Romania gains clearance to export pork to China

Romania will be able to export frozen pork meat to China following the Chinese approval of recording the first pork meat producing company, Smithfield Romania, Romanian Ministry of Agriculture Daniel Constantine announced.
The State Administration for the Supervision of Certification and Accreditation in China officially informed Romania about the approval to register the Romanian company and said that exports of frozen pork meat could start when the company is listed on the site of the Veterinary Health Authority of China.
Minister Constantin in 2014 signed last year a memorandum with his Chinese counterpart Han Changfu, on animal health and food safety, a document clarifying technical aspects on Romanian-Chinese collaboration in the veterinary field, food safety, meat control and inspection, according to a report from ActMedia.
Smithfield Romania announced in August 2014 that they expected Chinese authorities to complete the registration of the company’s slaughter house. The Chinese company WH Group, purchased U.S. company Smithfield Food, which has operations in Romania, in 2013. WH Group is the world’s largest pork producing company.
Smithfield administers a slaughter house based in Timisoara, within former company Comtim, one of the largest slaughter houses in Europe. It slaughters 3,500 pigs daily.
The opening of pork trade with Romania comes just weeks after another European company had been given access to export pigs and pork products to China. France was granted access to trade with China, and in early March French genetics company Nucleus imported 1,000 pigs into the Asian country.

HKScan to launch Finnish pork exports to China

HKScan Group, one of Europe’s leading meat companies, will soon begin exporting Finnish pork to China. HKScan Finland’s pork slaughtering facility in Forssa is going to gain export certification from the Chinese food authorities following inspections carried out in August 2014.
The launch of Finnish pork exports to China will be a major milestone in HKScan’s strategy to expand its export footprint, affirmed Jukka Nikkinen, head of HKScan’s exports business. Direct exports of Finnish meat to China were not possible prior to certification. In addition to pork, HKScan has long-range plans to begin exporting other meat products suited to local culinary preferences. These include poultry meat, processed meats and convenience meals.
“We devoted much time and effort into preparing this export project together with the authorities. The strong support of the Finnish authorities and close collaboration between our industry, political decision-makers and officials have been crucial to its progress”, adds Nikkinen. “After the forthcoming official export certification, we will continue our efforts to gain similar approvals for Swedish exports.”
HKScan exports pork to a number of EU countries and to long-haul markets including New Zealand and Japan. Russia was formerly another major export destination. The opening of a new export market for Finnish foodstuffs is important in the wake of the import bans imposed by Russia last January.


Chinese demand pork that is pure, safe, nutritious, responsibly produced
Chinese customers and consumers appreciate the pure, chemical-free, safe and responsibly produced reputation of Finnish meat, says Nikkinen. Other assets in favor of Finnish meat exports include a transparent production chain, traceability of raw materials and absence of animal diseases. Unlike many other countries in Europe and worldwide, Finland adheres to a zero-tolerance policy on diseases such as Salmonella, Nikkinen added.
Healthy eating is a rising trend in China, particularly among young urbanites. HKScan caters to this health-conscious trend with products such as its tender and tasty HK Rypsiporsas rapeseed pork.
HKScan’s Forssa production facility that will gain export certification from China has already gained export certifications from the U.S. and Russia. The plant has approximately 500 employees.
Roughly 60 percent of the pork exported from Finland comes from HKScan’s Forssa facility. HKScan currently exports meat to close to 50 countries.

Ractopamine safe for use in Brazil pork

Animal scientists in Brazil have found that a small dose of the feed additive ractopamine can boost pork production without changing how pork looks or tastes.
In the latest issue of the Journal of Animal Science, researchers said that a 5 mg/kg dose of ractopamine increased muscle mass and feed efficiency, and had no noticeable effect on pork marbling, fat content, toughness or color. The researchers came to this conclusion by testing pork from 340 pigs raised under commercial conditions. "We found that if [pork producers] use 5 mg/kg of ractopamine in the finishing diet of swine that should result in no detrimental effects on fresh pork quality and cooked pork palatability," said Natália Bortoleto Athayde, an animal scientist at Sao Paulo State University in Brazil.
However, some scientists have reported reduced pork quality with higher doses of ractopamine. The researchers found that pork from the 10 mg/kg pigs was lighter and less tender than pork from control group pigs. Athayde said this confirms previous studies showing that 5 mg/kg is an appropriate dose in Brazilian commercial pork production. "Pork is the most animal protein consumed in the world, and Brazil is currently the fourth-largest producer of this meat," said Athayde. "We export about 15 percent of pork we produce and we believe it is extremely important to know the quality of the meat that we offer to the world."
Athayde said she recommends further studies of how ractopamine affects animal behavior, consumer health and the environment.

British pig organization BPEX to export pork to Australia

BPEX, an organization for pig levy payers in England, will soon be allowed to export pig meat to Australia following an agreement of health certificates.
BPEX and Australian authorities have agreed to the technical side of the pig meat export agreement and are in the process of plant registration. Peter Hardwick, BPEX international manager, said Australian retailers are having difficulty sourcing high-quality pork domestically.
“The pork being sent out there will be high value, high welfare and it will all be heat treated, which means the majority of it will go for bacon manufacture," said Hardwick. "The unique feature of the UK is that we are able to deliver this high-quality pork rather than commodity pork." 

