Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic, Meat Contraband from China Hit Record Levels

In calendar year 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of shipments containing prohibited pork, chicken, beef and duck products arriving from China intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists in Los Angeles, nearly doubled compared with the previous year.

From Jan. 1, to Dec. 31, 2020, CBP in Los Angeles issued 1,049 Emergency Action Notifications (EAN) compared to 527 in 2019, a 99 percent increase. When unmanifiested/prohibited animal products are intercepted, CBP issues...

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Strikes South Korea’s Layer Houses

As Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) strikes South Korea’s layer houses killing more than 8 million hens, the country’s local shell egg prices have started to soar with a 22.4 percent increase compared with an average year as of Wednesday. Demand is especially high for eggs with the approaching Lunar New Year holiday February 11 - 14. As a result, the Korean government has decided to temporarily eliminate tariffs on egg imports for the first time since 2017.

According to The Korea Herald, South Korea's agricultural ministry said Wednesday it plans to “temporarily remove tariffs on imported egg products to resolve a supply shortage.” The government will...

ANALYSIS: Whole Body Turkeys: Searching for a Seasonal Perch

With another year under the turkey industry’s belt, buyers and sellers of bagged birds are once again rolling up their sleeves as they...

ANALYSIS: The Impact of External Variables on the Turkey Hatch

In retrospect, the turkey market landscape has shifted dramatically in only a couple short years...

ANALYSIS: What’s Going On with Tom Breast Meat?

It’s safe to say that Thanksgiving and the whole bird centric activity which typically...