Brazil appears to be losing out on the pig meat export market in value terms, according to the latest issue of the Whole Hog.

The country is one of the major players in the market but with just two main customers of Russia and Hong Kong, but the first two months of this year have shown a 10 per cent decline in exports.

The Whole Hog shows that last year Brazil saw a rise in exports over 2008 of nearly 15 per cent in volume terms, reaching 607,489 tonnes. However, in value, exports fell by 8.6 per cent.

In the US, the hogs and pigs inventory saw a fall of three per cent and a four per cent drop in the breeding herd.

The drop in numbers had an impact on market prices, according to the Whole Hog.

The total inventory of hogs and pigs was 64 million and the breeding herd was 5.76 million.

UK Producers Cautious about Growth

The Whole Hog says that the UK pig sector has been sheltered from the turmoil in the international meat export markets of 2009.

It has had the advantage of a weak exchange rate and UK prices have been driven up to levels not seen for about a decade.

However, the Whole Hog says that the outlook for the UK industry is cautious.

In the rest of Europe, while some countries have shown price increases, the average EU price is weak.

The Whole Hog says the average EU price data are behind the EU five year average. In March the average price was down by 2.2 per cent following a marginal rise in the previous month.

In Poland, imports of pork products increased by nearly 15 per cent last year. The Whole Hog reports that half a million tonnes came into the country, largely from Denmark and Germany.

However, on the export front, the Polish industry has been hit hard, particularly with the loss of the Ukrainian market.

Key Exporters' Prices Accelerate Upwards

According to the Whole Hog price cycle, US hog farmers are seeing prices soar – up by 35 per cent on the same period last year.

The sudden rise is also having an impact on the other major players – in Canada and Denmark – but Danish prices are moving up more swiftly than Canadian.

Canadian exports are reported to be 2.7 per cent up in January compared to the same month in 2009.

There are large gains on the Japanese, Mexican and Hong Kong markets but exports are down to the US, Australia and South Korea.

For the US there was a fall of eight per cent in pork exports to start the year.

The Whole Hog says the January figures for US exports saw 140,926 tonnes of fresh and chilled pork shipped and 44,781 tonnes of frozen pork.

Yawning Trade Gap for Australian Pig Meat

There has been no respite in the growing trade gap for Australian pig meat exports and imports.

January saw a 16.8 per cent fall in exports and in value terms almost 25 per cent behind January 2009.

Imports were 1.4 per cent down in January compared to January 2009, but the overriding trend is for a 15 per cent rise in exports.

Overall Japanese imports of pig meat were down year on year by 14 per cent, according to the Whole Hog.

The major exporting nation to be hit by the drop in exports was Denmark, which saw trade cut by almost a quarter to 122,916 tonnes last year compared to 159,782 tonnes.

In South Korea, the Whole Hog reports that the market is continuing to recover. Sales in the first month of the year are up by 20 per cent compared to a year ago.

Danish and Spanish exports to South Korea fell although French exports to the country rose slightly.

April 2010