April 5, 2013

Europe's pig meat industry faces challenges

The issue on the regulations on sow pens impacting production is only one of the challenges the European pig meat industry is facing.

This is according to Frederique Clusel, group director of Swine Business for Zoetis for EU Africa and Middle East.

Speaking at the recent launch of the new company, which emerged from the divestment of the animal health sector from Pfizer, Clusel said that with seven billion people now demanding protein and the EU having 16% of global meat consumption, the pig meat industry in the region was well placed to meet the growing demand.

At present, pig meat consumption in the EU is 41.6 kilogrammes per person a year and in meeting the challenges presented to the sector, pig producers are using fewer antibiotics and those that are used are being used more and more responsibly.

She said there have been a 47% drop in the use of injectable anti-infective since 2009 and a 23% drop in the use of oral anti-infective in the same period. At the same time there has been a 20% increase in the use of vaccinations to prevent disease.

"Through prevention there has been an increase in the pig health level and with healthy pigs you get healthy meat," said Clusel.

"We will still need anti-infective, because there will still be disease on the farm, but we need to use them in the right way.