“Good production practices will be necessary in pig farming over the next 30 years, but they will not be sufficient. To remain competitive, the pork industry needs high production standards at an affordable cost, so that consumers have access to a market that is becoming more diverse”, argued professor at the University of Minnesota – United States, Peter Davies, last week in a webinar held by IPVS – International Pig Veterinary Society, for hundreds of people from all over the world. “We cannot predict the future, but we have to offer a structure to think about scenarios,” he said.
For Davies, demand growth will be 14% every decade until 2050. The highlight is the increase in consumption in developing countries and the drop in rich countries. In his view, the sector's main challenge is to prove itself sustainable to the consumer. “Economic activity is related to consumption and not production, so it is necessary to look at the consumer to change the direction of the industry. If projected growth is at 14% per decade, we see that consumption is growing less. Developed countries have already reached peak consumption. In 2018, chicken surpassed pork as the most consumed meat in the world and this very competitive market (with chicken) should continue like this”, mentioned the expert.
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According to Davies, the next 30 years are set to see changes to our way of life on a scale we could never imagine. “We will have 20 thousand years of progress in the 21st century. Industries will be created based on socio-environmental sustainability. The biggest challenge will be consumer perception of the link between livestock farming and climate change, which will affect the future of pig farming”, he pointed out. Also according to Davies, new diets must compete with pig farming. “Consumers can choose plant-based foods, or alternative proteins, such as insects and algae. We will have a new diet in the coming years”, he pointed out.
And the changes are already occurring. “The millennial generation is 10% less likely to buy meat”, explained the expert. The professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and president of the IPVS2020 Scientific Committee, Roberto Guedes, highlighted the importance of being aware of production costs, with an upward trend in the coming decades. “In the future, we will have production with higher costs, which could reduce demand due to price,” he explained. Davies concluded by highlighting trade policies, events that cannot be predicted, such as the Covid-19 pandemic itself, and the disruption of new technologies, which can change predicted scenarios.
IPVS2020 Annals
The organizing committee of the IPVS2020 Congress made the proceedings of the event available free of charge on the official IPVS website (www.theipvs.com/links). It contains around 700 summaries of the main research on current pig farming, from renowned scientists from around the world. “Out of respect for the researchers who submitted their work for consideration by the Scientific Committee, we publish the proceedings”, highlighted the veterinary doctor president of IPVS, Fernanda Almeida, noting that these works can contribute to pig farming in the future.
The IPVS2022 Congress
The Covid-19 pandemic hindered, but did not stop, the main source of new knowledge in global pig farming. This was the summary of the webinar that brought together pig farming researchers, professionals and entrepreneurs from around the world.
The 26th edition of the IPVS Congress, which would have been held this year, was postponed to June 21st to 24th, 2022, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The meeting will be held at Riocentro, in the city of Rio de Janeiro.
At the opening of this week's webinar, Fernanda Almeida highlighted that resilience is the most appropriate word to represent this year's event. “Together with the main sponsors of the event, we decided to postpone the IPVS until 2022, a difficult decision, but necessary to guarantee the safety of everyone involved”, he highlighted.
Source: Notícias Agrícolas
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