Whole Hog Brief Issue 194, March 2011

The March 2011 edition of Whole Hog starts with a report on the North American hog herd. Page 2 asks if the worst is over for Canadian herd numbers. Meanwhile, on page 3 the global pig price cyecle moves onward and upward. On page 4 we report on the UK pig herd and the way in which the census numbers apparently contradict the complaints of farmers. Europe's pig prices continue to move upward but at a slower rate on page 5. The impact of the weak dollar on US-EU competitiveness is shown on page 6 and, on the same page, Brazil's exports are analysed. Canada’s growth in pork exports seems to have fizzled out accoding to the trade data shown on page 7. On page 8 the USA's exports seem to have turned around in Q4 of 2010. In the Australian reviw on page 9 imports from the USA and Denmark are growing whilst Canadian-sourced imports are shrinkng. Japanese pork imports grow strongly on page 10 and South Korean imports start to show the effect of the FMD outbreak. News in Short on page 11 covers; the attempts by the Canadian industry to expedite an FTA between Canada and South Korea, the USDA's analysis of the impact of FMD on South Korea's pig industry, the EU's report on the climate change impact of the EU's livestock sector. Page 12 provides results for Q4 2010 for Maple Leaf, and  the Global Price Monitor for 17 countries.