Dear readers,
As usual, let’s start with the good news from our industry:
- Topigs has bought all of Vion’s shares, making it, together with its sister company Norsvin, the second largest pig breeding organization in the world and the largest owned solely by farmers. The buyout caused the cooperative’s equity capital to decrease from EUR 80.8 million to EUR 67.1 million. According to the breeding organization, equity capital will be quickly increased again. This is the proof of the power a cooperative can reach.
- “Green” competition is not doing so good… The group of owners owns more than $1.1 billion of Beyond Meat’s convertible bonds. Now Beyond Meat has reached out to a group of its bondholders to discuss the possibility of restructuring the outstanding debt, as the Wall Street Journal reported. The news has caused BYND shares to fall 13% on the New York Stock Exchange.
- U.S. Home Market Foods announced a new $70-million investment in its meat production business. The company purchased the former Carla’s Pasta production plant in South Windsor, Connecticut, and will transform the space into a “state-of-the-art meat production facility.” HMF is the United States’ No. 1 processor of meatballs, and a supplier to convenience stores and foodservice operators.
Events calendar:
- The FHI Food & Hotel Indonesia is a prestigious international trade fair for the hospitality industry, focusing on the areas of food, gastronomy, and hospitality. The event is hosted at the International Expo in Jakarta on 4 days from Tuesday, 23.07.2024 to Friday, 26.07.2024.
- The Wright County Fair, established in 1870, is an annual event held on the picturesque Wright County Fairgrounds in Howard Lake, Minnesota, U.S.A. The fair showcases the region’s agriculture and crafts, attracting visitors primarily from the fields of agriculture, horticulture, and livestock breeding. The Wright County Fair will take place on 5 days from Wednesday, 24. July to Sunday, 28. July 2024.
- The Gourmet Festival Cologne, Germany, is an annual culinary fair, part of an event series, which also takes place in Düsseldorf and Mönchengladbach. The festival provides a platform for exquisite culinary delights and unique products. The fair is held in the heart of Cologne, directly in front of the Chocolate Museum and along the Rheinauhafen. The eighth Gourmet Festival takes place on 3 days, from Friday, 26.07.2024 till Sunday, 28.07.
- IITER welcomes you to attend International Conference on African Swine Fever, Socio-Economic Drivers and Impacts (ICASFSEDI -2024) on 24th – 25th of July 2024 at The Alex Hotel Dublin , Ireland.
Know Your Enemy
Let’s continue from the last mentioned event. Ireland is on an island, theoretically it would be easy to control the introduction and spread of a disease like the A.S.F. Recent evolution of the A.S.F. in remote areas, at locations situated at a long distance from each other and with no apparent connection show us the contrary.
I had high hopes from the famous German efficiency and serosity, when A.S.F. hit the pig herd. Now, almost 4 years later, a second pig farm with 1100 finishers has been infected in the western German state Hesse, near Stockstadt in the district Groß-Gerau.
When Vietnam authorized 2 commercial vaccines against A.S.F., the news spread rapidly and so did optimism. We have the cure, the protection!
But what happened in the homeland of the vaccines ?
In a document dated 14 of July, cited by Reuters, the Vietnam government has expressed concern that African swine fever outbreaks in the country could affect its food supplies and put pressure on inflation. “The risk of wider spread of the disease is very high, and it can affect food supplies, consumer prices and the environment.” According to the document 660 ASF outbreaks have been confirmed across the country this year, compared with 208 outbreaks during the same period last year, with 42,400 infected pigs culled, almost five times higher than last year. Given the situation, the government ordered provinces to deploy measures to curb the spread, including prioritizing funds for vaccinating pigs against the disease. Wouldn’t you expect that farmers voluntarily opt for vaccination? Why doesn’t this happen? I really wonder!
Obviously, A.S.F. is the industry’s number 1 enemy. We need to study more, we need to exchange more information. Know your enemy!
