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I can see how this deal would certainly boost rail traffic.  Even if the acquisition sullies the Smithfield brand in the U.S., that brand damage won’t affect the Chinese market.  They will see the Smithfield brand as a big improvement over their Shuanghui brand even if the Smithfield brand is compromised in the deal. I don’t have the exact numbers, but I gather that the shortfall in the Chinese market is much larger than the whole U.S. market.  I also understand that the Smithfield production is only 3% of the Shuanghui production.  Therefore, I wonder if the Smithfield production could be ramped up sufficiently to serve the existing U.S. market and also make up the entire shortfall in the Chinese market.  I would guess that it cannot by a longshot.  If the Shuanghui production is 33 times larger than the Smithfield production; and Shuanghui has a “sizeable” shortfall, it might be that it would require increasing Smithfield production by much more than double or triple in order to make up the shortfall.  It would be interesting to know the limit to Smithfield’s potential expansion.     Since it is said that the point of the acquisition was to lock in more supply, then it might be that Shuanghui would sacrifice the higher price of pork in the U.S. market in order to increase supply in the Chinese market.   So, considering these factors, it seems likely that all the current Smithfield pork production could go to China and still not solve the Chinese shortfall.  And if the deal results in any Smithfield brand damage in the U.S. market, then that would leave still more U.S. pork available for Shuanghui to send to China.  Therefore, it might be that the entire Smithfield production will go to China, and that that production will be several times greater than today’s production.  And all of that production will go by rail to one U.S. port.
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