China’s first-quarter pork production rose 31.9% from a year earlier to 13.69 million metric tons, data showed on Friday, the highest quarterly volume in two years.
China imported 1.02 million metric tons of meat in March, customs data showed on Tuesday, the highest monthly volume since at least January 2020, as the world’s biggest meat buyer stocked up to fill shortages at home.
Taiwan has begun testing hog herds and putting in place movement controls near where a dead pig infected with African swine fever washed ashore over the weekend.
A wave of ASF outbreaks this year has wiped out at least 20% of the breeding herd in northern China, industry sources said, exceeding expected losses and raising fears about the potential impact in the south.
Use of illegal African swine fever vaccines by some Chinese hog producers last year reduced output of hogs and will support prices in 2021, an executive from leading pork processor WH Group said on Tuesday.
USTR Katherine Tai on Monday told the European Union’s competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, that she has a “strong desire to develop a more positive and productive” trade relationship with the EU.
China is taking in record amounts of soybeans from the U.S., Brazil as its hog population recovers from ASF that began nearly three years ago, but import expansion into the next marketing year might be minimal.
German pig prices remained firm this week as sales inside Europe helped stabilize markets following import bans on German pork imposed last year by China and other Asian buyers.
The governments of Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic have agreed that intensified hunting of wild boar is needed to combat an outbreak of African swine fever among wild animals.
German pig prices held firm this week as strong sales inside Europe helped markets to recover from import bans on German pork imposed by Asian buyers including China, traders and industry sources said on Wednesday.
