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Significant decline in Philippine pork production
Significantly less pork was produced in the Philippines in the first quarter. This was announced by the Philippine Ministry of Agriculture this week. The country, which is an important destination for European pork exporters, is suffering from outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF). This is now also clear in the official production figures.
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The total amount of pork produced decreased by 25,8% to an amount of 421.794 thousand tons. The number of pigs counted on April 1 fell by more than 22% to a total of 9,55 million pigs. The significant decline in both the numbers of pigs and the amount of meat produced has also affected prices.
Pig price rose rapidly
Due to the tight availability of pigs, prices rose sharply last year. According to the ministry, the price rose by more than 47% to a level of almost PHP 154 (Philippine peso). Converted into euros, this amounts to a price of €2,60. That's the price for live pigs. The government in the country previously took measures to curb the increase. She wanted sharply increase meat imports.
It was not just the outbreak of ASF that caused the sharp decline in production. The fear of the disease also made a number of pig farmers decide to have their livestock slaughtered as a precaution. This was stated by the chairman of the Philippine Pig Farmers' Union. He also indicated that many pig farmers only want to invest in a new pig herd once a vaccine is available against the disease. As long as this is not the case, many companies are not prepared to take the risk of reinvesting in the pig herd. This makes it unlikely for the time being that the livestock population in the country will increase quickly.