Dear readers,

Something good about our industry:

• US pork exports for July were up 5% year-over-year in volume, with 219,014 metric tons , values up 1% to $628.7 million. For the first seven months of this year, pork exports are up 13% compared to the year before, values up 10%.
• Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus is causing an estimated annual total loss of $1.1 billion to the U.S. swine sector. University of Nebraska–Lincoln scientists Hiep Vu and Sarah Sillman have received a $627,000 federal grant to study the viral disease.
• France unveiled revised proposals banning the use of meat names like „steak” and „spare ribs” for plant-based food made in the country as it seeks to avoid „misleading claims” of some meat alternatives. France had already tried to pass such a measure in June last year but it was suspended by the country’s highest administrative court a month later, which argued that it was too vague and the timing too short. The new draft decree, which only applies to products made and sold in France, bans a list of 21 meat names to describe protein-based products, including „steak”, „escalope”, „spare ribs”, „ham” or „butcher”. However, over 120 meat-associated names such as „cooked ham”, „poultry”, „sausage” or „bacon” will still be authorized if the products do not exceed a certain amount of plant proteins, with percentages ranging between 0.5% and 6%.
• More than 500 kg of pork were intercepted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists at the Louisville Port of Entry during last week of August. The pork products from Hong Kong are prohibited due to outbreaks of African swine fever, classical swine fever, and swine vesicular disease.
• In August 2023, Russia exported 7.7 million tons of grain, according to the monitoring of the Russian Grain Union. This was a record figure for the last 7 years, and it was also 32% higher than the export in August last year. The export of wheat amounted to 6.5 million tons (+36.6% y-o-y), barley exports increased by 7% to 997,000 tons, and corn exports increased almost 1.9 times to 212,000 tons. Since the beginning of the current season, Russia shipped 13.3 million tons of the main grain types, 1.6 times more than in the first two months of the previous season (8.5 million tons), including 11 million tons of wheat (+1.5 times).

Events calendar:

• The MeLa „Trade Fair for Agriculture,” is the most traditional specialized exhibition in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. This year the MeLa takes place on 4 days from Thur., 14.09.2023 to Sun., 17.09.2023 in Gülzow-Prüzen. Exhibitors display a wide range of products and services, from plant and animal production to animal breeding and ecological agriculture-related topics. The food sector showcases meats and baked goods, fruits and vegetables, fish, game, beverages, and sweets from the region.
• For the twelfth time, Agri Asia takes place in  Gandhinagar, India, on 3 days from Friday, 15.09.2023 to Sunday, 17.09.2023. With around 175 exhibitors, the international exhibition and conference covers a broad spectrum of products and services attracting thousands of visitors from more than 20 countries.

Angry

African swine fever poses the highest tret to the pig industry currently. While there are more cases reported in Italy and the disease takes a high toll in Serbia, we also had to add Sweden to the list of infected countries last week. In this context, the seized pork items in the US bring up the question: when will ASF reach the US and how fast will it spread, given the high number of wild pigs?

Meanwhile the number of pigs in the EU continue to decline sharply, if not due to ASF, than due to politics and selfish economic approach from the side of some players in the pig industry chain.

Market data and Member State reports indicate a dramatic decline:

• In Spain 2.44 million fewer pigs slaughtered in the first half of the year, a decrease of 8.4%
• 2.20 million fewer pigs were delivered to slaughterhouses in Germany, 9.2% less than same period of last year
• supply of live pigs in Denmark dropped by 19.1%, to 7.44 million. 
• 1.53 million pigs were slaughtered in March 2022 compared to 1.38 million the same month this year in The Netherlands. In June 2022 there were 1.43 million pigs, in June this year 1.16 million animals. 

In fact, all EU countries are reporting sharply decreasing numbers, while the market chains are pushing for lower prices from the pork suppliers. It would make sense to fight with the inflation in this way, if the farmer arithmetic’s would not show that shelf price is mostly including 40% margin… This can only get farmers angry!

European pig and piglet prices: HW= Hot weight; L= live weight;

COUNTRY	PIG(EUR)	TREND	PIGLET(EUR)	TREND	OBSERVATION
GERMANY	2,30 HW		80/25 kg
NETHERLANDS	2,03-2,32 HW		61,5/25 kg
BELGIUM	1,62 L		54/20 kg
DANEMARK	1,74 HW		76,5/25 kg
FRANCE	2,05 HW
ITALY	1,955 L 115kg, 2,276 L 160kg, DOC		130/30 kg
SPAIN	1,9 -1,92 L		67-76/20kg
PORTUGAL	2,65 HW
AUSTRIA	2,27 HW		95/25 kg
POLAND	1,52-1,85 L		76-113/20-30 kg		Partner info; no quotation
CROATIA	2,05-2,25 HW		110 / 25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
SERBIA	2,42 L		110-131/ 25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
CZECH R.	2,28 – 2,33 HW		75,5-81,5/ 25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
SLOVAKIA	1,86 -1,92 L		100-105/25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
HUNGARY	1,90 – 2,01 L		100-105/ 25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
ROMANIA	1,90 – 2,0 L		100-105/25kg		Partner info; no quotation