Swine news - Economy

September pork export volume was steady with both the August and year-ago levels, while beef exports edged higher in volume and jumped substantially in value, according to statistics released by USDA and compiled by USMEF.

The PGI «Slavonski kulen»/«Slavonski kulin» is a dry cured sausage subject to several successive treatments for a minimum of 150 days.

It is expected that by the end of 2017, the total production reaches 4.57 million tonnes, that represent an increase by 5.1% with respect to 2016.

The last revision to the pork standards occurred in 1985.

According to the SAGARPA, pork production will grow and reach 1.4 million tonnes this year.

Until now, this method was authorised for potatoes, garlic, onions, asparagus, strawberries, spices, dried vegetable seasonings and/or their mixes, and cultivated edible mushrooms.

Global food prices dipped in October, led lower by dairy products, averaging 27 percent below its all-time high reached in early 2011.

The List of Agricultural Produce, Raw Materials and Food Products banned from import to Russia has been extended to include live pigs and several types of edible livestock byproducts and fats. The imposed restrictions will not affect domestic consumer availability.

Progress of the animal health protocols for the export of beef, veal, and fowl and dairy products.

Looking into Q4 2017, global pork supply is expected to increase further, mainly driven by China, the US, Canada, and Brazil. While China’s pork imports have slowed down recently, they are likely to pick up again later this year, according to RaboResearch’s latest global Pork Quarterly.

European Commission announces €1 billion funding for more sustainable agriculture, food and rural development.

The European Commission has approved the creation of a joint venture by Evonik Industries AG of Germany and Koninklijke DSM N.V. of the Netherlands.

The simplified rules agreed as part of the Omnibus concern direct payments, rural development, the common market organisation and horizontal regulation, and will benefit farmers in a number of ways.

The programmes are designed to help producers in the EU agri-food sector communicate about the quality of their products.

Published by the European Commission, the latest monthly trade report shows that European agri-food exports remain strong for August 2017 further increasing the trade balance to €2.4 billion.

Year-on-year increase by 7% encouraged by the rise in domestic consumption, that reached 13.7 kg per capita and with an expected growth of 8-9.5% in 2017.

After years of consecutive drops in meat consumption, last year the figures were similar to those of the previous year.

The matters related to the technical cooperation and the exchange of experiences in the electronic certification of livestock products were addressed.

According to USDA "Quarterly Hogs and Pigs (September 2017)", United States inventory of all hogs and pigs on September 1, 2017 was 73.5 million head. This was up 2 percent from September 1, 2016, and up 3 percent from June 1, 2017.

Global production is forecast up nearly 2 percent in 2018 to 113.1 million tons, primarily on expansion in China and to a lesser extent the United States.

China’s pork imports are forecast to decline for the second consecutive year in 2018 as domestic production gains reduce demand of imported pork.

Livestock production in Mexico attained an historic growth by reaching a record production of 6.5 million tonnes (carcass weight) in 2016, that meant an increase by 202,000 tonnes (3.2% more than in 2015), according to the data of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA).

The Agriculture and Livestock Confederation of Brazil organised a meeting of representatives of Mercosur’s private sector with the main EU negotiator, Ms Sandra Gallina, and South American negotiators.

In the last five years, pork consumption per capita in the countries in this region raised from 4.6 kg in 2012 to 5.3 kg in 2016, and the growth was encouraged mainly by Panama and Costa Rica.