The United States and South Korea have reached a new trade agreement that removes South Korean import tariffs on selected American goods, including agricultural products and automobiles. At the same time, the deal imposes a 15% tariff on Korean goods entering the U.S.

The federal state of Thuringia (Germany) has once again demonstrated its commitment to animal welfare in livestock farming. Over the past few weeks, the local government has allocated €3.5 million to support farms investing in improved housing conditions for livestock. The largest portion of this sum — €2.8 million — is specifically aimed at raising standards in pig farming.

Exports of US pork trended lower in May, due primarily to steep declines in shipments to China, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF). 

Global livestock production, including fish and seafood, is projected to grow by 14% over the next 10 years. Per capita consumption of animal-based products worldwide is expected to increase by 6%, according to a new forecast report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Amid the threat of a new trade escalation following the U.S. announcement of plans to impose tariffs of up to 30% on a broad range of European products starting August 1, 2025, a key meeting took place this weekend between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. President Donald Trump. The result was a breakthrough economic agreement aimed at stabilizing transatlantic trade relations.

In the first half of 2025, China imported 1.15 million tonnes of pork and pork by-products, of which 620,000 tonnes were by-products. This means that by-products accounted for 54% of the country’s total pork imports, according to data from the General Administration of Customs of China.

The outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) among wild boars in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is intensifying — by the end of July, 48 cases were officially confirmed, compared to 36 in mid-month. The disease continues to spread despite implemented control measures.

Brazil's pig farming sector is strengthening its position both in the country’s agribusiness and in the global animal protein market. On the occasion of Pig Farmer's Day, celebrated on July 24, the Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA), together with the entire production chain, expressed gratitude to pig farmers for their contribution to the industry's progress.

The supply of pork in the European Union continues to grow for the second year in a row. According to the European Commission, 76.14 million pigs were slaughtered in the first four months of 2025 — an increase of 1.5% compared to the same period in 2024. That’s over 1 million more animals year-on-year and nearly 3 million more than in 2023.

More than a third of pig farmers in Flanders, the northern region of Belgium, expect to stop raising pigs by 2030. This is according to a recent survey conducted by the Agency for Agriculture and Fisheries of the Flemish government. While the total number of pigs is also expected to decline, the decrease will likely be less steep, as it mainly concerns the withdrawal of smaller producers from the sector.

Brazil’s pork industry is setting new milestones, with the country reaching historic highs in both pork export volume and revenue in the first half of 2025. The data, released by Secex and reported by the Center for Advanced Studies in Applied Economics (Cepea), which has been tracking the sector since 1997, highlight a remarkable performance.

Since the beginning of 2025, Vietnam has recorded 514 outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) across 28 provinces and cities. The disease continues to spread rapidly, with nearly 30,000 pigs either infected or culled nationwide. As of today, 248 active outbreaks in 20 provinces have not yet passed the 21-day quarantine threshold.

In the next decade, global meat consumption is expected to increase by 47.9 million tonnes, according to the updated OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2025–2034. The most significant growth is projected for poultry, lamb, and beef. Pork will be the third-largest contributor to this rise, with demand increasing by 5% to reach 130 million tonnes in carcass weight.

Procurement prices for slaughter pigs in Ukraine continued to rise gradually in the third decade of July, according to analysts from the Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders (AUPB), based on their weekly market monitoring.

African swine fever (ASF) continues to spread in Croatia, with two new outbreaks recently confirmed in the municipality of Jagodnjak, located in Osijek-Baranja County. These latest cases bring the total number of affected pig farms to ten in Vukovar-Srijem and Osijek-Baranja counties since the beginning of July.

Animal health, biosecurity, and the reduction of antibiotic use will be at the heart of the "Health and Veterinary Medicine" session scheduled for September 11 as part of the International "Profitable Pig Farming" Congress. The event is organized by the Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders, the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council, and the agri-consulting company DYKUN.

In 2025, the pig population in the Netherlands declined to 9.96 million animals—the lowest level in the past 45 years. This marks the first time since 1979 that the number of pigs in the country has fallen below the 10 million threshold, according to provisional data from the Dutch Statistics Office (CBS) based on the Agricultural Census.

African Swine Fever (ASF) remains a persistent threat on the global livestock map, with new outbreaks striking pig industries across Asia and Europe. Recent cases have been confirmed in South Korea, Vietnam, India, Malaysia, Poland, and other countries, leading to mass culling, economic losses, and tightened quarantine measures.

The U.S. swine industry has ramped up preparations for a potential outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1), which has already affected dairy cattle and been detected in humans. To prevent the virus from spreading to pigs, a permanent working group has been formed, bringing together leading industry organizations, veterinarians, scientists, and government agencies.

In July, Estonia reported two outbreaks of African Swine Fever (ASF) on large commercial pig farms. The virus has already led to the culling of nearly 9,000 pigs and threatens the stability of the pig farming sector both in the country and across the region.