Dear readers,

Happy Easter to those celebrating!

Let’s go on with some good news:

•         The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety says a vaccine to combat African swine fever could be produced The Pig Virology and Immunology Unit happened to detect an attenuated strain, derived from the Georgia strain. This strain only caused a slight fever in infected animals, whereas infection with the Georgia strain is normally fatal in 100% of cases.The team carried out a series of studies with this attenuated strain and confirmed that most pigs inoculated intramuscularly or oronasally with this virus showed only mild symptoms. Although safety was not perfect, survival was much better than with the original viral strain. Another promising result is that infected pigs develop an immune response, which allows them to resist infection with the ASF virus without showing any symptoms, as early as two weeks after vaccination. Studies are still under way, in particular to ensure that this attenuated strain cannot be transmitted from one animal to another or become virulent again.

•         Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) 3 has opened for pig and poultry applications, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) of Ireland has announced.Grant aid will be paid to farmers at a rate of 40%, up to an expenditure ceiling of €500,000, which includes the €90,000 investment ceiling available in the other seven TAMS 3 schemes.

•         The Department for Environment,Food & Rural Affairs of the United Kingdom set out measures, including legal underpinning for contracts that deliver a fair, transparent and negotiable contract system for pig producers.Farming minister Mark Spencer said: „We are committed to working with the sector, and the regulations set to be introduced will ensure fairness and transparency across the supply chain – from pig to pork to plate – to help the sector to thrive in the future.”

•         The german Zur Mühlen Group plans to purchase the fresh meat and sausage producer Eberswalder.

•         According to China Customs data, from January to February this year, China imported a total of 563,600 tons of pork products, an increase of 23.92% year-on-year;

Events callendar:

•         Between 18-20 of April, over 270 companies from 32 countries will exhibit at the Wold Food Fair in Warsaw, Poland.

•         The  China International Meat Industry Exhibition 2023  organized by China Meat Association (CMA) and International Meat Secretariat (IMS), will be held in Qingdao Cosmopolitan Exposition, China from April 20 to 22, 2023.

White flag

            Readers following my articles form a longer period know that I avoid making market comments during celebrations.

            However, last two week’s evolutition of the german quotation deserves a short comment. While almost all Europe is still following this indicator, Germany is not any more the leader of the pig sector, neither by volumes, nor by behaviour.

Will we see german farmers raising their voices against the politics destroying the whole pig sector, like the dutch farmers do?

The price increase before Easter was there, seen in the electronic stock exchange. And farmers didn’t push it trough the regular market…It was said that slaughterhouses could not make it work with the retail. Is it time for the slaughterhouses to take side? Could they once stand with the german farmers, or cheaper belgian and dutch pigs are solving the issue?

Wasn’t it to soon for the german pig farmers to raise the white flag?!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-fWDrZSiZs

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

COUNTRY	PIG(EUR)	TREND	PIGLET(EUR)	TREND	OBSERVATION
GERMANY	2,33 HW		83/25 kg
NETHERLANDS	2,13-2,35 HW		75,50/25 kg
BELGIUM	1,7 L		74/20 kg
DANEMARK	1,79 HW		86/25 kg
FRANCE	2,38 HW
ITALY	1,91 L- 115 kg, 2,23 L- 160 kg, DOC		137/30 kg
SPAIN	2,02-2,05 L		101-111/20kg
PORTUGAL	2,8 HW
AUSTRIA	2,29 HW		97,5 /25 kg
POLAND	1,84-2,09 L		86 -133/20-30 kg		Partner info; no quotation
CROATIA	2-2,50 HW		100-108/ 25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
SERBIA	2,05 L		99-112/ 25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
CZECH R.	2,31-2,35 HW		76-82/ 25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
SLOVAKIA	1,9-1,95 L		100-105/25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
HUNGARY	1,89-2,02 L		98-109/ 25 kg		Partner info; no quotation
ROMANIA	1,78 -1,9 L		100-109/25kg		Partner info; no quotation