Dear readers,
A few good news from the swine industry:
- Thomas Foods International USA has acquired the former Tyson Foods plant in Jacksonville, Florida, for $3.55 million and plans to spend $28 million to revitalize the facility, creating up to 100 jobs.
- Czechia confirmed African swine fever(ASF) in one wild boar found dead in closed zone II. A closer analysis of the skeletal remains determined the time of death to be August 2024. On this basis, Czechia negotiated an adjustment to the closed zones in the Liberec Region established due to ASF. The original closed zone I (buffer zone) is being completely abolished and closed zone II is being changed to closed zone I, thereby easing the restrictions affecting pig farmers and hunters in this area in particular. The Sanitary Veterinary Authority will request the restoration of the ASF-free status of the country in the near future. This is the second time the country has managed to contain and eliminate ASF, maybe others can learn how to do it!
- Waitrose United Kingdom has announced it is moving to sourcing 100% free-range own-label British pork by 2027, working with Pilgrim’s Europe and British pig farmers in a new 10-year deal. From October 15, all Waitrose’s pork mince, steaks, chops and joints will be free range and available to purchase online and in Waitrose shops, with an intention for all own brand products to be free range by 2027. In the same time the industry is questioning the ability of the Veterinary Authority to control the pork imports in Dover…free range is not the best way to handle ASF!
Events calendar:
- The ANUGA in Cologne, Germany, an abbreviation for the “General Food and Beverage Exhibition,” is considered the leading global food trade fair catering to retail, gastronomy, and the out-of-home market. The fair is organized at the renowned Koelnmesse on 5 days from Saturday, 04.10.2025 to Wednesday, 08.10.2025.
- The “J-AGRI LIVESTOCK TOKYO” is a leading trade fair specializing in modern technologies and products in the field of livestock farming, held annually in at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, in the vicinity of Tokyo. It takes place on 3 days from Wednesday, 01.10.2025 to Friday, 03.10.2025.
Resistance
Last week, on Wednesday, we held a Professional Day for the members of the Alföldi Cooperative, attended by close to 100 members and guests from Hungary and abroad, with 8 interesting presentations related to our industry. A separate report of the event will follow. Thank you for all the attendants and the effort of my colleagues to organize the event!
Total red meat supplies in US freezers in August were 2% lower than July’s inventory and 7% less than the year prior. According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s latest Cold Storage report, pork stocks are declining. Pork bellies were down 25% from July and 8% from last year, ham down 14% from 2024, loins down 7% from 2024, ribs down 6% from 2024, butts down 6% from 2024, trimmings down 19% from 2024 and variety meats down 26% from 2024. Does not sound as an argument for pressure on the markets.
European pig herd numbers have a mixed evolution across the 13 countries required to report . The total number for these 13 EU Member States amounts to 121.8 million pigs, an increase of 0.5% year-on-year. The states with increasing numbers are :Denmark with 5.6%, followed by Hungary at 3.8%, and Spain, which reported a 3.6% increase. France also showed a slight increase of 0.8%.
On the other side, lower numbers were reported from Ireland (-7.4%), the Netherlands (-6%), Romania reported a decrease of 3.2%, Belgium minus 2%, Austria -1.4%, Germany -1.2%, and Italy -1.1%.
The breeding sow census showed a clear decline again: the total number of breeding sows in the EU fell by 2.9% compared to the previous year. Only Hungary reported a significant increase of 5.4%, while slight increase has been reported from Denmark with + 0.5% and France, with + 0.6%.
In the other 10 reporting countries, breeding herd numbers declined sharply: in the Netherlands –7%, Spain –5% and Poland –4.5%. While the genetic progress provides more piglets/ sow, we have to consider also the impact of PRRS in Spain, for instance.
The east European countries do not have own pig quotation, relying on the German one. While the German slaughterhouses try to decrease even more the quotation, the farmers do not agree on a further reduction, as Germany has not exported pork to the Chinese market in the last 5 years. We hope in their resistance !
