Germany reports high EU pork sales

Pig prices in Germany rose to 1.40 euros per kilogram carcass weight from 1.30 euros last week, said the German livestock association VEZG, quoted by REUTERS.

Even after the country lost important EXPORT markets in Asia, a 12% reduction in pork production in Italy and increased demand for pork from Poland, Romania and Bulgaria seem to offset the situation created by the ASF outbreak in the wild boar population in Germany. 

CHINA and other Asian countries banned imports of German pork in September 2020 after ASF was found in East German wild boar rather than farm animals, causing the price of pigs to fall. This resulted in a shift in trade, with other EU countries increasing exports to China, while German sales to Europe increased.

“German pork is being sold in large volumes to other parts of the EU as exports from other European countries to China and other parts of Asia increase. Spain and Denmark seem to be making big sales in Asia after Germany was forced out of that market, and Germany is filling in the gaps in Europe's pork supply,” said a German trader.

Germany was hit by two shockwaves last year, one from covid-19 outbreaks at several slaughterhouses and the other from a ban in Asian markets following the detection of the ASF virus in wild boars. According to the AGHDB, in the last quarter of 2020, the volume of pork MEAT remaining in the country amounted to 350,000 tons. Germany is expected to supply 450,000 tonnes of pork to the EU single market this year.