Dear readers,

            It is Easter time in the large pig producing countries in  Europe, there are no major changes in the main pork markets. Some good things still happen:

• The Council of Agriculture Ministers approved the proposal for legislative modification presented by the Commission to simplify and make the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) more flexible. Member States would be allowed to grant temporary and specific exemptions from certain cross-compliance requirements in the event of unforeseen weather conditions that prevent farmers from complying with them. The revision also exempts small farms of less than 10 hectares from controls and sanctions related to compliance with the CAP cross-compliance requirements. EU countries can now amend their CAP strategic plans twice a year on a permanent basis, rather than once, as is currently the case.
• In the U.K. the Pirbright researchers have secured funding from the Medical Research Council to assess the cross-protection potential of modified live vaccines against diverse ASF virus strains in Africa. Current vaccine efforts predominantly target the ASFV genotype II and the team have  already produced a promising genotype II vaccine candidate which offers good protection against genotype II, partial protection against genotype I, but no protection against genotype IX. In Africa, however, there are at least 24 genotypes circulating. To address this, the research team will use advanced techniques to predict the efficacy of their vaccine against the various ASFV genotypes prevalent in Africa.

Events calendar:

• Exhibitors and visitors meet for the thirty-third time on the VIETNAM EXPO on 4 days from Wednesday 03.04.2024 to Saturday, 06.04.2024 in Hanoi. The fair has a large area for agriculture and foodstuff.
• The „International Agricultural Products and Food Exhibition”(IAPFE), is an annual event held at the Poly World Trade Center in Guangzhou, China, first opening its doors in 2017.The IAPFE will take place on 3 days from Monday, 08 of April, to Wednesday, 10 of April, 2024.

Easter

Pig producers had better expectations for the pig prices in this period, having in mind the figures from last year. In the east of Europe, the short working weeks even allowed the slaughterhouses to decrease the pig purchasing prices.

Our industry is under the pressure of politics and African Swine Fever also. Recent outbreaks in Italy, in wild boars in the Ticino Park and in the municipality of Borgo Val di Taro, determined authorities to expand the areas subject to restrictions in the province of Milan and in the province of Parma. If the disease spreads to the swine, it can endanger the strongly export based ham industry of the region.

We have also seen in the last decade politics trying to regulate our industry by determining changes in consumption, for instance. Where does this lead?

Figures from the USDA indicated that as a result of California’s Proposition 12, the prices of the pork meat increased with over 20% since the 1-th of July, while those not affected by the regulation fell remained unchanged. This regulation indicates that all pork marketed within said entity must come from the offspring of sows housed in spaces of over 2,23 m² per head, even if it is imported from other US or international territories. Since the entry into force of Proposition 12, on January 1, 2024, prices for ribs and bacon in California have a slightly larger gap compared to other territories, while loin increased with 41%, due to the limited supply!

       Does Europe learn form this experience? It doesn’t seem so…

Jumbo, a retailer in the Netherlands and Belgium, will cease all meat promotions across its Dutch stores and online platforms starting May 27, 2024. Jumbo is to “actively shift consumer focus toward more sustainable, plant-based protein options by eliminating price promotions on fresh beef, pork, and chicken.” According to the retail chain, this decision is a part of Jumbo’s broader strategy to adjust the protein content of its offerings, targeting a balance of 50% plant-based and 50% animal protein products by 2025 and toward 60% plant-based proteins by 2030, in line with guidelines suggested by the Health Council of the Netherlands. But who could benefit from this? I think stock exchange is illustrating the reality.

In 2019, Beyond Meat appeared to answer to the change of the consumer trend in the direction of meat alternatives. At its peak on the stock market, the shares briefly exceeded the $220 mark. Meanwhile, nutrition experts began to question the health benefits of plant-based meat when it became clear that the product is highly processed. The products are not benefiting anymore from the novelty aspect and price concessions had also to be made. Beyond Meat is currently trading at $8.50 and consumers return to real meat.

I hope to see also European consumers returning to pork meat consumption. Happy Easter!

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

COUNTRY	PIG(EUR)	TREND	PIGLET(EUR)	TREND	OBSERVATION
GERMANY	2,20 HW		85/25 kg
NETHERLANDS	1,95-2,22 HW		80/25 kg
BELGIUM	1,58 L		81/20 kg
DANEMARK	1,65 HW		93/30 kg
FRANCE	2,031 HW
ITALY	1,77 L115kg, 2,12 L160kg, DOC		143,1/30 kg
SPAIN	1,75 – 1,81 L		91-115/20kg
PORTUGAL	2,48 HW
AUSTRIA	2,16 HW		106/31 kg
POLAND	1,49 – 1,74 L		91-136/20-30 kg		Partner info; no quotation
CROATIA	2,05 – 2,15 HW		106-115/ 25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
SERBIA	2,05 L		120-130/ 25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
CZECH R.	2,13 – 2,17 HW		70-76/ 25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
SLOVAKIA	1,65 -1,70 L		107-113/25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
HUNGARY	1,68 – 1,78 L		107-113/25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
ROMANIA	1,7 – 1,78 L		107-117/25 kg		Partner info; no quotation