PEDV crushes hog sector hopes for expansion

摘要

TEN years ago, it was the "cow that stole Christmas" that disrupted an industry flying high and poised for growth, and this year, it was a porcine virus sapping the productive potential of the nation's sow farms that provided the proverbial lump of coal in the industry's stocking. It took two quarters to really show the market that something was amiss, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture's December "Hogs & Pigs" report proved that porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) has indeed put a damper on any hopes of growing the hog supply in 2014. The total inventory of all hogs and pigs in the U.S. as of Dec. 1, 2013, was down 1%, and in a big shock to the market, the number of breeding hogs fell 1.3% (Table).