Canada

Canada's pork exports down by 3% in the first quarter

Pork

Canada reported a decrease in its pork exports by 3% in the first quarter of 2018 compared to year-earlier levels, down to 240,000 tonnes, according to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).

Posted on Jun 07 ,15:22

The export value in the first three months of 2018 declined by 6% to $782 million Canadian dollars because of a drop in average prices, says AHDB analyst, Bethan Wilkins.

Exports may have been impacted by the drop in Canadian pig slaughter during the mention period, which were down by 2% year-over-year, with the decline driven by the Western states.

Wilkins explained that this may have been influenced by productivity challenges in 2017, particularly with PEDv.

Reffering to the US market, Canada exported 6% less live pigs (-91,000 head) compared to the first three months from 2017. Wilkins says that shipments were probably influenced by a limited US demand for additional pigs as its domestic production expands.

The overall decrease in exports appeared due to a decline of 19% in shipments to CHina (down by 12,600 tonnes) because of a lower demand in this market this year.

With production in the US also rising, shipments to this destination also fell 6% (-4,300 tonnes). Still, Wilkins added that trade between Canada and other Asian countries proved more positive. More pork was shipped to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines in the first quarter of 2018, compared to Q1 last year. Trade with these countries may continue to increase in importance moving forwards, as prospects for shipments to China and the US look more difficult.

Wilkins concludes that despite the slow start to the year, the USDA forecasts Canadian pork production to increase 2% for 2018 as a whole, reaching 2.0 million tonnes. "This reflects continuing expansion in the breeding herd. Throughputs have already picked up in recent months, climbing 1% on 2017 levels in both April and May."

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