Jamaica ag minister: Don’t rush to seek pork imports

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  Andrea Gantz

  Derrick Kellier, Jamaican minister of agriculture, says not to overreact to reports of pork shortages and seek pork imports.

  From WATTAgNet:
  Derrick Kellier, the Jamaican minister of agriculture, labor and social security, is cautioning consumers and stakeholders in the food industry to not panic in the face of the reported shortages in the pork industry and to resist the urge to seek imported alternatives.
  “I wish to refer to the current situation as it relates to the reported shortages in the pork industry. While we appreciate that there may be current tightness in the market, we need to resist the urge to open (the) flood gates of importation and thereby destroying our hard earned achievements in the sector,” Kellier said.
  He issued the caution as he addressed the recent official launch of Jamaica’s ninth Agro-Park, the Sweet River Abattoir Agro-Park near Ferris Cross in Westmoreland.
  Kellier noted that the ministry will do its best to safeguard the gains made and will therefore be calling all stakeholders and industry players to a meeting next week to assess the situation and discuss the way forward.
  He further told participants at the launching ceremony of the abattoir, that the government was committed to providing the legislative framework to ensure the success of the abattoir, by making it mandatory that all commercial meat pass through certified abattoirs.

UK pig farmers unite against illegal pork imports

UK pig farmers are challenging all companies selling imported pork and pork products to publically commit that they are not selling illegally-produced meat from farms that are not compliant with European welfare legislation outlawing the prolonged confinement of sow stalls.
The National Pig Association has launched a website Wall-of-Fame-and-Shame which lists companies that have pledged to source imported pork products only from farms that are operating legally.
Most European Union countries have failed to comply with the European Union’s animal welfare directive which from January 1, 2013 bans the prolonged confinement of sows in stalls. Individual sow stalls have been outlawed on British pig units for 14 years. They are so narrow, pigs cannot turn around — all they can do is sit, stand, and lie down. To promote animal welfare, BPEX has launched a Compliant Pork website to provide regular updates on the progress of European countries towards compliance of the partial sow stall ban.
As many as 40,000 pigs an hour are being delivered to continental processing plants from illegally-operated pig farms, according to the National Pig Association’s calculations. “As Britain imports around 60 percent of its processed pork it is inevitable that many consumers are unwittingly supporting this unacceptable European trade in illegally-farmed pigs,” said Dr. Zoe Davies general manager of the National Pig Association. “Shoppers must be told which British retailers and food companies they can trust not to take part in this trade.”
Yorkshire pig farmer John Rowbottom, a member of National Pig Association’s policy-making Producer Group, said, "If Brussels cannot police its own rules, then British pig farmers will have to do the job for them. British consumers are being sold pork products from continental farms that are operating illegally. It’s a gross breach of animal welfare, it is unfair on consumers and it is unfair on British farmers, because it distorts fair trade.”

China to resume US pork imports

China has accepted a U.S. proposal to resume pork imports and end a nearly year-long ban that was based on misplaced H1N1 influenza concerns, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Pork trade will resume immediately once both sides finalize the export documentation, the service reported in a press release.
“This agreement is a win for America’s pork producers, whose safe and high-quality exports can now flow freely into China and support agriculture jobs here at home,” U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said in the press release. “I am also pleased that China affirmed in our meetings that they will base their decisions on international science-based guidelines. We look forward to working cooperatively to resolve additional issues, including a resumption of trade in beef.”
China barred imports of U.S. pork from 49 states last year after the worldwide H1N1 outbreak, Business Week reported. In 2008, before the ban took effect, China was the United States’ seventh largest market valued at valued at nearly $275M, accounting for six percent of U.S. pork and pork variety meat exports, according to USDA data.

Indonesia resumes pork imports from U.S., Mexico

Indonesia has reopened its borders to pork from the U.S. and Mexico after implementing a ban in May 2009, The Denver Post reported.
The ban involved pig products from several countries and stemmed from a fear that pigs might be the source of the worldwide H1N1 influenza epidemic. Indonesia lifted the ban because there is no evidence that pigs pass this virus to humans, according to the nation’s Ministry of Trade.

Malaysian citizens group demands relaxation of pork import restrictions

A group representing ethnic Chinese citizens of Malaysia, who make up slightly less than a quarter of the country's population, says that the government should allow imports of pork and pork-containing products throughout the year in order to keep prices down, according to the Malaysian newspaper The Star.
The majority of Malaysians are Muslims and, according to religious custom, do not eat pork. However, most ethnic Chinese Malaysians are not Muslims and have no religious restrictions against pork consumption. The government has eased pork import restrictions for the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration.
Chua Soi Lek, deputy president of the Malaysian Chinese Association, said in a press conference that large swine farms in Malaysia are cutting production even though daily demand has remained steady at about 5,000 to 6,000 pigs, resulting in increased prices.
Farmers and retailers have argued publicly for three years about who is responsible for price increases, according to The Star, but Chua laid the blame squarely on producers. "There seems to be an element of monopoly by some big farmers," he said.

Malaysia eases pork import restrictions

Malaysia will ease pork import restrictions in order to meet demand for the Chinese New Year holiday. Dr. Abdul Aziz Jamaluddin, director general of the government’s veterinary services, told The Star newspaper that Malaysia has relaxed import restrictions on 10 types of pork-based products from several countries.
Since October, the price of live pigs has gone up 4% and the retail price of pork per kilogram has risen 57%, according to The Star. Aziz attributed the accelerating costs to culling for disease and heavy sales of suckling pigs last December. The government also recently shut down five farms for using beta agonist to promote pig growth.

Russia: 2010 import quotas for poultry, pork may decrease

Russia's Economic Development Ministry has indicated Russia could reduce its import quotas for both poultry and pork in 2010, while leaving the quota for beef basically unchanged as compared to 2009.
The matter will be discussed at a coming meeting of the government commission on customs and tariffs. The setting of specific quotas for individual countries and duty rates for imports within and above quotas will be continued, according to the Interfax news agency.