European Union-Global pig production.

EUROPEAN UNION-GLOBAL PIG PRODUCTION.

Worldwide pig production is projected to increase by more than 1.1m tonnes in 2009, experts have predicted.

Global pig production fell significantly in 2007, before staging a recovery in 2008 and that recovery looks set to continue into 2009.

Global production increased by more than 1m tonnes (1.2pc) to 96.71m tonnes from 2007 to 2008.

The main factor in the 2007 decline was a ’blue ear disease’ problem in China -- the world’s largest producer and consumer of pork.

Increased feed costs around the world and a rising currency value against the US dollar had left many exporting countries in a disastrous position.

However, US exports increased because of the weak dollar and disease problems in China.

Reduced pork supplies and increasing pork demand pushed pig prices in China to record levels in 2008, which helped fuel some recovery in local production.

Meanwhile, cattle and pig producers in the USA recently lost a court challenge to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air quality rules on the amount of coarse particulates that may be produced from their operations..

The American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Pork Producers Council and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association challenged the EPA’s daily standards on allowable emissions, saying there was little evidence that exposure to coarse particulates in rural areas was harmful.

The ruling has been described as disastrous for American business, manufacturing and farmers.