Audio: Pork Industry Leaders from U.S. and China Conduct Swine Industry Symposium

The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) recently co-hosted the fourth annual Swine Industry Symposium in Beijing, China. The event attracted more than 150 attendees, including pork industry representatives, agricultural policymakers, animal health experts and university researchers. Joel Haggard, USMEF senior vice president for the Asia Pacific region, explains that the symposium is designed to allow the U.S. and Chinese industries to exchange information on such issues as food safety, food security and sustainability. Along with USMEF, the event was co-hosted on the U.S. side by the U.S. Grains Council and the U.S. Soybean Export Council. This year’s participants included National Pork Board CEO Chris Hodges and Dr. Craig Morris, USDA deputy administrator for the Agricultural Marketing Service’s Livestock, Poultry and Seed Program. John Hagenbuch, a soybean and hog producer from Utica, Illinois, who serves on the USMEF Executive Committee, also addressed the symposium.

TRANSCRIPT:

Joe Schuele: For the past four years, the U.S. and Chinese pork industries have collaborated on a joint conference known as the Swine Industry Symposium. The fourth edition of this conference was recently held in Bejing. Joel Haggard, USMEF senior vice president for the Asia Pacific region, has more details in this USMEF report.

Joel Haggard: The event is an outgrowth of an agreement reached in 2012 between the U.S and Chinese agricultural ministers that pledged more cooperation on three main pillars of agriculture: food safety, food security and sustainability. The event attracted 150 attendees, including representatives from the Chinese and U.S. governments, industries and academia research organizations. It draws a mix of Chinese industry stakeholders, including those from the inspection and quarantine bureau, the ministry, the Chinese Academy of Ag Sciences, Chinese producer groups and lastly private hog producing enterprises. On the U.S. side, USMEF invited several producers, CEO of the National Pork Board Chris Hodges, and Dr. Craig Morris of the Ag Marketing Service of USDA.

Joe Schuele: There is a growing industrialization of the Chinese hog industry, with many small producers exiting the business. Haggard describes some of the factors driving these changes.

Joel Haggard: Last year, China passed livestock industry-specific environmental regulations that addressed the growing issue in China of waste management, and that’s been increasing the cost of production for China’s hog industry. However, speakers describe a new normal in Chinese hog production, where more stability will characterize the market. With larger hog producing units coming to dominate the industry, spikes in supply with soften, as there will be less small producers to jump in an out of the business according to profitability dynamics. Also, consumer worries over food safety are driving new consumption patterns, including more purchasing of high-end and processed products.

Joe Schuele: For more on this and other trade issues, please visit USMEF.org. For the U.S. Meat Export Federation, I’m Joe Schuele.