Page 48 - Farm and Food Policy Strategies for 2040 Series

The producers, Kaysen says, know “as countries evolve into wealthier states, there is no
question that their palates turn to an appreciation for protein ... and with that wealth pork
exports from here increase. There’s a direct correlation,” and he doesn’t want those U.S.
shipments, which represent a third of global pork exports, to take a hit.
The wild cards in protein demand
Look for a spectrum of cultural diets fads, animal welfare, animal rights, and nutrition and health
concerns about meat consumption to continue their mixed influences on demand for high-protein
foods.
Though the European Union exceeds the U.S. in pork and dairy exports, for example, meat use is
declining across Western Europe, where folks are flocking to vegan, vegetarian, and flexitarian
(only occasional meat) diets, and where animal welfare sensitivity and activism are very popular.
In the U.S., those trends are visible, too, and several states have even passed laws banning
gestation crates — the latest, California, did so last fall. Giant hog farm operators and processors,
including Smithfield and Cargill, have been phasing the crates out in recent years and requiring
farms that sell hogs to them to do likewise. Plus, several major food companies have pressed
their own suppliers to phase out crates, and such changes in animal housing can be expensive
and can affect operating margins, sow health, and more.

Note that the housing changes have apparently not altered U.S. production or consumption of
pork: they keep climbing.

46 www.Agri-Pulse.com