0
According to Spanish official data, in 2020, total swine slaughtered grew 6% compared to 2019 to 56 million animals. In addition, Spanish pork meat production rose 7.8% to 5 million tons, another record level for Spanish pork production. This growth was mainly due to the strong imports of live hogs for slaughter (mainly from the Netherlands, France, Portugal, and Denmark) during the last quarter of 2020, as those countries diverted their live swine exports away from northern EU slaughterhouses because of ASF outbreaks in those areas. The pork from these imported hogs was used by the processing sector for domestic pork consumption. The sector expects to reduce live hog imports in 2021 and 2022, returning to slaughter of only domestic hogs.
Eurostat data for December 2020 shows the Spanish pig population hit another record level of 32.8 million swine animals, a 5% increase compared to the previous year. The Spanish sow population also grew 2.2% to 2.635 million sows and, according to the sector, Spanish sows are also expected to grow slightly in 2022. According to the industry, Spanish pork production may continue growing in 2021, although at a lower rate because of reduced demand from China. Chinese demand for Spanish pork in the first semester of 2021 continued to be as strong as in 2020, but since mid-June 2021, Spanish pork exports to China experienced a decline as China’s demand lessened.
Industry contacts remained conservative on forecasts for 2022 as a result of uncertainties in the current pork market. For this reason, Spanish pork production (at around five million tons) and exports may remain flat. Future expansions in pork production will also be limited in order to help current farms reduce the nitrogen and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by adapting their installations, feed formulas, and manure management. These actions are meant to improve the Spanish swine sector in sustainability and animal welfare as part of the EU Green Deal strategy.
Spain is a net exporter of pork, and exports 55% of its total pork production. According to Trade Data Monitor, LLC in 2020, total Spanish pork exports increased 21.5% to 2.7 million metric tons (MMT) CWE, valued at $7.2 billion. This increase was primarily driven by a 60% jump in exports to non-EU countries (1.6 MMT), shipped mainly to China, which represented 31.5% of the total EU pork exports to China. Spanish pork exports to China grew 136% to 1.2 MMT and were valued at almost $3 billion. Spanish share of the Chinese pork market also grew to 44.6% and continued to be the major pork supplier to the Chinese market. In 2020, for the first time Spanish pork exports to non-EU markets surpassed exports to the EU-27, which represented only 40% of Spain’s global pork exports.
This means that Spain’s pork exports are fluctuating from the EU to Asia, mainly to China. In 2020, Spanish pork shipments to Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other Asian markets decreased due to the pandemic but recovered during the first seven months of 2021, particularly exports to the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Canada. Latin America is also a significant destination for Spanish pork exports. The Spanish pork exporters continue to diversify markets as an alternative to China. In 2021, the Spanish pork industry expects stability in exports to non-EU countries, mainly driven by uncertainties in the Chinese market, as Chinese pork demand may decline.
October 5, 2021/ USDA/ United States.
https://apps.fas.usda.gov/
