overview
Animal products account for the majority (51 percent) of the value of U.S. agricultural products, exceeding $100 billion per year. ERS analyzes conditions and events that influence supply, demand, trade, and prices in livestock, dairy, poultry, and aquaculture markets. This briefing room examines issues not easily assigned to a particular livestock commodity, such as price reporting or animal health and welfare.

Information about specific livestock commodities are in separate briefing rooms.

contents

•  Retail meat prices and price spreads
•  Animal care and food safety
•  Trade
•  Policy and regulatory issues
•  Minor commodities
  

features
Food Traceability: One Ingredient in a Safe and Efficient Food Supply describes the results of an investigation into the amount, type, and adequacy of traceability systems in the United States, focusing on the cattle/beef, fresh produce, and grain sectors. The investigation finds that these systems vary across industries as firms balance the private costs and benefits to determine the efficient level of traceability. For the full report, see Traceability in the U.S. Food Supply: Economic Theory and Industry Studies.

Savvy Buyers Spur Food Safety Innovations in Meat Processing finds that the market incentives that motivate private firms to invest in food safety innovation seem to be fairly weak. Results from an ERS survey of U.S. meat and poultry slaughter and processing plants and two case studies of innovation in the U.S. beef industry reveal development of a number of mechanisms to overcome that weakness and to stimulate investment in food safety innovation. For the full report, see Food Safety Innovation in the United States: Evidence from the Meat Industry.

recommended readings
Meat and Poultry Plants' Food Safety Investments: Survey Findings reports on the first national survey of the types and amounts of food safety investments made by meat and poultry slaughter and processing plants since the late 1990s. Survey results provide evidence that market forces have worked in conjunction with regulation to promote the use of more sophisticated food safety technologies.

Live Cattle Exports from Mexico into the United States highlights research on the origins and destinations of Mexican cattle imported into the United States. Recent animal disease outbreaks, food safety issues, and the possibility of agricultural terrorism raise concerns about the need for information on movements of agricultural products into and within the United States. Livestock and meat are of special concern, given the potential human health and economic impacts of diseases.

International Trade of Meat/Poultry Products and Food Safety Issues uses case studies to evaluate the international trade implications of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or mad cow disease), foodborne pathogens (e.g., salmonella), and certain production practices (e.g., drug use for growth promotion) in exporting countries.

See all recommended readings...

recommended data products
Retail Scanner Prices for Meat contains monthly average retail price data for selected cuts of beef, pork, poultry, lamb, and veal, based on electronic supermarket scanner data.

Commodity Yearbooks contain annual historical market data for beef, pork, lamb, dairy, and poultry.

Meat Price Spreads presents monthly data on farm-to-retail price spreads for beef, pork, broilers, turkeys, and eggs in Excel and html formats. Also included are farm-to-wholesale and wholesale-to-retail spreads and retail prices.

See all recommended data products...

glossary
Definitions of terms used in this briefing room and links to other online glossaries that provide additional information about animal products and livestock.

questions and answers
What is meant by the phrase "animal products?" What are the USDA grades of meat? Find the answer to this and other frequently asked questions about animal production and marketing issues.

our newsletter
Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook provides monthly market information reports and assesses the impact of existing, proposed, or potential policies and practices on location (domestic and international) and structure of production and processing of animal products.

related briefing rooms
Cattle
Hogs
Poultry and eggs
Dairy
Sheep and wool
Aquaculture
Food marketing and price spreads
Government food safety policies
Traceability in the U.S. Food Suppy

related links
National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) provides data on livestock production and State- and national-level prices.

Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) provides reports and data on supply and demand (including imports and exports) for major trading countries and current world market and trade reports. Several FAS commodity pages are devoted to livestock and livestock products.

See all related links...

for more information, contact: Monte Vandeveer
web administration: webadmin@ers.usda.gov
page updated: June 3, 2004