EU pig meat demand, production to recover through 2020

European Union demand for pig meat is expected to recover over the next nine years, according to a European Commission report on agriculture markets, and will increase by 8% to reach 22.3 million tons in 2020.
The growth is connected to a projected increase in consumption, 43.3 kilograms per capita in 2020, which exceeds the 2009 level by almost 5%. Pig meat production will grow 7% on aggregate, reaching 23.7 million tons by 2020. Exports will reduce to below 1.2 million tons in 2020 due to the strengthening euro, while imports will see a modest increase of 6%, to 41,000 tons.
"Despite the relatively favorable market outlook for pig meat, production prospects would remain conditional on a recovery in EU demand and limited interest from major exporters to fulfill EU sanitary requirements," said the Commission. "The speed and efficiency of the Russian authorities to implement the development of their domestic production capacity would have strong implications on EU export potential. On the short-term, a possible spread of the African swine fever virus from Russia into the EU remains a critical issue."