China’s hog population rose 24% in the year through May and has now almost fully recovered from the recent resurgence in African swine fever, according to the country’s agriculture ministry.

The volume of pork on the Chinese market has continued to increase recently. In May, the slaughter volume increased 44% year-on-year.

The pork trade balance was again positive in 2020, both in volume and value. The trade surplus was US$ 4.03 million, while in 2019 there was a trade deficit of US$ 47.3 million.

Last week the World Pork Expo (WPX) was held in Des Moines, Iowa. 

Both countries have FTA's signed with the EU and their governments agreed to take into consideration the principle of regionalization.

Brazilian pork exports (considering all products, including fresh and processed) saw a 20.3% increase in February, reports the Brazilian Association of Animal Protein (ABPA). A total of 81,100 tons were exported last month, compared to 67,400 tons recorded during the same period in 2020.

Other challenges for pork production in 2021 will be the global trade environment and high feed costs.

Taipei, Feb. 18 (CNA) Taiwan’s pork consumption, so far this year, has been largely unchanged from the same period of last year, despite the government’s decision to allow imports of U.S. pork containing the feed additive ractopamine, Premier Su Tseng-chang said Thursday.

The excretion of nitrogen and phosphorus from swine slurry decreased in 2020, due to the reduction in the number of finishing and breeding pigs.

NPA chief executive Zoe Davies has called for action to help ease the backlog on farms, including weekend kills, as the situation on pig farms nears ‘crisis point’.

In the last decade, the number of pig farms in Germany has decreased by 47%.

As compensation for the costs incurred by castration with anesthesia, the Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture and the Livestock and Meat Producers' Association recommend a surcharge of at least four euros per castrated male piglet.

To date, no Act lays down the minimum requirements necessary for the uniform application of the article requiring farms to receive animal health visits.

Brexit has hit the British meat industry this week, with tonnes of meat stuck rotting in transit at European ports as a result of post-Brexit paperwork, PoliticsHome has reported.

Despite the recovery of the pig population, China continues to increase its pork imports, reaching 4 million tonnes, double the imports from 2019.

Official data from the National Bureau of statistics has revealed that China’s pork output for 2020 recorded only marginal losses, after experiencing a massive decline in 2019 following an outbreak of African Swine Fever which decimated the country’s pig herd.

Exports of Canadian pork and pork products saw a significant increase in the first 10 months of 2020.

Any drop in demand from China and Hong Kong may turn into a disaster for the Brazilian pork industry.