Dear readers,
To start with the good things happening in the pig industry:
- The Catalan government’s Department of Agriculture confirmed that, for the second consecutive week since the outbreak began, no new cases of African swine fever (ASF) have been detected in wild boar in the high-risk area, after this week’s samples tested negative.
- The School of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri has inaugurated its newly established Michael L .Parson Meat Science Education and Training Laboratory on its Columbia, MO campus .This state-of-the-art $35 million and 2300 square meter establishment blends classroom education with laboratory learning and practical meat production activities that mirror the experiences graduates will encounter in commercial environments .
- The USDA has revealed its intention to buy a wide range of food items for its support programs, which includes pork products .”The commodities as well as the goods derived from agricultural commodities obtained through this agreement have to originate from the United States .They will be deemed a product of the United States if they are cultivated, processed, and prepared for distribution solely within the United States,” stated the AMS. “Only the packaging and container elements involved in this procurement will fall under the jurisdiction of the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement and Free Trade Agreements.” As per USDA reports, the agency’s budget for 2025 allocated over $54 million for the procurement of pork, which encompasses five types of ham, canned pork, pulled pork, along with three varieties of frozen pork .
- Financial resources aimed at safeguarding Polish farms from African swine fever(ASF) will be accessible from September 2 until October 1, 2026 .Proposals under the 2023-2027 Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy can be submitted through the Farmer’s Portal, as much as 23.000 € may be designated for initiatives including erecting a fence around a pigsty, acquiring disinfection apparatus, building or upgrading a straw storage facility, installing a feed silo, and modifying a farm to segregate pigs from other livestock .Depending on the nature of the initiative, unit costs or reimbursements of up to 80% may be applicable.
Events calendar:
- Agrokomplex is an international trade fair that has established itself as a showcase for innovations and trends in the agricultural and food industries. The fair takes place on 5 days from Wednesday, 02.09.2026 to Sunday, 06.09.2026 at the International Exhibition Center Agrokomplex in Nitra, a historic university town in western Slovakia.
- The SIAL China, a leading international trade fair for food and beverages, will be held annually at the Poly World Trade Center Expo in Guangzhou. The FAIR takes place on 3 days from Thursday, 03.09.2026 to Saturday, 05.09.2026.
- The Gourmet Show is Mexico’s leading trade fair for premium food, fine beverages, and culinary lifestyle. The Show will take place on 3 days from Thursday, 03. September to Saturday, 05. September 2026 in Mexico City, at the modern World Trade Center (WTC).
- The Norla, officially known as the “Northern German Agricultural Exhibition and Consumer Fair”, is a leading trade show entirely dedicated to agriculture and related technologies. The Norla will take place on 4 days from Thursday, 03. September to Sunday, 06. September 2026 in Rendsburg.
- The “Inter Food EXPO“, held at the Karen Demirchyan-Komplex in Yerevan, Armenia, is an international trade fair for the food industry. The fair takes place on 3 days, starting Friday in 04.09.2026.
- The FIRE&FOOD BBQ WEEK is a trade and consumer exhibition dedicated to grilling, barbecue, outdoor cooking and outdoor living. It will take place on 3 days from Saturday, 05. September to Monday, 07. September 2026 in Cologne, Germany.
- For the first time in Vama Veche, on the Romanian seaside, the art of fire and the spectacle of BBQ cuisine come right to the beach. GrillFest BBQ Experience offers a unique concept where authentic flavors, great music, and a free-spirited atmosphere come together in a festival dedicated to the senses. The event takes place between Friday, 04.09, and Sunday, 06.09.2026
Price Tag
Smithfield Foods has scaled back its pork production to only four days each week at its slaughterhouse located in Tar Heel, North Carolina, USA. The plant holds the title of the largest pork processing facility globally, employing 5,000 workers who handle roughly 32,000 hogs daily. The adjusted production timetable is determined by heat stress .From August 11 to August 20, Tar Heel experienced high temperatures of 37°C or above on eight out of ten days. We have seen similar evolutions in Europe, too.
The Danish Crown meat company plans to increase the amount of pork supplied to its Polish branch, Sokołów, over the next few months, reaching an annual total of around 500,000 pigs, with a goal to eventually double this figure. Sokołów manufactures sausages, cured products, and pâtés for the Polish market and has the highest processing efficiency in the group, surpassing 70% . Even so, the group is having 200,000 pigs over it’s weekly slaughtering capacity, so some farmers and traders started to offer live pigs all over Europe.
The assurance of €4.50 for each ITW piglet is still in effect for the moment in Germany.The Animal Welfare Initiative (ITW) is prolonging financial support to piglet farmers from the piglet fund until, at the earliest, April 30, 2027 .Consequently, the transition to market funding has been delayed by four months, as stated in the press announcement from ITW .
Why is this happening?
The plan set forth by the German government to introduce animal welfare labels for domestically produced meat and related products has faced criticism from the European Commission. The suggested labeling scheme includes five levels, starting from the minimum that adheres to existing animal welfare laws up to the “organic” designation .
The Commission views this initiative as a limitation on the free trade of goods .The proposed legislation fails to acknowledge labeling systems from other countries .As a result, international producers will need to prove in the future that they meet German standards .If they do not, their meat will be classified under the lowest animal welfare tier, which would require extra effort. Additionally, it highlights that consumers may not always accurately assess the actual living conditions of animals just from the logo .
According to a study from Wageningen University, the Netherlands, during the past year, pig farmers received 37 percent less payment from meat processors for their livestock .Meanwhile, meat processors themselves encountered a decline in prices, though it was significantly less severe compared to that of pig farmers: at 21 percent .Customers shopping at supermarkets do not benefit from the significantly reduced pork prices .According to the latest Food Price Monitor from Wageningen Social & Economic Research, the prices consumers faced remained largely stable over the previous year.
The price reductions experienced by the meat industry are not comparable to those faced by pig farmers .The producer price, which is determined by the selling prices of meat processors for fresh and chilled pork within the domestic market, was 21 percent lower in June than it was the year before .
Over the last few months, the disparities have become more pronounced .Between April and June, the farm-gate price dropped by 13 percent, while the producer price saw a decrease of 4 percent .In contrast, consumer prices changed very little during this period and even experienced a slight increase .
Wageningen indicates that supermarkets reflect pricing changes in a limited manner within their retail prices .The meat industry and supermarkets frequently enter into annual agreements where both pricing and delivery terms are set in advance .
Do you know your share from the pork price tag?
