The Brazilian pig industry is expecting to supply 15 percent of Japan’s pork imports in 2013, according to the Brazilian pig producers and exporters association ABIPECS in response to the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture’s favorable evaluation of the risk presented by pork from the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina.
Brazil is already the largest exporter of whole frozen poultry to Japan, accounting for 90 percent of supply, and the pig industry is hoping to follow suit. “There is no reason why Brazilian pig meat cannot supply a significant proportion of Japanese demand," said Pedro de Camargo Neto, ABIPECS president. "We believe that, very quickly, in 2013, Brazil will be meeting 15 percent of Japan’s import requirements. This amount, albeit small in terms of trade with Japan, will significantly alter the balance between supply and demand for the Brazilian pig industry."
Following the Japanese announcement, Brazil’s authorities must now work on negotiating the form that health certificates to accompany exports must take, and Japan must approve those slaughterhouses that meet its sanitary requirements.
