Pork imports furore
Pork farmers says a significant influx of imported pork is causing them concern.
US pig farmers could soon be culling on-site due to a COVID-19 induced backup at meatpacking plants.
According to a report by the Food & Environment Reporting Network (FERN), as many as 2 million pigs may be backed up on US farms due to slowed production and closures of meatpacking plants.
The statistics are based on claims from three US economists during a teleconference sponsored by the National Pork Board.
David Miller of Decision Innovation Solutions, associate professor Lee Schulz of Iowa State University, and associate professor Scott Brown of the University of Missouri all agreed during the teleconference last Thursday that a large number of pigs will be backed up.
Schulz says the backlog could exceed 2.2 million heads, whereas Miller estimated a backlog of 1.2 million and around 2.1 heads having disappeared since March 1, either due to direct sales, custom butchering, or euthanasia by farmers.
Brown says his estimates would be closer to Miller, who also claimed that pork prices in Autumn could be 20% to 25% lower than the year prior due to the potential backlog.
FERN says that USA pig farmers are using the numbers as evidence they need government further government support. Without such support, they say pigs may need to be culled on farms as there will be no room for them in pork plants.
Dawn Meats is set to increase its proposed investment in Alliance Group by up to $25 million following stronger than forecast year-end results by Alliance.
A day after the ouster of PGG Wrightson’s chair and his deputy, the listed rural trader’s board has appointed John Nichol as the new independent chair.
Tributes are pouring in from across the political divide for former Prime Minister Jim Bolger who passed away, aged 90.
The iconic services building at National Fieldays' Mystery Creek site will be demolished to make way for a "contemporary replacement that better serves the needs of both the community and event organisers," says board chair Jenni Vernon.
Agri advisor Perrin Ag says its graduate recruitment programme continues to bring new talent into the agricultural sector.
Entries are open for the 2026 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA).
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