U.S. beef and pork exports brought critical returns to the corn and soybean industries in 2020, according to an independent study conducted by World Perspectives, Inc. and released by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

Rearing and finishing Feed Conversion Ratios (FCRs) did not improve in the 12 months to March 2021, compared to the 12 months ending December 2020.

The U.S. is continuing to take steps to keep African swine fever out of the country. USDA recently announced that it has approved blood swabs and spots as official African swine fever (ASF) testing tissues.

Global pig meat production is projected to grow 13% over the coming decade driven by growth in developing countries, according to the latest OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook to 2030.

The number of farms that got infected with African Swine Fever in Poland has risen rapidly over the last few weeks. At the moment 16 farm sites have been confirmed infected. The developments happen at a moment that numbers of infected wild boar rise in Western Poland and Germany, which is uncommon for the summer months.

The OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook for 2021-2030 provides insight on global pigmeat production, and consumption for the next ten years.

Between April and June 2021 excess pork production in China has lowered pork prices, caused small and medium producers to liquidate farm inventories, and limited piglet restocking.

According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the number of pig farms has decreased by 47% in the last ten years.

As of May 3, 2021, the number of pigs in Germany stood at 24.6 million head.

Pig slaughter in Germany was down 4.2% in the first quarter of 2021.

So far this year, seven outbreaks of ASF have been detected in domestic pigs, three of them in the Lodzkie Voivodeship.

China’s hog population rose 24% in the year through May and has now almost fully recovered from the recent resurgence in African swine fever, according to the country’s agriculture ministry.

The volume of pork on the Chinese market has continued to increase recently. In May, the slaughter volume increased 44% year-on-year.

The pork trade balance was again positive in 2020, both in volume and value. The trade surplus was US$ 4.03 million, while in 2019 there was a trade deficit of US$ 47.3 million.

Last week the World Pork Expo (WPX) was held in Des Moines, Iowa. 

Both countries have FTA's signed with the EU and their governments agreed to take into consideration the principle of regionalization.

Brazilian pork exports (considering all products, including fresh and processed) saw a 20.3% increase in February, reports the Brazilian Association of Animal Protein (ABPA). A total of 81,100 tons were exported last month, compared to 67,400 tons recorded during the same period in 2020.

Other challenges for pork production in 2021 will be the global trade environment and high feed costs.