Agricultural News
Nebraska Beef Council, USMEF Team Up to Promote U.S. Beef in Macau
Fri, 03 Jan 2014 13:03:17 CST
For the second consecutive year, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) collaborated with the Nebraska Beef Council for a major U.S. beef promotion in Macau. As a special administrative region of China that allows legalized gaming, Macau attracts about 30 million visitors per year to its 35 casinos and other entertainment venues. This outdoor barbecue event attracted meat buyers, chefs and other foodservice professionals representing many of these businesses.
Myron Danner, a rancher and cattle feeder from Burwell, Neb., who serves on the Nebraska Beef Council, attended the beef promotion and provides his thoughts on the potential demand for U.S. beef in Macau.
"There were over 200 people there in attendance. In fact, John Lamb with USMEF in Hong Kong said he thought it was over half of the food and beverage industry from Macau that were represented at this event. And the quality of the food at this barbecue was as good as you're going to find anywhere. It was just superb."
U.S. beef is not currently eligible for mainland China, but Macau allows imports of U.S. beef under the same trade practices employed in Hong Kong. Danner says promoting U.S. beef in Macau has the added benefit of reaching millions of prospective customers who live in mainland China, which could help bolster demand when China reopens to imports of U.S. beef.
"It's their vacation spot. It is the only legalized gambling spot in China. And when they go it's going to be where they go to where the better quality food is. The other thing that I see is the people from mainland come and, of course, US beef is locked out of mainland China at the moment, and I can see that changing pretty rapidly. We're going to get exposure to the masses of people who live in mainland China that at the moment have never had U.S. beef- exposure there is just going to be phenomenal."
Chinese officials in talks with USDA officials in December said that reopening of their markets is a distinct possibility.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show- and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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