June 15th 2021

Leather and Hide Weekly

 

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LHCA continues to actively engage Congress and the Administration to address ongoing shipping issues hampering U.S. agriculture trade and hide, skin and leather exports. At press time today, the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Marine Transportation is holding a hearing with commissioners from the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) and other witnesses to learn more about disruptions at U.S. ports and within the shipping industry. In advance of the hearing, LHCA worked as part of a broader coalition to prepare materials, including legislative proposals, questions and written testimony underscoring the deleterious practices of ocean carriers. Plus, the latest monthly trade data through April 2021 is now available. More on these and other topics below.

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Weekly Hides and Skins Stats 

  • Net sales of cured cattle hides reported for the period ending June 3, 2021, were 469,200 pieces and net sales of wet blue were 116,500 pieces. Reported shipments of cured hides were 353,000 and of wet blue were 108,900. China was the largest buyer of cured hides and Vietnam was the largest destination for wet blue. See more. For historical data, click here. 
  • U.S. Cattle Slaughter was 665,000 last week, an increase of 23.6 percent from the previous week. Total cattle slaughter in 2021 is 14,746,000 head, up 5.7 percent from the same period in 2020. See more.
  • USDA AMS Major Packer Hide Price Report provided prices for five types of U.S. hides at five price points with a spread of $20 for branded southwest cows to $50 for butt branded steers. See more.

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Industry Updates

  • Save the date! LHCA will hold its Annual Meeting and Convention October 13-15, 2021, in Chicago. As of now, the event is expected to take place in person, though LHCA plans to offer a virtual component for those who choose not to, or are unable to, travel. Additional event details are forthcoming. 

Latest Updates from Real Leather. Stay Different.

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Real Leather. Stay Different. announced the 10 finalists for its International Student Design Competition out of more than 400 entrants, spanning from Argentina to Vietnam and Estonia to Sri Lanka. The finalists' designs, selected by a world-renowned judging panel, range from leather patchwork jumpsuits, molded handbags and delicate jewelry to structured leather overcoats, intricately stitched jackets and extravagant hats. A final winner will be selected at the end of June. Learn more here about these talented designers and eye-catching creations. Get the latest news from Real Leather. Stay Different. here. And, don't forget to:

 

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Other News

  • The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation is holding a hearing today, June 15, to examine the ongoing shipping crisis and challenges at U.S. ports. Video of the hearing, titled Impacts of Shipping Container Shortages, Delays and Increased Demand on the North American Supply Chain, is available here. In advance of the hearing, LHCA worked closely with the Agriculture Transportation Coalition to develop legislative proposals aimed at strengthening the enforcement of the Federal Maritime Commission's (FMC) detention and demurrage rules, maintaining carriage of U.S. exports and adding resources to FMC's Office of Consumer Affairs and Dispute Resolution Services. LHCA also consulted the North American Meat Institute on written testimony submitted to the hearing record.
  • The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) last week issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) and updated guidance on mitigating and preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. Although the ETS is limited to healthcare facilities, the standard also applies to healthcare facilities found within a manufacturing facility, including packing and processing establishments. In these instances, the ETS applies only to the embedded healthcare setting and not to the remainder of the location. Read more here. 
  • U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai affirmed the Biden Administration's commitment to crafting and enforcing a worker-centered trade policy in a speech delivered last week to the AFL-CIO. Tai underscored the need to consult workers throughout the negotiating process to ensure labor concerns are prioritized in both new and existing trade agreements. Tai's speech comes two weeks before the first meeting of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement Labor Council to review implementation of the agreement's labor chapter. 

Monthly Trade Data

U.S. hides and skins April 2021 export data is now available. Get a summary of the data here. 

  • Cured cattle hides exports rose 59 percent in volume and 26 percent in value compared to 2020. Download the data here.
  • Wet blue shipments declined 4 percent in value, but showed no change in volume compared to last year. Vietnam was the largest buyer by value, totaling more than $34 million.  
  • Pig skin exports decreased 25 percent in volume and 17 percent in value compared to 2020. Download the data here. 

 

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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.