Swine news - Economy

Uncertainty in global markets – due to disease risk, trade disputes, and feed availability – will create opportunities and challenges for the pork industry in the coming months.

Agricultural exports from the EU are set to benefit the most,such as poultry, cheese, chocolate, pasta, and pork.

During the first trimester of 2018, Brazilian pork exports have dropped both in terms of volume and value.

Pork is the EU's main agricultural export to Japan.

In January 2018, pig production grew by 4.1% in comparison with January 2017.

Government of Argentina has finalized technical requirements that will allow U.S. pork to be imported into Argentina for the first time since 1992.

According to USDA, swine production will shift from Southern China and the Yangtze River Region towards North China, Northeast China, and Southwest China.

The parties discussed several technical issues related to the bilateral deliveries of animal and plant products.

The Commission is targeting the most damaging unfair trade practices to grant farmers and small and medium sized businesses greater certainty and less need to manage risks over which they have little or no control.

Wen is still the largest swine production company in China. The second largest, MuYuan, has undergone a rapid expansion.

Since 2015 China has been restructuring its pork sector. As a consequence, its imports peaked in mid-2016 and then declined until the end of 2017. Only in November 2017 the trend reversed and imports are expected to stabilise in 2018.

The Commission published a report presenting a short-term agricultural markets' outlook. In 2018 pigmeat production is expected to rise.

FAO's anticipates this year's world maize and wheat production to decline based on early forecasts.

Chile, together with other 10 countries, signed the free trade agreement, that favours national pork exports. It is expected that the exports to Japan grow by 10-15% in the next years.

China raised import duties on a $3 billion list of U.S. pork, fruit and other products.

The average pigs saved per litter was a record high of 10.58 for the December - February period, compared to 10.43 last year.

A two-year project that will assess veterinary health management and veterinary drug use in Vietnamese pig farms has been launched.

For each USD invested on a pig through the Pork Checkoff, there was a return on investment of USD22.50.

China plans to impose tariffs on up to products from the United States to make up for losses caused by US tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum products. For pork, a 25 percent tariff is proposed.

Spain is now one of the four main pork exporters in the world, together with Germany, the USA and Denmark, with sales that amount 1,554,981 tonnes of pork.

In 2017, livestock and fowl production amounted 14.6 million tonnes.

Pork consumption grew by 9.6% in 2017, reaching 14.1 kg per capita.

Other cereals (excluding rice) and pork exports experienced the biggest drop in value terms on an annual basis.

The decision of the Taiwanese authorities will send an important and positive signal also to other Asian governments to fully recognise the EU's stringent veterinary controls.