Farms.com Home   News

COVID Continues to Create Uncertainty in Global Pork Demand

The Director of Risk Management with HAMS Marketing Services suggests, despite recent exceptional global demand for pork, COVID continues to create uncertainty and market volatility. In light of recent sharp declines in pork product values, such as bellies which have fallen by 50 dollars per hundredweight over the past 10 days, the pork sector appears to be coming off of its phenomenal run of high hog prices.

Tyler Fulton, the Director of Risk Management with HAMS Marketing Services, says we're still seeing some exceptional live hog prices for the fall time frame but COVID and the so-called fourth wave continue to throw uncertainty on pork demand.

Clip-Tyler Fulton-HAMS Marketing Services:

Really any way you cut it, I think meat demand has performed very well as things kind of transitioned back to a more normal environment where a larger percentage of the supply was going through the food service. I think the global demand looks phenomenal.

The demand for pork and the future demand for all meats, I think looks really positive but, from a more recent standpoint, I think part of the negative influence on things, beyond the normal seasonal lowering of prices, we've seen some influence from China.

They've been a fraction of their former selves in the global purchasing of pork. They haven't had the same role as what we saw last year for example and I think that we never really can rely on them. They continue to be a bit of a wild card and one of the biggest factors that we have to deal with.

Source : Farmscape

Trending Video

USDA Feb Crop Report a WIN for Soybeans + 1 Year Trade Truce Extension

Video: USDA Feb Crop Report a WIN for Soybeans + 1 Year Trade Truce Extension


USDA took Trumps comments that China would buy more U.S. soybeans seriously and headline news that the U.S./China trade truce would be extended when Trump/Xi meet in the first week of April was a BIG WIN for soybeans this week! 2026 “Mini” U.S. ethanol boom thanks to 45Z + China’s ban of phosphates from Feb. – August of 2026 will not help lower fertilizer prices anytime soon! 30 mmt of Chinese corn harvest is of poor quality and maybe a technical breakout in wheat futures.

*Apologies! Where we talk about the latest CFTC update as of 10th Feb 2026, managed money funds covered their net short position in canola to the tune of +42,746 week-on-week to flip to net long 145 contracts and not (as we mistakenly said) +90,009 wk/wk to 47,408.