BPEX Export Bulletin– 8 November 2013 (Week 45)

 

 

This week's export news

 

Although we only had a small presence in CIMIE in Qingdao, the number of visitors and level of interest was definitely up on the last two fairs in Beijing.

 

 

France

 

The red hat of Emile Riou is almost as famous as that of Commandant Cousteau. Emile Riou is a pig farmer established in Brittany and has been presented as the leader of the recent demonstrations organised against the "Ecotax" in France. The most recent was held on 2 November in Quimper and attracted 10,000 red hats, including farmers, fishermen and employees of the agro-food sector. This position gave him broad exposure on the French media which he used beautifully to express the concerns of the French pig industry, including what they see as unfair competition from neighboring producers, particularly Germany with its lower labour costs where workers are sourced from Eastern European countries. The German magazine Der Spiegel, has highlighted the damage produced by the employment of 7,000 Hungarian, Polish and Romanian staff paid at €5.04 per hour (gross).

 

The French pig meat curer Jean Caby (part of Campofrio Food Group) located next to Gad at Lampaul – Gimiliau in Brittany will reduce operations with the loss of employment for 80 outside workers at their site.

 

  

Pork prices Rungis - Week commencing 4 November 2013
Cut name	Price range (Euro/Kg)
Back fat, rind-on	0.70
Trimmings	1.61
Leg	2.39
Loin including chump	2.95
Loin excluding chump	2.77
Belly extra without trimmings	2.79

Denmark

 

Danish Crown's branded pigs, Antonius and The Go'e Gris, have won an animal welfare award at a major award show in Paris. The branded pigs have more space than conventional pigs, get fresh straw every day and are not docked as routine. Danish Crown sees the award as a lever for the UK market. (Source: Foodculture.dk)

 

Danish slaughterhouses have recently unveiled a new brand produced with animal welfare in mind. It has been developed in close cooperation between Friends of Animals, Tican, Danish Crown and the Danish Pig Research Centre. It is estimated that the new production system has great potential, both domestically and on export markets. In the development of the Welfare Pig, inspiration was drawn from the requirements demanded by the British Freedom Food Standard. (Source: various)

 

Tulip Bacon has launched a new pepper spiced bacon variant. The product has been launched in Sweden and Finland with positive results and it is now planned to be launched on other markets. (Source: Tulip)

 

Trade is quiet on European markets, as they are in an intermediate period, customers have filled their stocks after summer but have not yet commenced their Christmas trade. Prices eased for virtually all fresh cuts last week. Volume sales for fore-ends, hams and loins were unchanged at slightly lower prices. Sales of backs to the UK are stable at similar prices.

  

Danish Slaughterhouses - payments week commencing 4 November 2013
Slaughterhouse	Danish Crown	Tican
Slaughter pigs (70.0 – 86.9 kg)	Euro 1.561	Euro 1.561
Difference to last week	-0.027	-0.027
Sows (Above 129.9 kg)	Euro 1.106	Euro 1.106
Difference to last week	-0.053	-0.053
Boars (Above 109.9 kg)	Euro 0.973	Euro 0.973
Difference to last week	-0.054	-0.054

Netherlands

 

In an interview, Director Kurt Knesse indicate that the Dutch conglomerate still wants to concentrate on added value activities such as fish feed with Skretting and premixes and special feeds with Trouw. The firm faces stiff competition from Provimi-Cargill, DSM and Evialis. These four companies have 50% of the world market. (Source: Boerderij Vandaag)

 

The level of antibiotics use in the Netherlands fell by 22% in 2011 compared with 2010 which means that the country with 114mg PCU now stands behind Cyprus (408mg), Italy (370mg), Spain (249mg), Germany (211mg), Hungary (192mg), Belgium (180mg), Portugal, Poland and France. Only in 2007, the country had among the worst score in the EU. (Source: Boerderij Vandaag)

 

 

Germany

 

Tönnies Rheda-Wiedenbrück has had its approval withdrawn by Chinese authorities due to meat mislabelling. This is a very important development as Tönnies is only second to Smithfield as pork suppliers to China (Rheda is the single largest European supplier to the Chinese market with a huge output) with a high reputation there. These are worrying times as Tönnies is highly dependent on the Chinese market. However business through the smaller Weissenfels plant is not affected. On a more positive note, Tönnies's project in Russia is progressing satisfactorily. (Source: own)

  

Pork prices Hamburg Market Week commencing 4 November 2013
Cut name	Price range (Euro/Kg)
Round cut leg	2.30/2.50
Leg (boneless, rindless max fat level 3mm	3.15/3.35
Boneless Shoulder	2.45/2.65
Picnic Shoulder	2.05/2.18
Collar	2.50/2.65
Belly (bone in, ex-breast)	2.30/2.50
Sheet Boned Belly (rindless)	2.30/2.60
Jowl	1.25/1.55
Half Pig Carcasses U class.	2.03/2.13

