July 7th

Leather and Hide Weekly

 

stay-strong

 

The Leather and Hide Council of America (LHCA) continues to monitor developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is available to support members navigating this rapidly evolving situation. LHCA has received clarification from the U.S. government that U.S. exporters of hides, skins and leather are not required to send COVID-19 certifications with their shipments to China. LHCA continues to closely monitor developments in China and will share information as it emerges. Plus, LHCA announced that its in-person 2020 Annual Meeting will be cancelled, though a virtual event will be held in its place sometime in October. Also, the latest hides and skins export trade data through May 2020 is now available. More on these and other topics below.

We hope you stay safe and healthy.

 

cows

 

Weekly Hides and Skins Stats 

  • Net sales of cured cattle hides reported for the period ending June 25 were 398,500 pieces and of wet blue were 55,500 pieces. Reported shipments of cured hides were 405,800 and of wet blue were 77,900. China was the largest buyer of cured hides and Italy was the largest destination for wet blue. See more. For historical data, click here. 
  • U.S. Cattle Slaughter was 593,000 last week, down 12.8 percent from the previous week. Total cattle slaughter in 2020 is 15,868,000, 5.8 percent below 2019 levels. See more.
  • USDA AMS Major Packer Hide Price Report provided prices for two types of U.S. hides at two price points with a spread of $11 for heavy Texas steers to $25 for heavy native steers.  See more.

Industry Updates

  • LHCA's in-person 2020 Annual Meeting, scheduled for October 21-23, 2020, has been cancelled due to ongoing concerns related to COVID-19. LHCA will instead host a virtual meeting sometime in October, and will reach out with more information about the event, including sponsorship opportunities, in the coming weeks.   
  • LHCA joined two coalition letters, one sent to the House Ways and Means Committee and the other to the Senate Finance Committee, in response to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer's June 17 Congressional testimony on the Trump Administration's 2020 trade policy agenda. Specifically, the letters request that the Administration extend, and broaden the scope of, its duty deferral policy, and urge the Administration to lift punitive tariffs currently in place.     
  • The North American Meat Institute continues to share guidance documents and other resources for industry on its COVID-19 response webpage. The page includes the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding face coverings, employee screening and positive test result protocol, among other pertinent resources. CDC and the Department of Labor issued guidance specific to the meat and poultry processing industry in order to facilitate ongoing operations and support the food supply, while also mitigating the risk of spreading COVID-19. The guidance is available here.  

 

cows

 

Other Trade News

  • Over the last few weeks, we have reported that global suppliers of meat, seafood and other foodstuffs were being asked by their Chinese importers to provide a document attesting that the products shipped to China are not contaminated with COVID-19 and that establishments follow FAO-WHO interim guidance on COVID mitigation and food safety. Last week, we heard that China's General Administration for Customs was requesting that U.S. imports of hides, skins and leather products to China be accompanied by assurances that the product is free of COVID-19, that no workers in the facility were sick with COVID-19 at the time of production and that the packaging of the product does not contain COVID-19, among other attestations. Late last week, LHCA heard from the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service that COVID-19 certifications from U.S. exporters would no longer be required, though it was expected that the news would take a few days to reach port officials, importers and customers in China. LHCA will continue to monitor developments closely and will engage with its counterparts in China.

Monthly Trade Data

U.S. hides and skins May 2020 export data is now available. Get a summary of the data here.

  • Cured cattle hides exports fell 24 percent in volume and declined 31 percent in value compared to 2019. Download the data here.
  • Wet blue shipments decreased 23 percent in volume and 24 percent in value. Italy was the largest buyer by value, totaling more than $42.1 million.
  • Pigskin exports increased 4 percent in volume and 5 percent in value compared to 2019. Download the data here.  

Latest Updates from Real Leather. Stay Different.

leather scents

 

Nothing evokes luxury like the scent of leather, so it is no wonder that many colognes and perfumes aim to capture its sought-after aroma. Check out five of our favorite leather fragrances here. Also, get the latest Real Leather. Stay Different. Global Student Design Competition news here. And, don't forget to:

Leather News

Each week, we will share relevant leather news below. Some of the articles may cover our products, and the industry, unfavorably, but we still believe it is important to share the different ways in which leather is presented in the media. If you find articles that you would like to see included, please send them to mschumpp@meatinstitute.org.