Dear readers,
The chart is turning red, we still look to find some good news:
- German sausage specialist Hans Kupfer & Sohn is acquiring a majority stake in the Allgäu Fresh Foods butcher shop as part of an insolvency plan. Edeka Feneberg is expected to remain its main customer. The consolidation of the German meat industry continues.
- Paramount Retail Group took over DB Foods in the United Kingdom. Paramount will invest £12 million in production capacity, upgrade technology and infrastructure.
Events calendar:
- The Tallinn FoodFair (TFF) stands as an international expo, serving as a vital hub for trade opportunities in the food industry. Held at the Unibet Arena in Tallinn, Estonia, it takes place on 2 days from Wednesday, 24.09.2025 to Thursday, 25.09.
- The POLAGRA Fair takes place at the Poznan International Fair Grounds, Poland, with three main sectors: FOOD, FOODTECH, and HORECA. POLAGRA will take place on 3 days from Wednesday, 24. September to Friday, 26. September 2025.
- Expoalimentaria in Lima is a trade fair for the food, beverage, and gastronomy sectors, held at the Jockey Exhibition Centre. The Expoalimentaria will take place on 3 days from Wednesday, 24. September to Friday, 26. September 2025 in Lima.
- The Association Of Swine Veterinarians of Romania is organizing its annual conference in Bucharest, between 17-18 of October. Registration is available on the following link:
All Together Now
We are facing a pig industry crisis in the last couple of weeks, claimed to be triggered by the Chinese protective tariffs on pork imports from Europe.
Meanwhile in China a meeting jointly held by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs’ animal husbandry bureau has called on its top hog producers- including Muyuan Foods and Wens Foodstuff- to “take the lead” in cutting output: reduce breeding sows, lower slaughter volumes, and keep hog weights around 120 kg.
In the east of Europe, pig herds are reduced also. Until June of 2025, a number of 4,252,900 pigs have been imported into Poland, compared to 4,039,100 between January and June 2024, 13.4% more year-on-year. Last year’s import of live animals to Poland exceeded a record high of 8 million, consisting mostly of piglets from Denmark.
Croatia is facing a major African Swine Fever(ASF) outbreak.The disease was detected at the Belje farm in Sokolovac, where there are around 10.000 pigs, and in Nemetin, on a farm with 1600 pigs.
The National Crisis Headquarters for the Control and Suppression of ASF was held in Osijek, attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture David Vlajčić and Minister of Defense Ivan Anušić. According to the press, minister Vlajčić stated: “It’s not up to me to take the gun. It is not up to me to pick up the rifle and start killing pigs. The implementation of the measures must be faster. From today, I am taking control of the crisis headquarters. Any irregularity will be decisively sanctioned. The facilities will be under 24-hour surveillance, and all pig farmers will be subject to audit, “he said, announcing increased border controls, the establishment of checkpoints and strict penalties for those who knowingly spread the disease. The army and the police will be involved in the measure, an investigation will be conducted into how the virus reached the farms. As part of the measures, farms with more than a thousand pigs will be under strict police surveillance 24 hours a day, as these farms have two-thirds of the total pig population in Croatia.
I think involving the police and the army to curb the ASF is the right way. We should act all together now!
