Inside Pigs
European pork production growth lags behind
Global pork production is expected to rise in 2021, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) expects. Recovery of the Chinese pig population plays a role in the expected increase. What are the expectations for Europe?
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The USDA predicts that global pork production could increase by 2021% year-on-year in 5, amounting to a production of 101,5 million tons. Total growth is driven by expected growth in the largest producing countries.
China is taking the lead
China is leading the way in total expected growth. Chinese pork production is forecast to grow by 11% on an annual basis. This growth is stimulated by a recovery of the pig herd. However, with the expected growth, production in China is still below pre-ASF levels, the country is still struggling with African swine fever (ASF) and low productivity.
Worldwide exports
In contrast to pork production, global exports are not growing. The USDA expects 2021 million tons of pork to be exported in 11,5. This is a decrease of 1% on an annual basis. This decline is also based on the recovery of Chinese domestic production. Chinese imports are expected to drop by 8%.
There are also countries where the need for imports is growing, including the Philippines and South Korea. but this cannot compensate for the declining Chinese import needs.
Europe
While significant growth is expected for global pork production, only marginal growth is expected for European production. The European Commission assumes growth of 0,7% in 2021.