The accent of African swine fever (ASF) llocated on November 26 in Cerdanyola del Vallés (Barcelona) among two wild boars, and of which 16 positive wild boars have already been confirmed at the end of this article, it has not only had an impact on exports endangering Spain’s “throne” in the European Union (EU) as the largest pork exporter in the community bloc. The ASF also threatens another record in the agri-food industry: that of the leading animal feed producer in the Twenty-Seven with 28.95 million tonnes of food produced in 2024. Manufacturers like Nutreco Iberia (Trowun Nutrition and Selko), which transported 3 million compound feeds to the Iberian Peninsula and billed 1.101 million euros last year, recognize that this crisis reduces the profitability of farmers increasing their production costs and, with this, the demand for this type of product could decrease.
Declining demand due to swine fever?
The technical director of Nutreco Iberia, José María Bello, recognizes the possible impact on other economic activities linked to the pig industry such as the manufacturing of animal feed, price drop in pork “because there is more supply” and emphasizes that “the loss of the status quo before the crisis affects the profitability of the farmer, which impacts us because this can result in greater difficulties in purchasing our products”. Bello points out that “if the situation were to continue for months, this could lead to a reduction in demand for pig feed.”
When asked about the evolution of the price of animal feed, these would be linked to the cost of the raw material. Bello specifies that this diet is made from cerealsAbove all, soy as well as dietary fibers or additives adapted to the needs of each farm. In any case, assures Bello, the use of antibiotics in food has been reduced by 95%, or even 99% in certain species, in accordance with strict European regulations.
“The loss of the status quo before the crisis affects the profitability of the breeder, which affects us because it can translate into greater difficulties in purchasing our products”, José María Bello (Nutreco Iberia)
The representative of Nutreco Iberia, which has 19 food factories spread throughout Spain and Portugal as well as an innovation center (Casarrubios del Monte), recognizes that “the primary producer is located in a compromised situation as production costs increase, thereby increasing the risk of non-payment, as veterinary costs increase, as well as those related to biosecurity and livestock surveillance. ” In this regard, he adds that public administrations such as the Generalitat of Catalonia It already allows direct aid to mitigate this increase in costs.
The best customer for the animal feed industry
From the Spanish Confederation of Compound Animal Feed Manufacturers (CESFAC), its general director Jorge de Saja, underlines in conversation with Economic information that “the pig herd is the most important in terms of food and, a potential reduction thereof may lead to a potential reduction in feed production. ” However, De Saja maintains that “everything potential impact, “If things go wrong, it will be less than if there had been a swine fever outbreak 10 years ago.”
The boss of Cesfac recalls that “Spain was already suffering from swine fever until the 1980s and he had to sacrifice almost the entire herd of pigs. Which has led us to adopt very good biosecurity measures and which we have escaped so far despite the plague in other European countries. ” Furthermore, he adds, at the level of exports so far “the impact has been minimal” and, as an example, he mentions that destinations as important as China accepted “regionalization”, limiting their veto on Spanish pork to the province of Barcelona. A position that other relevant markets such as United Kingdom either South Korea even though major customers like Japan and Mexico have firmly closed their borders.
“The pig herd is the most important in terms of animal feed and, a possible reduction in this can lead to a potential reduction in feed production”, Jorge de Saja (Spanish Confederation of Compound Feeds for Animals, CESFAC)
Likewise, De Saja (Cesfac) underlines “very severe control measures which have been adopted and that, within a radius of 6 kilometers around the home, there are no pig farms and that, within a radius of 20 kilometers, there are a few.” The representative of the employers’ union which brings together animal feed manufacturers is cautious but hopes that the home can be control as in Belgium without leading to any exploitation livestock “and the country is declared free of the disease: this would be the best scenario”. Because, according to him, even if “we are very far from the worst scenarios”, if we took the step towards pig farming on our farms, we would be faced with “a very serious problem which would affect the entire value chain, with a considerable impact of several millions”.
Spain’s leadership, in figures
Spain produced last year 28.95 million tonnes of food for animal feed, between premixes and feeds intended for species as diverse as pigs, cattle, sheep, rabbits and pets such as dogs and cats, according to CESFAC. For the current year, according to this employers’ association, forecasts indicate that The 29 million tonnes will be exceeded. By far the largest proportion goes to pork: in 2024, 13.1 million tonnes of pig feed1.5% more than the previous year (12.9 million) and this year it is expected to reach 13.2 million. Closely followed, with more than 9 million tonnes, are the sum of cattle, sheep, goats, horses and rabbits.
Animal feed production reached a global value of 13,340 million euros in 2023, including more than 5,000 million euros for pig feed.
The production of animal feed, including premixes and pet food, has reached a total value of 13.340 million euros in 2023latest year for which data is available. Of this amount, the majority was for pig feed. What it meant 5,006.17 million euros, followed distantly by the 3,601.5 million euros for the sum of cattle, sheep, goats, horses and rabbits, as well as poultry feed (1979.1 million). The pig too accounts for 40.1% of turnover of the production of the Spanish animal feed industry, followed by all beef and other meat with 28.9%, as well as poultry (15.9%).
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