René Maillard, BMO: The Belgian government wants to contain the ASF disease and eradicate it
EuroMeatNews: How does the African swine fever outbreaks impact Belgium’s pork trade and what measures are taken to limit the spreading of the disease?
René Maillard: ASF is directly affecting our exports to third countries, and especially to the Asian countries. Most Asian countries are banning countries with cases of ASF, be it wild boars or domestic pigs. We must stress that in Belgian only wild boars are affected in the South-East region of Belgium. Nevertheless, we had some commercial issues with our exports to certain member states of the EU not respecting the European rules.
The Belgian authorities are implementing very strictly the European protective measures and OIE rules regarding ASF. For doing so they have been congratulated and supported by the European Commission. Since the first case was confirmed by wild boars on 13th of September a 63,000 hectare infection zone has immediately been delimited with the appropriate measures.
Since all domestic pigs (about 4,000) in that area have been precautionary culled. The Belgian government wants to contain the disease within the wild boar population and eventually eradicate it.
EMN: How did the beef sector perform so far this year? What do you expect for 2019?
RM: Belgian beef consumption has been declining for years as in all Western European countries. Changing eating habits are the main reason for that: formerly we used to eat big pieces of beef what shifted to the consumption of more elaborated products containing less meat. But in the same period, our exports of beef are increasing, especially to neighboring countries.
EMN: What consumer trends have you noticed in recent years and what changes have the producers made to satisfy their clients’ needs?
RM: Some societal issues are in the spotlights of the media: sustainability, animal health and animal welfare. This is putting more pressure on the meat sector as retailers are pushing the meat producers to meet the highest standards. At the same price.
EMN: France has forbidden producers from using affiliated meat terms for their plant-based products. Do you see this happening anytime soon in Belgium?
RM: The French Assemblée was the first to take this measure of common sense. A veggie burger is not a burger, but a bun with some cooked vegetal products: a veggie burger is an ersatz product and not the real stuff. Naming your product a veggie burger is misleading for the consumer.
I hope that the right denomination of a product will be enforced in the whole Union
EMN: What percentage does the organic meat production account for from Belgium’s total meat production?
RM: The organic meat production accounts for 1 % of the total meat production. It is growing in Belgium but at a very slow pace.
EMN: Will Brexit affect Belgium’s meat industry in any way?
RM: The UK is a big meat importing country. It will impact all their suppliers. We expect huge logistic problems at the border checks. With big delays for lorries and ships.
Finally, the British meat consumer will pay more for his meat.
EMN: What is your view on the EU-Mercosur trade agreement?
RM: For our European beef producers, it is understandably a hot issue and difficult question. All of us want the maximum market access in the world, but at the same time, we want to protect our own markets. It is like wanting at the same something and its opposite.
EMN: What markets are the Belgian meat producers targeting in the near future?
RM: In the short term we will maximize our efforts on our existing eastern European markets and together with the Belgian diplomacy and our Food Agency, we will target on the reopening of the Asian markets under embargo.
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