Dear readers,

Let’s see some good news from our industry:

• The President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, was on an official visit to France where he was received by his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron. One of the signed agreements will allow the Chinese market to be opened to French pork by-products, thanks to a modification of the protocol for the export of pork, as well as processed pork proteins.
• Alabama is now the second state in America where cultivated meat cannot be manufactured or commercialized. Violating the law will be a class C misdemeanor, which carries the possibility of up to a three-month jail sentence and a fine of $500. The new law takes effect October 1.
• A therapeutic trial using innovative CRISPR-based technologies to target the African swine fever virus (ASFV) in pigs has successfully been completed, according to Seek Labs, U.S.A. According to the press release, the trial, which aimed to replicate and expand an earlier trial, demonstrated pigs infected with ASF and treated with Seek Labs’ CRISPR-based systems survived longer than untreated infected pigs.
• Pirbright researchers are collaborating with TVG to accelerate the development of safe and effective vaccines against the ASF.The project adopts a novel approach, utilising bovine herpesvirus 4 (BoHV-4) as a platform for developing ASF vaccines, leveraging recent advancements in ASF vaccinology and porcine immunology. The research, helped by funding from the Defra and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation.
• Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni approved military deployment, comprising of 177 soldiers, aiming to curb Italy’s wild boar population by as much as 80% over the next five years, as part of a comprehensive strategy to safeguard Italian agriculture and culinary heritage.
• Clemens Food group, one of the U.S.’s largest pork processors, has purchased Kunzler factories and the Kunzler brand, a family-owned pork producer  which dates back to 1901.Kunzler & Co. makes hot dogs, Lebanon bologna, bacon, ham and other meat products and posts estimated annual sales of $150 million.
• Rattlerow Farms (LPL Group) has acquired the multi award-winning Bridge House Farm herd, marking a significant expansion for the Suffolk-based pig genetics business. Bridge House Farm, an 800-sow unit located in Northamptonshire, U.K., won the Indoor (for the second time) and Overall Pig Farm of the Year Award at last year’s National Pig Awards.

Events calendar:

• InterFood Azerbaijan is a trade fair for the food and beverage industry, held annually at the Baku Expo Exhibition and Convention Center in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan The actual edition takes place on 3 days from Wednesday, 15.05.2024 to Friday, 17.05.2024.
• CMPL Expo is India’s exclusive trade show for fast-moving consumer goods and private label, showcasing a wide variety of food and non-food products. The fair takes place at the Jio World Convention Center in Mumbai on 3 days from Wednesday, 15. May to Friday, 17. May 2024.
• The SIAL Canada is a significant international trade fair for food, beverages, and gastronomy, held annually alternating between the Canadian cities of Montreal and Toronto. The 21st edition of the SIAL Canada takes place on 3 days from Wednesday, 15.05.2024 to Friday, 17.05.2024 in Montreal.
• The „Shanghai International Agricultural Products Expo” is an international agricultural products fair held annually at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center. Visitors are expected on 3 days from Friday, 17.05.2024 to Sunday, 19.05.2024.
• The Fine Food Expo is an annual trade fair for food and beverages, held at the IEC MoldExpo, the largest international exhibition center in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, between 16-19 of May.
• The most important agribusiness event of the Region in this period, the 91st International Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad, Serbia, will be a day shorter, and will be held from Saturday, May 18 to Thursday, May 23.

Kebab

            The pig industry of Europe has been influenced in the last 20 years by the evolution of two markets: China and Germany.

            China was the major export market and determined profitability of the whole industry, when demand was high. The last 3 years have shown a downward trend in purchase from China, supported by the incredible recovery of the national pig herd after the ASF outbrakes. The agreement signed by China and France gives an interesting view of the future. Also, recently published data from the Chinese feed industry states that pig feed sales have generally declined in the past first quarter, falling by 20% to 40%, and the decline in the northern market is particularly pronounced, as high as 60% in some areas. Could this happen without a similar decrease of the pig herd?!
            The other significant market is the German one. Even it has lost the first position as pig producer in Europe in favor of Spain, still everyone follows the evolution of the German reference price for the pigs.

            The last years have shown also a strong political pressure on the once leading German meat industry, especially on pork. Now an interesting news comes from the meat consumer side, according to some press information.

The increasing cost of doner kebabs has led to calls for a government subsidy programme to keep the inflation-hit dish, one of the “country’s favorites,” affordable as politicians report it is frequently cited as a concern in conversations with voters. Even chancellor Olaf Scholz has been asked about the price of kebabs. I do wonder since when kebab is a typical German dish, but the government has even posted on social media to explain that price rises are in part due to rising wage and energy costs. The far-left Die Linke proposed  it wants to present to parliament, for the introduction of a Dönerpreisbremse or doner kebab price break, as kebabs are already €10 (£8.60) in some cities, rising from €4 just two years ago.

Will we see the Muslim,  vegan Agriculture Minster of Germany supporting the price cap for kebab?

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	1,93-2,22 HW		77,5/25 kg
BELGIUM	1,58 L		70/20 kg
DANEMARK	1,61-1,65 HW		93/30 kg
FRANCE	2,05 HW
ITALY	1,6 L 115kg, 1,98 L 160kg,		146,5/30 kg
SPAIN	1,75 – 1,81 L		91-101/20kg
PORTUGAL	2,53 HW
AUSTRIA	2,16 HW		109/31 kg
POLAND	1,5 – 1,85 L		92-137/20-30 kg		Partner info; no quotation
CROATIA	2,0 – 2,1 HW		106-115/ 25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
SERBIA	2,1 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	1,6 -1,67 L		107-113/25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
HUNGARY	1,68 – 1,79 L		107-113/25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
ROMANIA	1,61 – 1,73 L		107-117/25 kg		Partner info; no quotation