Dear readers,
Some positive evolutions related to the swine industry:
- In Neuzelle in the Oder-Spree district (Brandenburg, Germany), researchers are currently investigating whether wild boars can be effectively immunized against African swine fever (ASF) using special egg- or corn-based baits, in order to establish future vaccination strategies. The baits do not yet contain any active ingredient. The study is part of the EU-funded ASFaVIP project, coordinated by the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI). The study will examine how frequently wild boar accept the baits and whether there are regional differences, similar experiments taking place in Latvia and Spain.
- The cabinet, provinces, nature organizations and the Pig Farmers’ Producer Organization (POV) of the Netherlands signed an action plan to keep ASF out of the country. The action plan will run until 2028, unless an outbreak occurs sooner. In that case, actions in the plan will be implemented more quickly, with the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LVVN) taking the lead. In addition to the Ministry and the Pig Farmers’ Producer Organization (POV), the provinces of Limburg, North Brabant, Gelderland, Overijssel, Staatsbosbeheer (State Forestry Service), Natuurmonumenten (Dutch Society for Nature Conservation), and LandschappenNL have signed the action plan.
- The Hungarian Parliament has approved a new law banning the production and sale of meat proteins grown in laboratories using cell culture. Meat analogues are excluded from this ban, which passed with 140 votes in favor, 10 against, and 18 abstentions.
Events calendar:
- The GLOBAL FOOD Expo is an internationally oriented trade fair, a central meeting point for industry professionals from all sectors of the food industry. The first edition and therefore the premiere of the GLOBAL FOOD Expo takes place on 3 days from Tuesday, 25.11.2025 to Thursday, 27.11.2025 in Nadarzyn, Poland.
The Final Frontier
The long lasting decrease in the pig production of Germany brought, naturally, the consolidation of the meat industry. News about takeovers or plant closures come almost weekly. The most awaited is related to the future of the Vion plants. Last week, during a panel discussion with representatives of the largest meat industry companies, Tönnies noted that he saw no further possibility of implementing the project: “If Westfleisch takes over these three plants, we will withdraw from the project.”
Dr. Wilhelm Uffelmann, CEO of Westfleisch, confirmed that his company is ready to enter into negotiations with Vion if PFG(Tönnies) officially withdraws from the agreement. He revealed that Westfleisch had already expressed its interest in June by submitting a written declaration.
Even neighboring France is no longer self-sufficient in pork: in the first half of this year, the self-sufficiency rate fell to 98.6%, compared with 100% in 2024. FranceAgriMer, the national public administrative body, reported that this is the first time since the beginning of the 21st century that the country has been unable to meet its domestic consumption through domestic production. FranceAgriMer calculates self-sufficiency using a mathematical formula: total national production plus imports minus exports equals “apparent consumption.”
The self-sufficiency rate consistently exceeded 100% for two decades. The peak was recorded in 2011 at 108%, with another high of 107% in 2020.
But, between 2014 and 2024, about 3% of French pig farmers left the industry every year. Today France has just 5,700 specialized pig farms, the national pig herd has shrunk from more than 14 million in 2010 to 11.7 million in 2024.
An absolute first in the history of space exploration: six Chinese astronauts prepared and enjoyed grilled chicken wings aboard the Tiangong space station, orbiting 400 km above Earth! The event took place in November 2025, marking the first cosmic barbecue ever performed by humans.
The crews of the Shenzhou-20 (on the station since April) and Shenzhou-21 (arriving on October 31) missions used a specially designed oven, recently delivered, designed for microgravity. The device, integrated into the station wall, reaches 190°C, operates without smoke, and does not overload the energy system.
In the battle between grilling poultry or pork meat, space is the final frontier!
