Rob: Few industries are more dependent on international markets than
our agricultural sector.
More than half of all the wheat we grow now heads overseas, and a growing
amount of our meat is exported as well.
Europe was once among the world's largest exporters of beef, but times have
changed, and Europe is now a net importer.
Rob: The European Union today includes 27 countries and nearly
500-million consumers, and opportunities for U S beef are growing.
Phil Seng: What we see is a huge change in Europe, and that means that's
going to be an opportunity as Europe has become a net
importer for both beef and pork.
And, so we're working very assiduously to try to address the rising demand
and the lack of supply in Europe.
Dan Halstrom: We have some new opportunities in the EU.
They are obviously protein deficit especially on beef.
And we've probably just hit the tip of the iceberg, but I think
there's a lot of additional future growth in the EU.
Rob: Now market access is still a barrier because the EU has a ban on beef
produced with growth promotants and most U S
cattle currently don't qualify.
But, the United States Meat Export Federation is working on the issue to
increase the number of U S cattle eligible for export to the EU.
John Brook: The outlook is very positive, because in the European Union we have
a large number of people who are very well off.
And these people are very interested in having high quality products.