Dear readers,

Some good news from the pig industry:

• Ohio Governor announced $14 million in grants to 51 companies across 33 counties available to improve and expand meat harvesting and processing facilities across Ohio State. Eligible costs include new and upgraded machinery and plant construction or expansion for confinement, processing and refrigeration.
• The Galesburg Illinois City Council announced an agreement with Thrushwood Farms Quality Meats, subsidiary of Western Smokehouse Partners. The deal is expected to create 150–180 jobs and bring $50 million in investment to the community by expanding operations in a facility which has been unused since 2004.
• The Peruvian Government, committed to the economic growth of pig farmers in the country, declared the first Sunday of August of each year as “Pork Adobo Day”(traditional pork dish), a date that will promote and increase the consumption of pork for the benefit of the development of national pig farming.
• E.U. livestock censuses conducted in May and June in the 13 EU countries covered by the report recorded 9.6 million sows. This is around 130,000 sows, or 1.4% more than the previous year. Sow numbers rose again In the three largest piglet producing countries in the EU: in Spain and Denmark, the increase was 1.7%, and in Germany 1.4%. In our region, Poland saw particularly strong growth, with 15.6%. Poland now has the sixth largest number of sows in the EU, at around 680,000. In the pig population increases were recorded in Germany (+1.1%), Denmark (+2.3%), Hungary (+7.2%), Romania (+0.5%), Ireland (+1.1%) and Sweden (+5.4%).
• In France, the Cooperl producer cooperative is trying to encourage more farms to stop docking their piglet’s tails by introducing a financial incentive system. Pigs delivered with an intact curly tail will receive an additional payment of 4 cents per kg of slaughter weight. The prerequisite is that the farmer delivers at least 10% of the pigs that are not docked and that the tail is at least 20 cm long. There are currently around 100 farmers in the so-called tail concept. In the entire network, around 3% of the pigs have an intact curly tail.
• The next round of investment subsidies in the Czech Republic opens on 8 of October and will be open until 29 October also to support  the modernization of agricultural holdings. CZK 3 billion(77 million €) is earmarked for it and it is possible to apply for support for investments in pig farms. In this round, farmers can apply for support for the purchase of culling machines, similar to the third round, which is dedicated to precision farming. Also, for the first time, there is a new intention to rebuild sow farrowing pens in connection with the expected obligation to introduce temporary sow farrowing pens.

Events calendar:

• „Agrofood West Africa” serves as a central platform for business and networking in the fields of agriculture, livestock farming, food technology, beverages, and packaging in West Africa. It takes place on 3 days, from Tuesday, 08.10.2024, until Thursday, 10.10.2024 in Parc des Expositions Abidjan.
• “Olma Messen St. Gallen” is the largest and most popular public fair in Switzerland. Topics related to agriculture and nutrition, including animal exhibits and animal demonstrations, are showcased. The OLMA is organized on 11 days from Thursday, 10.10.2024 to Sunday, 20.10.2024 in St. Gallen.

Who’ll Stop the Rain

The good news carry also some reverse information.

Although the new round of subsidies has been announced in the Czech Republic, it is still unclear what the final results of the first round of applications are. Only 18 projects of the pig breeding category passed through the first selection, representing only 7.7% of the total funding. Only 10 applications with a total volume of just over CZK 200 million(5,1 million€) have passed the administrative check so far. Another eight applications with a request for approx. CZK 170 million(4,36 million €) have been submitted.

While there is a slight increase in the number of sows in the EU, the published livestock statistics for May and June from 13 countries that conduct regular six-monthly livestock surveys count121.2 million pigs, a decrease of around 1.9 million pigs, or 1.6%, compared to the previous year’s survey.  In previous years, the rates of decrease were 3.0% and 4.6%, respectively.

Declines were recorded in seven of the 13 countries. In Spain, the largest pig farming country, there was a decrease of -3.7%, in the Netherlands -3.7%, in Italy -3.6%, in Poland -3.2% in France -2.8%, in Austria -2.0%., and Belgium -0.8%. Sow numbers continued to fall in France (-3.5%) and the Netherlands (-3.4%).

In the EU we are facing more and more political pressure related to the livestock industry: reduction or elimination of utilization of Zn, antibiotics, manure regulations etc. Meanwhile the United Nations has rejected a proposal to mandate reductions in antimicrobial use on farms, a decision that is being hailed as a victory by U.S. pork producers and veterinarians.

Also, the European Commission has proposed a one-year extension to the transition period for enforcing the EU’s anti-deforestation regulation (EUDR).The Commission has justified the delay by citing „feedback” from international partners on their readiness for implementation. It also noted that EU stakeholders are at different levels of readiness, with some well prepared and others expressing concerns about meeting the initial deadlines.

This delay has two major consequences. First, we will continue to face the competition with the (South American) countries with low production costs related to soy, for instance. Second: in the recent weeks we have faced destructive floods in a large part of Europe. Without forests, who’ll stop the rain?