Inside Pigs
China reports astronomical growth in meat production
The Chinese pig sector has significantly increased production in the third quarter. Compared to the same period last year, production increased by no less than 43%. Meanwhile, things seem to be going a little quieter.
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Production growth between July and September is the highest in 3 years. Looking at the first three quarters, production increased by 38% to 39.17 million tonnes. The extreme production growth is the result of the investment policy of the large pig integration companies in China, which expanded significantly last year when prices were still high. This was due to the outbreaks of African swine fever that had caused a devastation in farming.
High slaughter figures limit EU export opportunities
The growth in meat production can also be seen from the significant increase in the number of slaughters. In the first 3 quarters of this year, 491 million pigs were slaughtered, this is an increase of 35,9% compared to the same period in 2020. This increase limits sales opportunities huge for pork exporters in the Asian country. That is one of the main causes of the pig price crisis that has arisen on the European market.
Growth spurt over
In the meantime, the growth spurt in pig production appears to be coming to an end. The size of the Chinese pig herd fell by 2 million between July and September to more than 437 million head. The Chinese government has indicated that the sow herd must shrink somewhat to counter price pressure on the pig market.