MOSCOW. April 15 (Interfax) – The first shipment of Russian pork has been delivered to the Chinese market according to Miratorg, the first company to begin deliveries after China lifted restrictions on Russian pork imports last September.

A consignment of products weighing 27 tonnes was produced at the holding’s meat processing complex in the Belgorod region and sent from Selyatino station on March 7 by rail to Vladivostok. From there, it was loaded onto a ship to the port of Nansha in China. Russian transport company Fesco organized the intermodal shipment process.

The container arrived at the Chinese port after one month in transit, from where the importer unloaded the shipment into his warehouse on April 13.

“We greatly value the Chinese market and take a responsible attitude towards fulfilling all the veterinary requirements of the importing country. The goal is to increase supply volumes in the coming years and expand the range of meat products in accordance with the taste preferences of Chinese residents.

The company independently ensures 100% quality control and complete traceability of products at all stages from “field to table,” Miratorg’s press service said.

Interfax

Also:

Russia sends first pork shipment to China in 15 years

Russian pork exports to China begin ahead of schedule

First Russian pork on its way to China

Boosting pork exports to Southeast Asia: Russia launches the Meat Shuttle

Issues with the supply of lamb from New Zealand to the United Kingdom (UK) is having a knock-on effect with the sheep trade in Ireland.

Shipping through the Suez canal has recently become impossible for some ships, which have instead re-routed around the Cape of Good Hope in the south of Africa.

However, this has made the import of New Zealand lamb to the UK expensive, with Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) president Sean McNamara telling Agriland that it is “cheaper to buy the lamb here [in Ireland]”, as opposed to shipping it from the southern hemisphere, which has driven Irish prices up.

McNamara said that the top prices for hoggets this week in the sheep trade are ranging from €7.80-8.10/kg, adding that the trade is “very good” at the moment.

A factory procurement manager told Agriland that currently, “demand is good and the supply is half-decent”.

They added that many of the sheep coming into the factories lately are store lambs that were bought, and that these farmers who bought the stores are now bringing in a “scatter of heavy and a scatter or light” weight hoggets.

They said this particular trend, “seems to be the way this time of year”.

Colm Ryan | Agriland

Vincent ter Beek | Pig Progress

UK Pigmeat export volumes, including offal, fell by 20% last year to 298,000 tonnes, as a result of lower UK production and subdued demand in Asia.

The value of pigmeat shipments fell by a lower proportion, 9% to £570 million, due to higher prices.

Most export categories were down, with fresh and frozen export volumes plummeting by 30% to 130,000t, bacon exports by 21% to 13,400t, although values were only slightly down, and sausages volumes by 12% to 4,600t, as the value of these shipments rose. The exception was processed hams, shoulders and other pieces, which were up by 4% in volume.

Offal shipments were down 8% to 133,000t and accounted for 45% of pigmeat export volumes, the highest share.

Overall red meat exports from the UK in 2023 were worth £1.7 billion, similar to 2022, largely driven by strong demand for UK lamb on international markets.

The total value of red meat shipments to the EU during the period was up 2% on the year at £1.3 billion while volumes fell by 12% on the year.

Sheep meat exports to France, the UK’s largest market, increased by 23% in value to £292 million and 23% in volume on the year to 45,000 tonnes. Beef exports decreased by 15% in volume and 9% in value.

Alistair Driver | Pig World

SAO PAULO : China’s government has opted to not renew a tariff on imports of poultry products from Brazil, the South American nation said on Tuesday.

China hit Brazil with a tariff of between 17.8 per cent and 34.2 per cent in 2019 on its poultry in a bid to prevent “dumping,” an industry term in which a market is flooded with cheaper product from abroad.

More than a dozen Brazilian firms had also signed “price commitments” with the Chinese government to keep prices above a certain level, Brazil’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

“Such measures harmed the competitiveness of Brazilian products in the Chinese market,” the ministry said.

Now, the import tariff on Brazilian poultry has “fallen to zero,” Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on social media network X.

The tariff expired on Feb. 17, according to the ministry.

Reuters | CNA

Weekly pig prices and slaughter data for Great Britain. 

The EU-spec SPP was down by a further 1.62p during the week ended October 14 to stand at 220.12p/kg, after stabilising the previous week.

This was the second biggest fall of the year, meaning the SPP has now lost 5.5p since mid-August and currently stands 20p ahead of a year ago.

Following the previous week’s loss of 1.5p, the APP, which includes premium pigs, lost another 0.61p to stand at 221.08p/kg during the week ended October 7. This meant the gap between the two price indexes increased once again, with the SPP now 0.65p ahead of the APP, as the reversal of the usual relationship continues.

One of the biggest drivers in the decline of UK prices is falling EU prices. The EU reference price dropped back by a further 2p during the week ended October 8 to stand at 193.78p/kg, led by falls of 4p in Spain, 3p in Germany and 2p in France.

EU prices are falling much more quickly than in the UK. The EU reference price is now nearly 22p down on its mid-July high and the latest drop has increased the gap between the UK and EU reference prices to beyond 25p, compared with low of just 6p during the week ended July 23. Prices in a number of EU countries, led by Germany, fell back further last week.

Estimated GB slaughterings remain well below year earlier levels. The figure for the week ended October 14 was down by more than 1,000 on the week, and at 160,300, it was 27,500 down on the same week in 2022.

It also needs to noted that AHDB’s estimated slaughterings going back for a few weeks have been significantly revised downwards, including the figure quoted last week for the week ended October 7, 169,000, which has been lowered to 161,600, also 27,000 down year-on-year.

Pig World / AHDB

The NPA is seeking clarity on whether the regionalisation approach in the EU would apply to pork exports in the event of an African swine fever (ASF) outbreak in the UK.

Under the EU’s ASF regulations, where an outbreak occurs, the sale of pork products from the affected region to other member states is outlawed. However, exports can continue from regions of the country not affected by ASF to other parts of the EU.

This rule has been applied in a number of member states that have experienced ASF outbreaks in recent years, including Germany, Italy and Poland. The UK continues to import pork from ASF-free regions of affected countries.

But it remains unclear what the situation is following the UK’s departure from the EU. UK regionalisation in the event of ASF will be part of the Disease of Swine Regulations expected to be laid before parliament next year.

NPA chief executive Lizzie Wilson said more immediate answers are needed. “We don’t know if our trading partners would recognise regionalisation if we had an outbreak now. We need clarity on this because, if we don’t have regionalisation, it could mean a virtual blanket ban on pork exports from anywhere in the UK – and that would be catastrophic for a sector that has already suffered so much over the past two years.”

Alistair Driver / NPA

The body representing the beef sector in the Irish Republic, has condemned a proposed cow cull scheme to bring the country into line with EU expectations on ‘greening’.

John Sleigh / The Scottish Farmer

Pilgrim’s UK has announced it will produce over four million pork products in the run up to Christmas to keep up with a surge in consumer demand.

With the cost-of-living crisis leaving many families cash-strapped, the festive period could bring a boost to red meat, particularly to pork.

It follows warnings this week of a shortage of free range turkeys and price rises due to the country’s largest ever bird flu outbreak.

Pilgrim’s UK, a major pork processor, said these issues had left consumers looking for more affordable meat options to take centre stage at the dinner table this year.

The firm anticipates an increase in demand for pork, such as gammon, which is expected to see a 25% uplift in volume, as well as pork crackling joints.

Fresh pork has increased its share of the wider protein category over the past four weeks to 13.3% in terms of volume compared to the last four weeks of December 2021.

Farming UK