World: HPAI in dairy cattle, Argentina's beef exports surge

China’s hog herd will remain in surplus this year, despite new government targets to tame oversupply. Earlier this month, Beijing adjusted the national target for normal retention of breeding sows to 39 million head from 41 million and issued new regulations to control the country’s pig production capacity. But increasingly productive sows and a reluctance in hog farms to destock will keep herd size at high levels and prices low. Shanghai JC Intelligence Co. said the sow herd needs to decline to about 35 million head. It forecasts China’s 2024 pig production at 717 million head, down 10 million head (1.4%) from last year. Argentina exported 82,548 MT of beef in February, the biggest monthly total since 1967. During the first two months of this year, Argentine beef shipments reached a record 160,478 MT, with more than three-quarters of the total going to China. China had 40.42 million sows at the end of February, down 0.6% from January and 6.9% less than last year, the ag ministry ...