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Hard Brexit is “catastrophic” for the meat sector

The UK’s referendum result last year has certainly sparked a lot of debate and reporting about how UK, EU and global trade operates. It’s likely that many politicians and civil servants have moved up a steep learning curve on how international trade works. And that’s no bad thing. The latest contribution Continue reading

China’s pork imports collapse in April

The two charts reproduced in this Blog are not comfortable viewing for Western pigmeat exporters.  Certainly, if the patterns shown here are repeated over the summer then Continue reading

Breakfast means Breakfast – OK?

The UK’s referendum on 23 June 2016 has now created a new word and place in the English dictionary – Brexit. The referendum result – a win by 52% to 48% for the Leavers – means that the UK’s current crop of politicians has to negotiate an exit for the UK from the EU i.e. they have to deliver Brexit.   Within hours of the Brexit vote there was a rush Continue reading

Hogmageddon in the autumn?

The US hog price has behaved like the proverbial dead cat in the last few months. It was falling and then it bounced – and now it’s back on the floor, twitching. I fear this may portend a very weak global hog price in the autumn. Indeed, we may finally get “hogmageddon”. This contrasts with Continue reading

What – no growth in Chinese pork imports?

The CEOs of pork processors and farmer organizations are fond of saying that there are big opportunities for pigmeat exporters to China. But do the numbers support this claim? No, they don’t Continue reading

What would you do with $2 trillion?

January’s issue of Whole Hog Brief covers a range of subjects including: German hog numbers, exchange rate changes, weakening pig prices in the EU, North America and China, and the faltering export performance of US and Canadian packers but there is one issue that I want to highlight here Continue reading

Hold tight – 2015 will be a rollercoaster!

The front page of the December issue of Whole Hog presents the key data from the USDA’s quarterly hog census (released 23 December). These numbers suggest that  the global pig industry faces a boom and bust scenario in 2015. The impact of PEDv has created ideal conditions for supply shortages/price increases/production hikes in North America but Continue reading

Brazil’s soccer success not matched by its pork export performance

 It’s the World Cup and Brazil will be in the news this month as soccer players show off their skills. Brazil is famous for its soccer and its economy has grown in the last decade with its agriculture and agri-business  pushed to perform at world class levels. But has Brazil’s pig industry been winning in the global market for pork exports and can it top the league of global pork exporters in the future?   At first sight Continue reading

Europe’s pig farmers top the league table

I am often asked to assess the competitiveness of pig producers in different countries. But comparing the performance of farmers in different countries is tricky – exchange rate variations often misrepresent the actual competitiveness of producers at a particular moment. However, technical comparisons – without money valuations – can give a more reliable insight through time. On that score the latest InterPIG report (using 2012 data for 16 countries and regions) produced by BPEX/AHDB appears to prove that some of Europe’s pig farmers are the most technically advanced in the world. I have made a full write up of the InterPIG report in the November issue of Whole Hog and you can purchase the BPEX report at http://www.bpex.org.uk/prices-facts-figures/reports/InterpigReports.aspx   The data in the report suggest that the British pig industry is still some way behind Continue reading

Smithfield and Shuanghui create a Chinese puzzle

The announcement of the takeover bid for Smithfield Foods by the Chinese company Shuanghui caught some observers by surprise. But the tendency for cash-rich Chinese companies and investors to purchase productive assets, brands and know-how in the west should have been expected to spread to the food and drink sector: especially when the Chinese food sector is growing at double digit rates along with the demand for “safe, quality” food products. In the June issue of Whole Hog we devote two pages to considering Continue reading