EU pork on a lean streak as higher standards drive up costs

Record pig prices could have spurred farmers like Carole Joliff to expand their herd, but costly livestock regulations, flagging demand and spreading swine disease point instead to a long-term decline in the European Union, the world's top pork exporter, reported Reuters. "We're flying blind," Joliff, who farms in France's pig-breeding heartland of Brittany, said. "We'd like to invest but we don't know where we're heading." Pig prices soared in Europe last year as output was cut by farms squeezed by high grain and energy costs. Unlike previous cycles, European breeders are in no rush to revive production despite record prices this year that have restored margins for many farms. European Union pork production is set to fall for a second year in 2023, taking the cumulative decline to around 10%, and output could ebb further in the coming years, according to analysts. "It's a structural shift," said Jean-Paul Simier, a meat analyst and contributor to French commodities review ...