Spain

 

 

Pork prices Barcelona Market Week commencing 4 November 2013
Cut Name	Price range (Euro/Kg)
Gerona Loin Chops	2.63/2.66
Loin Eye Muscle	3.53/3.56
Spare Ribs	3.03/3.06
Fillets	5.53/5.56
Round Cut Legs	3.08/3.11
Cooked Ham	2.78/2.82
Rindless Picnic Shoulder	1.82/1.85
Belly	2.31/2.34
Smoked Belly with Spare Rib Section Cut off	2.74/2.77
Shoulder chap or Head Jowls	1.25/1.28
Back Fat, Rindless	0.70/0.73

Bulgaria

 

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is granting a €10.5 million loan to Boni, the owner of two meat processing plants and five pig farms. Under the development plan, Boni will implement higher production and welfare standards. (Source: Agra Europe)

 

 

EU

 

According to a report to the European Parliament, meat does not feature in the top ten adulterated foods, despite the commonly held view following the high profile horse meat scandal. Olive oil, fish, organic food, milk, grains, honey, coffee and tea, spices, wine and fruit juice feature in the top ten in that order. (Source: European Parliament)

 

 

Russia

 

So far this year, Russia has declared 89 outbreaks of African Swine Fever, the highest number so far and 52 outbreaks of foot and mouth disease. (Source: OIE)

 

During the January-September 2013 period, the volume of pork sales from the Cherkizovo Group increased by 59% compared with the same period in 2012, amounting to 111,700 tonnes in live weight terms. The average selling price decreased from US$10.88 per kg in 2012 to US$7.7 per kg in 2013.  (Source: meatinfo.ru)

 

 

Ukraine

 

After the Ukraine enters EU Association Agreement, when import duties will decrease, the import of agricultural products from the EU could increase by between 4% and 8% according to market experts. The increase will mainly include drinks, meat products, vegetables and fruit. (Source: milkua.info)

 

 

Canada

 

Following the conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement with the EU, Canada secured an immediate duty-free in-quota access for 81,011 tonnes carcase weight, including the incorporation of Canada's country-specific quota (4,624 tonnes product weight or 6,011 tonnes carcase weight) available for fresh, chilled and frozen product; duty-free immediate treatment for pig fat; salted, dried, smoked and cured boneless pork and all other processed pork tariff lines in Chapter 16, such as sausages. (Source: BPEX)

 

 

Chile

 

Despite pressure from the Chilean Pork Producers Association calling for a 14.3% duty on imported pork, an investigation found no fall in Chilean production due to the rise of imports. Home produced pork still accounts for 95% of all pork consumed in Chile. Imports from USA, Canada and Brazil, countries that enjoy a free access to Chile have increased to 19,513 tonnes in the first seven months of 2013. (Source: Agra Europe)

 

 

Singapore

 

The draft Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and Singapore includes the provision that the current plant approval process for each type of meat product will be replaced by a country audit and blanket plant approval. Singapore will retain the possibility of performing follow-up audits and import controls at its borders. (Source: European Commission)

 

 

China

 

The French breeder and the French Institut du Porc have signed an agreement of collaboration with Bright Foods in Guanmin that includes a new project for the production of one million pigs per year. (Source: Porc Magazine)

 

Tianli Agritech in Wuhan (Hubei) plans to increase its production of black pigs to 50,000 head in 2013. The company operates ten breeding farms and is concentrating on the local Enshi breeds, alongside Duroc, Landrace and Large White. The Enshi sows are crossed with Hubei white and sired with Berkshire. They need 180-200 days to market, for an FCR of 3.2 and ADG of 600-650g per day from weaning to a target weight of 100-110kg. The weaned target is 11 pigs per litter. The company works with 765 local farmers which must have a minimum of 6 sows and produce a minimum of 100 pigs per year. The company claims the pork has a pH of 6.49, drip loss of 2.1%, colour score of 4, 4.5% intramuscular fat and 3.6kg shear force, excellent values indeed. (Source: Asian Pork)

  

Chinese wholesale prices week commencing 4 November
	Price (RMB/Kg)	£/Kg	change on week
Pig Carcase	22.69	2.32	1.07%
Source: BOACL
Prices collected from wholesale markets in 36 medium and large Chinese cities

 

 

Taiwan

 

A team from the National University of Taiwan, led by Pr. Huang Pung-ling and Pr Jeng Chian-ren, has developed a transgenic banana to vaccinate pigs against PRRS. The oral vaccine, using raw food, is said to me more effective than other vaccines. (Source: Asian Pork)

 

 

India

 

The State of Mizoram in the Northeast, the main area of Indian pig production, has been hit by PRRS with more than 4,000 pigs dying of the disease. Pork imports from Myanmar, where the disease is thought to have entered the country, have been banned. (Source: Asian Pork)

 

US$1 = EUR0.74 (November 11, 2013)