foreign Agricultural Service.

Also, 2013 was a record-setting year for U.S. poultry exports in both quantity and value. Export value climbed to $5.527 billion, 1.3 percent ahead of 2012, while export quantity was 4,114,897 metric tons, up 0.5 percent.

Meanwhile, U.S. egg exports last year (table eggs plus processed egg products in shell-egg equivalents) reached new records of 349 million dozen valued at $335.4 million, up 27.4 and 27.1 percent from 2012, respectively.

Within the livestock sector, poultry uses the most corn of all the species at 33 percent.  Although only a small amount of IL corn actually feeds the poultry industry, growth in poultry exports is a tremendous positive for corn farmers.

Over 323 million corn bushels are exported through U.S. poultry and eggs, worth over $5.7 billion.  Last year, that number was 300 million.

IL corn funds the US Poultry and Egg Export Council annually to allow them to work in increasing exports through trade relationships and increased marketing opportunities.