High-rise pigsties: what the transformation of pig farming in China entails

ASF has been a major news item in China 's swine industry for several years. However, even though the trend continues, China's pork consumption is growing by about 1 million tonnes a year, according to Hijdeporc Consultancy's Jurgen Hijinck.

ASF has almost quadrupled imports, he predicts, but a rapid recovery in pig numbers suggests that pork imports will decline to normal levels by 2026.

A colossal appetite

With 9% of the world's cultivated land, China feeds nearly 20% of the world's population, explains Yu Ping, founder of Yu's Design and president of Sichuan Tianzow Breeding Technology Co. There are 415.9 million pigs in China. It is not only the largest pork producer in the world, but the country itself has a population of 1.4 billion and a per capita pork consumption of 20.3 kg.

The Chinese pig industry is transforming – from backyard farming to mega-farms – and ASF has accelerated this change. Production capacity can now grow at an astonishing rate, from laying the foundation stone to completing one project for 3,500 sows in just seven months.

There are many similar and much larger projects in development in China. Hijink refers to a facility that has 21 six-story buildings with 660 sows each. Each floor is a separate unit. He notes that one company produces more than 30 million pigs a year, which is more than 21% of the 2020 U.S. pig litter.

Modern production = more grain

Until 1995, almost all pig production in China was done in home gardens. In less than 15 years, commercial enterprises producing between 50 and 1,000 pigs have surpassed production on farm plots. Currently, about 40% of production comes from the commercial sector with up to 1,000 sows and 40% from specialized farms with more than 1,000 sows, Hijink says.

“By 2025, 65% of all production is likely to come from dedicated farms, 30% from commercial farms, and only 5% from household farms,” he predicts.

It is expected that modern farms, assisted by imported modern genetics as well as scientific management, will significantly increase the number of piglets per sow from the current 16 to 25-30 pigs produced by Western enterprises.

They also achieve better feed conversion with reduced feeding time. Importantly for grain farmers, specialist farms rely much more on wheat or corn, which account for 65% of feed or 215 kg per pig, compared to 50% for commercial farms and only 20% for farms with less than 50 pigs.

“For this reason, I expect feed demand to grow by 40% to 40 million tons by 2025,” he explains.

Of course, Hijink notes, "the big question is how much the Chinese government will rely on imports and whether it can stimulate domestic grain production instead."

 And this fact will be taken into account when preparing the monthly analytical report Meatinfo.ru