March 16th

Leather and Hide Weekly

 

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Concerns continue to mount regarding agriculture shipping issues at U.S. ports, as more members of Congress join a growing group of agriculture organizations and government officials in calling for more decisive action to hold ocean carriers accountable for practices that are undermining U.S. agricultural export competitiveness and straining supply chains. Also, APHIS recently announced it is extending the export product facility inspection grace period through September 2021. Plus, LHCA announced the dates for its spring Board and Committee meetings. 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 March 4, 2021, were 518,600 pieces and net sales of wet blues were 144,400 pieces. Reported shipments of cured hides were 389,800 and of wet blues were 108,800. China was the largest buyer of cured hides and Vietnam was the largest destination for wet blues. See more. For historical data, click here. 
  • U.S. Cattle Slaughter was 647,000 last week, a decrease of 2.7 percent from the previous week. Total cattle slaughter in 2021 is 6,474,000 head, down 3.1 percent from the same period in 2020. See more.
  • USDA AMS Major Packer Hide Price Report provided prices for six types of U.S. hides at seven price points with a spread of $18 for branded southwest cows to $42 for butt branded steers.  See more.

Industry Updates

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  • Save the date! LHCA will be holding its spring meeting, including Board of Directors and Committee meetings, April 12-14, 2021. Additional details will be shared in the coming weeks.  
  • To alleviate the impact on trade and to support its COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) Veterinary Services (VS) is extending the current grace period for Export Product Facility inspections for up to six months after the last date of valid inspection. The temporary grace period eligibility is determined by the relevant export health certificate language or bilaterally negotiated protocols, and will end no later than September 30, 2021. This is a temporary measure with the expectation that inspection requirements will return to normal policy guidelines at an appropriate time. More information is available here. Contact Stephen Sothmann and Michael Schumpp with questions.       

Latest Updates from Real Leather. Stay Different.

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Myths abound about leather's environmental impact. Although today's clean and more sustainable tanneries could live in the heart of society, they are still, undeservedly, portrayed as operations trapped in the 19th Century. Our latest Real Leather. Stay Different. blog post details the commitment the industry has made to continuous improvement and dispels some of the commonly asserted falsehoods about the leather tanning process. Get the latest news from Real Leather. Stay Different. here. And, don't forget to:

 

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Monthly Drought Monitor - March 2021

During the current period, most of the country was dry. There was some precipitation along the Gulf Coast and into the Southeast, with the greatest amounts over southern Georgia. Some storms impacted the Pacific Northwest as well, with coastal areas recording the most precipitation, especially on the coastal regions of far northwest California, southwest Oregon and northwest Washington. Some scattered showers were recorded over the central Plains and New England, but generally these were not associated with significant precipitation. Temperatures were warmer than normal over much of the northern Plains and into the central Plains and Midwest with temperatures greater than 15 degrees above normal in the Dakotas. This took care of any remaining snows through the region and started the spring thaw on soils. Cooler than normal temperatures were recorded over much of the East and into the South where temperatures were 3-6 degrees below normal for the week. Cooler than normal conditions dominated much of New England with temperatures 9-12 degrees below normal. 

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Other News

  • A bipartisan group of 111 members of the U.S. House of Representatives last week expressed concerns to the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) over the lack of available vessel space for U.S. agricultural exports. In a letter sent to FMC Chair Michael Khouri, the House members requested monthly updates to Congress until the matter is resolved. A copy of the letter is available here. 
  • The U.S. and European Union announced a four-month suspension of tariffs related to the ongoing Airbus-Boeing dispute. The U.S. and EU agreed to lift tariffs on aircraft as well as non-aircraft products. This follows a similar agreement reached the prior week between the U.S. and United Kingdom.

 

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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.