News Pigs
World market beckons again now that Germany is FMD-free
Germany regained its foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)-free status for almost the entire country on March 12. The only exception is a 6-kilometer zone around the farm where an FMD infection was detected in January. The German Pig Farmers' Association (ISN) hopes that this can lead to further calm on the German pork market. The outbreak of the contagious animal disease has already affected the pig sector, according to estimates...
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Obtaining FMD-free status is an important step towards reopening important export markets. In response to the FMD outbreak, Germany's most important trading partners, the United Kingdom and South Korea, closed their borders to German pork. Prices for fattening pigs plummeted in the first weeks of January.
Big tap output value
In December 2024, Germany sold €76 million worth of pork products to countries outside the European Union. As much as 61% (€46 million) of this export value was realised through sales to the United Kingdom and South Korea, according to Eurostat data. As a result, German pig prices have fallen by €0,20 per kilogram of slaughter weight since the beginning of the year. The Dutch DCA Beursprijs 2.0 has now risen above the German VEZG listing.
The German Pig Farmers' Association (ISN) praises the efforts of German Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir. According to the association, regaining FMD-free status has gone faster than expected and this is partly due to Özdemir's efforts. The minister stated in a response that he is 'full of confidence' that obtaining the status will lead to the rapid reopening of important export markets for, among other things, pork.