Since 2011, the Belgian knowledge centre has been registering the usage of antibiotics in animals in Belgium. After ‘Vision 2020’, AMCRA recently introduced a new reduction plan, i.e. ‘Vision 2024’

On 18 May, the European Commission ratified Belgium’s proposal to reduce the ASF-infected zone in the province of Luxemburg.

Meat continues to occupy an important place in the Belgian diet. Home consumption of fresh red meat decreased in 2019 (-3% in kg per capita).

In 2019 Belgium exported almost 800,000 tonnes of pork, which is 5% less than in 2018. This decrease was mainly attributable to the smaller pig population, reduced production and the outbreak of African swine fever among wild boars in Belgium.

The main growth is occurring on emerging markets such as Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. However, in 2019 the growth in production was stronger than in previous years.

The current outbreak of African swine fever has consequences for the global pork industry and even has repercussions on the other types of meat.

For the first time in a long time, the global production and consumption of meat fell in 2019. The impact of African swine fever in China is so great that no other type of meat or producer can fill the existing gap.

The Coronavirus has disrupted “business as usual” in China and, consequently, in the rest of the world. The three biggest Chinese ports are backed up with containers, disrupting both the national and global supply chain for several industries.

The Belgian strategy for combatting African swine fever in wild boar and preventing the further spread of the disease is bearing fruit. The number of cases has dropped sharply and the end of the virus seems to be nigh.

The meat sector also has a poor image to handle. How can the sector succeed in convincing the consumer that quality has improved?

Belpork unites all the stakeholders of the pork pillar, from farm to fork, to create added value in Belgian pork. Belpork creates that added value using integrated chain monitoring.

Initiatives in Belgian livestock farming to restrict the use of antibiotics achieve tremendous results. During the Belgian Meat Office Round Table, Prof. dr. Jeroen Dewulf of Ghent University explains the action plan and results.