Page 141 of articles about pork in Swine news

The objective of the mission was the evaluation of the food safety and public health controls in place as well as certification procedures in relation to potential exports of pig meat from Brazil to the European Union. This potential export was evaluated in the State of Santa Catarina (SC), which since 2007 has the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) status "free from foot and mouth disease (FMD) without vaccination".

Findings from an annual retail meat survey reveal that despite the recession meat consumption increased in 2009, but spending was down as shoppers gravitated toward cheaper cuts and prices decreased overall.

For 2009, U.S. pork exports finished on a positive note, which has helped jumpstart an upward trend in 2010, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation (U.S.M.E.F.). U.S. pork exports closed the year with an 8% increase in volume and a 6% increase in value for December, compared to year-ago totals.

During the first 9 months of 2009, Belgium exported 30,775 tons of pig meat to Russia. This represents an increase in volume of 9% and in value of 35% compared to the same period of 2008.

The Brazilian Ministry for Agriculture anticipates that by 2020 the national production of meat should supply 44.5% of the worldwide market.

The United States and Russia have reached an agreement to reopen the Russian market to U.S. pork and pork products, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.

Australian pig meat production will increase slightly over the next five years in response to better prices and more palatable feed grain costs.

Customs director Rafael Camilo yesterday said the 50% reduction on import fees for poultry and of pig farmers seeks to protect those sectors and cause lower prices of important staples for the Dominican population.

Danish exports of fresh and frozen meat fell by 13% for the first three quarters of 2009 compared to the same period of 2008.

Canadian pork products will be back on Chinese grocery store shelves after Canada secured the first certification agreement to allow pork imports to China, based on significant negotiations recognizing OIE standards.

In December 2009 the Polish agriculture ministry passed the new Pigmeat Quality System (PQS).

There is light at the end of the tunnel for confused consumers as a new labelling code of practice is introduced for the country of origin for pork and pork products. Major supermarkets have endorsed the voluntary code which aims to give clear and unambiguous information about country of origin on packs of pork, bacon and ham.

China will require tighter controls over animal feed and feed additives after widespread cases of illegal feed additives have led to human poisonings in the last few years.

Since 11 February 2010, Germany can export pig meat to South Korea. Initially there are five German swine slaughterhouses that can send their products to South Korea.

Although 2009 year-end exports of both U.S. pork and beef were down compared to the prior year, U.S. exports equaled or bettered their main international competitors.

In 2008 pigmeat production in the EU-27reached 259.6 million head (Table 2), of which more than half (54.4%) came from four countries (DE, DK, ES and FR). The EU foreign balance showed a surplus of 1.8 million tonnes (pigmeat and processed pigmeat), i.e. 7% of the slaughtering, but extra-EU trade represented only 14% of the national foreign trade (in volume terms).