China: Livestock and Products Semi-annual

African Swine Fever outbreaks continue in China, affecting all aspects of the swine and pork industry. China has reported 115 ASF outbreaks to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), covering all commercially significant swine producing regions.2 While it is still unclear if ASF outbreaks will continue to be reported with the same frequency and geographic distribution, the disease has already taken a toll on China’s swine and pork production for 2019. By the end of 2019, the total swine inventory will be down 13 percent to 374 million head. Pork production will decrease by 5 percent to 51.4 million metric tons (MT), with the reduced supply only slightly offset by weakened demand. To cover the domestic supply gap, China will increase pork imports by 33 percent to 2 million MT. While U.S. pork products still face retaliatory Chinese tariffs of up to 62 and process verification requirements, if these are removed, U.S. producers could significantly increase exports to China. 

China: Livestock and Products Semi-annual