10/08/08 Dairy exports headed for record year

Export figures for the first seven months of this year show that the US dairy industry has a strong export market. Milk solids shipped overseas through the end of July were eleven percent higher than the same period in 2007. US Dairy Export Council's Margaret Speich says that's 2.4 billion dollars worth of American milk. SPEICH "We anticipate that the value of our exports in all of 2008 will probably approach four billion dollars. That would shatter last year's three billion dollar dairy export total. Mexico is the number one market for US dairy both in volume and dollar value but this year there have been a growing number of exports to Southeast Asia. SPEICH "To countries like the Philippines and Indonesia. China is an important market. Last year in 2007 it was our fourth largest market in terms of volume and in value." Recent milk contamination issues have destroyed Chinese confidence in their own country's dairy products. Speich says in the short term Chinese consumers will be looking to the US and other countries to provide them with safe dairy products. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott