The number of pigs in China returned to the level of the end of 2017

CHINA has restored a large part of the national herd after outbreaks of African swine fever. Over the past 12 months, it has increased by 100 goals. Accordingly, in the PRC, the production of pork in slaughter weight increased markedly and prices for MEAT decreased. At the same time, according to the German publication Agra Europe (AgE), by the end of 2021, only a slight reduction in pork imports is expected in China.

Recently, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced that there were 45.64 million sows in the country at the end of June, up 9.34 from the same period in 2020 (+25.7%). The total number of pigs increased by 99.2 million units to 439.11 million (+29.2%), that is, its number recovered at the end of 2017 (the year before the spread of ASF).

In the first half of 2021, according to government statistics, 334.4 million pigs were sent to Chinese slaughterhouses, which is 86.4 million heads more than in January-June 2020 (+34.4%). Pork production increased by 35.9% to 27.2 million tons. The explosive growth in the supply of meat was accompanied by a drop in prices by a good 60% since the beginning of the year, but this process was contained by government regulation and increased storage capacity. By the middle of the year, prices for slaughter pigs had stabilized in all provinces of China .

The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture notes that the fight against outbreaks of ASF continues. Strengthened control over compliance with biological safety measures on farms. Since the beginning of 2021, 11 epizootic outbreaks have been registered in China in eight provinces, where 2,216 pigs have been destroyed. Last year, 19 outbreaks of ASF were identified during the same period, resulting in the death of 13,500 animals. Indicators suggest that the spread of the virus is slowing down. For comparison: in 2018, 800,000 pigs were killed in 99 ASF outbreaks, in 2019, 63 outbreaks were registered, and the losses amounted to 390,000 pigs.