By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) announced on April 30 it expects the restrictions placed on the export of U.S. pork to Russia, China and other parts of the world to be temporary.

“The restrictions should be short lived because U.S. and international authorities have made it clear that the H1N1 virus is transmitted through human contact and that pork is 100 percent safe to consume,” predicted NPPC vice president and international trade counsel Nick Giordano.

“NPPC has been in constant contact with U.S. trade officials, and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Ron Kirk have been busy working the phones with our trading partners. It is imperative that our trade officials stop the export bleeding now.”

Ukraine, St. Lucia, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Honduras and Croatia had banned U.S. pork imports as of April 30, the NPPC reported. Russia, China and Kazakhstan had banned U.S. pork originating from certain states only.

“The U.S. pork industry maintains the capacity to serve the Chinese and Russian markets from non-restricted states,” said Giordano.
“The other nations account for only a very small percentage of U.S. pork exports.”

In 2008, the U.S. exported around 20 percent of its total pork production. NPPC said that while current losses in export dollars are “manageable,” the creation of new export opportunities and the retention of existing markets are critical to the industry’s well
 being.

To assure customers that the pork they consume is safe, the National Pork Board (NPB) announced on May 1 it had approved funding for a national media advertising program.

Preliminary plans call for utilizing national and regional newspapers, online search engines and websites, and making available experts on food safety and nutrition available to media outlets.

Advertising should begin this week in major daily newspapers and a variety of Internet-based media.

In the U.S., consumer tracking research has shown that eight of ten people believe pork is safe to eat. However, NPB chief executive officer Chris Novak said additional work must be done to assure consumers in the U.S. – and abroad – that pork is safe for consumption. “In addition to emphasizing the pork safety message, this advertising effort also gives us the opportunity to remind consumers about the nutritional benefits from eating pork,” Novak said in a press release.

“The positive consumer attitudes about the safety of pork we are seeing in our tracking research are good news. We are optimistic that consumers will continue to make pork part of their families’ daily meals.”

The NPB has responsibility for checkoff-funded research, promotion and consumer information projects.