Dear readers,
Some good news from the swine industry:
- To support the farms affected by African Swine Fever(ASF), the German state of Hesse is now granting compensation for damages (equity payment). The Extreme Weather Emergency Aid Directive 2024 has been expanded to include ASF compensation. Farms that kept more than 100 pigs before the ASF outbreak will be eligible for this aid.
- Calier , the veterinary laboratory of the Spanish Indukern Group , has acquired Tecnofarm , an Argentine company with more than 35 years of experience in the development and production of veterinary medicines. The transaction was carried out through its subsidiary in Argentina and represents an important step in Calier’s consolidation in Latin America.
- The Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism has approved six new projects under Line 1 of the industrial decarbonization for a value of almost €12 million. These projects represent a reduction of almost 8,900 tons of CO2.
The beneficiary projects are those of three companies: Litera Meat, located in Binéfar (Huesca), which received €9.5 million; Lands and Buildings in Palacios de la Valduerna (León), with €1.7 million; and Cales de Llierca in Argelaguer (Girona), with €647,000. - Researchers at the U.S. University of Texas at Dallas have created a portable food safety device called READ FWDx, short for Rapid Electroanalytic Diagnostic Food Water Diagnosis. This proof-of-concept device is designed to detect unwanted foodborne bacteria such as E. coli, listeria and salmonella. It can also pick up on common herbicides including paraquat dichloride and glyphosate and chemicals like antibiotics.
Events calendar:
- The “Food Manufacturing Indonesia” (FMI) is a leading annual trade fair specializing in the food and beverage manufacturing industry that takes place at the Jakarta International Expo (JIExpo).The exhibition will take place on 3 days from Tuesday, 29. July to Thursday, 31. July 2025.
- The Malaysian International Food & Beverage Trade Fair provides a platform for professionals from the global food and beverage industry to exchange ideas and network. This event, held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), will take place on 3 days from Wednesday, 30. July to Friday, 01. August 2025.
- Indian FoodEx is an annual international trade fair that has established itself as a key platform for innovations, technologies, and products across the entire food value chain. The event is held at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) in Bangalore, together with the India Poultry & LiveStock Expo, abbreviated as IPL Expo.This year the events take place on 3 days from Friday, 01.08.2025 to Sunday, 03.08.2025.
Changes
According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the number of pigs decreased by 5 percent last year, a slightly larger decrease than the previous year. This number has been declining since 2019.The number of pigs in the Netherlands has fallen below 10 million for the first time in 46 years due to the continued decline in livestock numbers. CBS attributes the decline to government regulations for phasing out pig farming due to the nitrogen crisis. In 2000, there were over 13 million pigs in the Netherlands. By April 1 of this year, that had fallen to 9.96 million. Pork remains the most consumed meat in the Netherlands and is also a major export. Similar figures are expected from Belgium, Germany.
While the pig numbers are declining, farmers are asked to reduce the price of the pigs, in order to be “more competitive”. Well, we do not want to be in a competition for loosing money. We faced several crisis in the pig industry this century. For almost two decades, in a pork market crisis, the solution was to apply for “private storage”. This measure seems to be completely forgotten, maybe in order to adapt the number of pigs to the volumes needed in the EU. We “lost” the Chinese market, but everyone knows the specificity of this trade and the political influence on the market access. The announced Trump tariffs may offer a new opportunity for the European pork exporters, but the US President is completely unpredictable, his decision may change in a minute.
Climate change is also affecting our industry: heat waves are posing a true challenge on animal movement, while crop yields are almost impossible to predict.
Logistics also had to be permanently replanned: Covid, Suez canal blocked, pirate attacks, war, Panama canal dispute, low water level on main river transportation routes…We are going through many changes!
