Welfare laws and high production costs will cause the production of the Spanish pork sector to decline during 2023 and 2023. This is highlighted by the latest report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the United States Department of Agriculture and of which it has been made echo the publication The Objective. The report points to the decline in exports to third countries, specifically China, regulations on animal welfare and high production costs as the main reasons for this situation.
Although Spain remained the main pork producer and exporter in the European Union in 2022, forecasts indicate a drop in the pig population, although the number of sows will be partially compensated by the import of piglets, especially from Portugal and the Netherlands. .
Pork exports contracted 4.4% compared to 2021. Growth in Asian markets such as Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Taiwan, among others, partially offset the 50% reduction in sales to China. , the report notes.
The decree on animal welfare approved in Spain represents a restructuring of the sector in the coming years that will cause a drop in production. European animal welfare regulations, on the other hand, would mean a loss of production in the pig sector in Europe of up to 23%.
More information in The Objective.