UK pork expands to new Netherlands market

British pork is now being sold in the largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands.
The retailer has launched three new lines including shoulder steaks, fillet and loin chops, complete with a high welfare sticker and a prominent description of product origin and rearing methods. The pork is marketed as a product with high welfare and taste in the retailer’s premium range.
“This is excellent news and recognizes the high standards of the British pork sector," said British Pig Executive Export Manager Jean-Pierre Garnier. “This is a rather prestigious accolade, particularly as it positions our product between the supermarket’s own animal welfare standards and organic pork. There is a good untapped demand from Dutch consumers for high welfare and sustainable meat, and we hope that we will generate good sales from now on.”

September pork exports from Brazil up 46 percent from 2011

September pork exports from Brazil rose 45.98 percent in volume and increased 38.47 percent in revenue compared to the same month last year, according to the Brazilian Pork Industry and Exporter Association, Abipecs.
Pork exports in September totaled 60,440 tons and shipments totaled US$157.65 million, making this the best month of the year, both in volume and in revenue, despite a 5.14 percent drop in the average price. For the full year, the country exported 428,180 tons, 9.72 percent more than the same period of 2011, with revenue US$1.09 billion.
Ukraine was the main destination of Brazilian pork, importing 23.49 percent of the export volume this year; Russia was second with 23.04 percent; Hong Kong was third with 21.66 percent.

First shipment of British pork exported to China

The first shipment of British pork under the country's new export deal with China made its way from Tulip's cold store in the West Midlands on June 21, according to reports.
China is the largest market for pork in the world, and negotiations for direct trade between the two countries have been underway for years. "This is an important step, not only for Tulip but also for the British pig industry," said Tulip Sales and Export Manager Martin Sauer. "The Chinese market is huge — the biggest in the world — and there will be scope to expand it in years to come."
British Pig Executive chairman Stewart Houston, who was involved in the negotiations to open the market, said the new deal is very important to British trade. "[China] is a market that could easily be worth £50 million a year in the not too far distant future,” said Houston.

Ukraine pork exports rise in 2011

Pork exports in Ukraine were up for the first quarter of 2011.

Ukrainian pork exports have shown a sharp rise in 2011, with the first quarter reaching 4.3 thousand metric tons exported, mostly to Russia.
Exports increased largely because the domestic market couldn't absorb an increase in production in 2010, according to A. Yaroslavsky, deputy director general of the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation. "Purchase prices for hogs fell and companies engaged in growing pigs in 2010 were losses," said Yaroslavsky. "The level of profitability of their activities amounted to -7.4%. In this situation, the only salvation for the industry was increasing exports."
In January through March 2011, pork imports decreased by 50% compared to the same period last year. At the same time, there was a 12% increase in the import of by-products, indicating an increase in demand from refineries for low-grade, relatively cheap raw materials.
Ukrainian pork exports have shown a sharp rise in 2011, with the first quarter reaching 4.3 thousand metric tons exported, mostly to Russia.
Exports increased largely because the domestic market couldn't absorb an increase in production in 2010, according to A. Yaroslavsky, deputy director general of the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation. "Purchase prices for hogs fell and companies engaged in growing pigs in 2010 were losses," said Yaroslavsky. "The level of profitability of their activities amounted to -7.4%. In this situation, the only salvation for the industry was increasing exports."
In January through March 2011, pork imports decreased by 50% compared to the same period last year. At the same time, there was a 12% increase in the import of by-products, indicating an increase in demand from refineries for low-grade, relatively cheap raw materials.
Ukrainian pork exports have shown a sharp rise in 2011, with the first quarter reaching 4.3 thousand metric tons exported, mostly to Russia.
Exports increased largely because the domestic market couldn't absorb an increase in production in 2010, according to A. Yaroslavsky, deputy director general of the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation. "Purchase prices for hogs fell and companies engaged in growing pigs in 2010 were losses," said Yaroslavsky. "The level of profitability of their activities amounted to -7.4%. In this situation, the only salvation for the industry was increasing exports."
In January through March 2011, pork imports decreased by 50% compared to the same period last year. At the same time, there was a 12% increase in the import of by-products, indicating an increase in demand from refineries for low-grade, relatively cheap raw materials.

UK set to boost pork sales in Germany

The UK pig industry has appointed a new representative to help it to boost the sales of British pork in German-speaking countries.
Dr. Tim Schäfer, who will also promote British lamb and beef sales, has great experience in the meat sector and previously managed the meat marketing section of the German food board CMA, as well as being involved with meat exports.
Jean-Pierre Garnier, export manager for the British Pig Executive, BPEX, said: "We will be very pleased to work with Dr. Schäfer in developing our exports of pork to Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The regions are the largest market for meat in Europe. Germany alone is our biggest destination for pork.” 

Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan form customs union

Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan established a customs union in early December to simplify trade among them. A single set of customs tariffs goes into effect January 1, 2010. The three countries have set 2010 meat import quotas within the framework of the union, according to the Interfax news agency.
Russia's pork import quota in 2010 will be 500,000 tonnes; Belarus' will be 30,000 tonnes, and Kazakhstan's will be 7,400 tonnes.
For poultry, Russia's and Kazakhstan's quotas in 2010 will be 780,000 tonnes and 110,000 tonnes respectively; Belarus' poultry quota for 2010 has not yet been set.
Kyrgyzstan is reportedly interested in joining the customs union.