Over the past eight years, Germany has seen a steady decline in pig slaughter numbers. At its peak, around 60 million pigs were slaughtered annually, but this year, only an estimated 44.5 million pigs are expected to be processed. Political challenges and stricter regulations have increased pressure on the meat industry.

African swine fever (ASF) continues to spread globally, with new outbreaks reported in India, South Korea, Vietnam, as well as in Italy, Romania, and Ukraine.

Italy’s Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forestry, Francesco Lollobrigida, expressed great satisfaction with the reopening of the Canadian market to imports of Italian raw hams, including those from areas affected by African swine fever (ASF) in restriction zone 2. Italy is the first European country with ASF cases to receive approval from Canada for the export of products from these regions.

The EU has a sizeable livestock population, according to a recent livestock report from the European Commission. At the end of 2023, there were 133 million head of pigs, 74 million head of bovine animals and 68 million head of sheep and goats.

The analytical department of the Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders reports on the difficult economic situation for the Ukrainian pig industry.

Ukraine is implementing a large-scale project called ‘Keeping Animals Healthy in Ukraine’, which aims to assess the risks of disease spread, raise awareness and provide advice on biosecurity and swine diseases, and improve disease surveillance and control at all stages of pork production. The initiative is supported by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders (AUPB).

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine published the 2023 Summary Report on Antimicrobials Sold or Distributed for Use in Food-Producing Animals.

The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) post in China forecasts 2025 swine production to grow due to higher 2024 sow inventories, according to a recent US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report.

France is stepping up surveillance to prevent the spread of African swine fever across its borders.

Pork production in the EU is expected to slightly decrease by 0.5% in 2024, and 0.2% in 2025. African Swine Fever outbreaks remain a risk for production. For 2025, the EU per capita consumption is expected to stabilise at 30.9 kg while less competitive EU pigmeat prices make exports to the global market a real challenge.

The wild pig problem in North America remains serious. Populations have grown over time and are still growing. Wild pigs are a potential vector for diseases that affect commercial pigs. They can also cause extensive damage to crops, native ecosystems and various wildlife populations.

Exports exceeded 120 thousand tons.

The company is reorganising the company to save €500 million.

South Korea has confirmed its ninth case of African swine fever (ASF) of the year, officials said Sunday. The latest ASF case was found at a pig farm in Hwacheon, some 88 kilometers northeast of Seoul in Gangwon Province. More than 3,500 pigs at the farm will be slaughtered, according to the farm ministry.

Hesse has successfully completed the construction of the 54-kilometer-long protective fence to contain African swine fever (ASF) along the B45 and L3095. Following coordination between the Hessian Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Darmstadt Regional Council, THW, HessenForst, HessenMobil, and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service, the first fence post was erected on August 22.

The European Union backed tariffs of up to 45% on imported Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) on Friday as it looks to counter Beijing's subsidies for automakers now targeting Europe, Reuters reported. 

African swine fever (ASF) is sweeping across northern Italy, posing a significant threat to the country's renowned pork industry.

The rise in price of chilled meat in national retail chains continued in early autumn, according to the analytical department of the Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders, citing the results of the monthly monitoring of retail prices.

The Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders (AUPB), whose members provide more than 70% of industrial pork, is concerned about the situation with the dissemination of inaccurate information and manipulation of data on the registration of a candidate vaccine against African swine fever (ASF) and the possibility of its use in Ukraine. This not only damages the reputation of the industry, but can also have negative epizootic and economic consequences for the country.