Dear readers,
Some good news from the pig industry, to start the week with positive
attitude:
- The German Goldschmaus Group will acquire the meat and sausage producer Dieter Hein on March 1, 2026. Dieter Hein GmbH, located in Lower Saxony, filed for insolvency in autumn 2025. The insolvency proceedings were conducted under self-administration, and business operations continued without interruption.
- Germany is slowly starting to win the battle against African swine fever(ASF): the state of Saxony was once again declared free of ASF. Last week marked exactly one year since the last confirmed case of ASF was identified in the Bautzen district. The German Federal Ministry of Social Affairs will submit a request to the European Commission this month to lift the restricted zone in the Bautzen district.
- The Philippine Department of Agriculture introduced the principle of ASF regionalization. The new measures are designed to strengthen the country’s biosecurity while creating a framework for safe international pork trade. At the same time, the department emphasizes that the new rules do not mean an automatic resumption of exports from ASF-affected countries such as Spain or Germany.
- In parallel, the government of the Philippines has set a minimum farmgate price for live pigs at 210 Philippine pesos per kilogram (about € 3.05) to support local producers recovering from ASF-related losses. Authorities also plan to reintroduce a suggested maximum retail price for pork to protect consumers and balance profitability along the value chain. At this protective price, European farmers would become billionaires !
- The Philippine branch of Thai company Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) revealed a five-year, $1 billion investment plan to develop agro-industrial complexes at nine locations, each including feed production and pork processing. This is expected to help restore the national pig herd to pre-ASF levels by 2028. CPF also aims to increase its pig production capacity from 1.3 million to 7 million head by 2030.
Events calendar:
- The Agro Animal Show is a trade fair dedicated to promoting modern technologies in the fields of animal and poultry farming, organized by the Kyiv International Contract Fair and held at the International Exhibition Center (IEC) in Kyiv, Ukraine. The fair will take place on 3 days from Tuesday, 10. February to Thursday, 12. February 2026.
Just for fun:
- When the pigs will fly? They did! A farmer from the mountainous area of the Chinese province of Sichuan used a drone to deliver his pigs to a slaughterhouse. The rope entangled with the electricity cable and left the village without electricity for 10 hours! 😊
Mixed Signals
Pig farmers were told to lower their prices, because Europe is not competitive in the foreign markets. European pork export prices have fallen below those of the US and Brazilian markets, according to Eurostat data. Only Canadian pork remains cheaper. Where’ s the export boost, guys?!
We maybe have to focus more on some issues in our own area:TheSpanishCarnimad professional association has reacted to the Dutch city of Amsterdam ‘s decision to ban meat advertising in public spaces starting May 1st: “This measure not only stigmatizes an essential sector but also ignores scientific evidence and the complexity of the food production system,” it “fuels a narrative that seeks to criminalize meat consumption, unfairly equating it with products harmful to health.” Furthermore, they point out that ” banning is not educating ” and believe that “the transition to responsible consumption habits is not achieved through blanket bans, but through education and transparency.”
I fully agree! We have to educate the consumers, together with the meat industry! It may be more profitable, than to lose billions in meat alternative projects.
Also, the biosecurity measures show some dangerous breaches lately: Ha Long canned pâté, pork liver paste and slices of pork were available in the U.K. via Huong Viet Asian Supermarket. This pate has been in the middle of a huge scandal in Vietnam, after it was discovered that the producer has used over 130 tons of ASF contaminated pork as raw material. The Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs of the U.K. said it could not comment on this specific situation but provided some ‘background’, including:
- Vietnam is not authorized to export fresh or heat treated pork to G.B.
- It does not have an approved residue control plan for porcine, which is a requirement for human consumption.
Well, it seems that reality contradicts authority!
Last week the Danish reference price for pork decreased, in a moment when the German signals for increase. In the same time, piglet price increased again. Piglets are sold well on export, with the decrease of the money received for the fatteners, in 3 months there will be again less pigs in the Danish barns. This are mixed signals.
