New herd model evaluates change/cost implications
UK - Changing one thing on a pig unit can have unexpected consequences in other areas, but now the British Pig Executive (BPEX)has a Breeding Herd Calculator that can help producers evaluate the effects of management changes on productivity and financial...

Czech producers fight rising feed costs with modern technology
CZECH REPUBLIC - Farm AGRA Beznice near Bechyne in Czech Republic and BAUER TECHNICS recently invited a number of producers to visit its new installation of a Nedap Velos ESF system. The aim was to discuss group housing options for pregnant sows and demonstrate...

ESF a favourite option on new spanish farms
SPAIN - Since the introduction of Nedap Electronic Sow Feeding (ESF) in Spain, more than four years ago, many farms have gained the benefits of group sow housing with individual feed management. More farms are being constructed and many plan to use the...

Pork Commentary - Canadian Swine Inventory Declines
CANADA - Last week, Statistics Canada released quarterly swine inventories, reports Jim Long.

50,000 Homes Lit Up With Big Dutchman's Biogas Subsidary
GERMANY - The biggest order in its relatively young company history has been secured by BD Agro Renewables GmbH & Co. KG (BD Agro), the biogas segment of the Big Dutchman Group from Vechta-Calveslage, Germany - in the next two years the company is going...

GSI Group (Automated Production) Parent Company Bought Out
ILLINOIS - Centerbridge Partners, L.P. have acquired a majority stake in GSI Holdings Corp., the parent company of the GSI Group, Inc., a leading manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment.

Merial Acquires New Zealand Animal Health Company
NEW ZEALAND - Merial Limited has acquired the New Zealand animal health products company Ancare. Merial is one of the world’s largest animal health companies.

Move To Suspend Pig Levy
UK - With the British pig industry facing a crisis from rocketing feed prices, the British Pig Executive (BPEX) has launched a major campaign to improve returns to producers.

JSR and Guelph University team up to tackle boar taint
UK - Geneticists at JSR, the UK's leading pig genetics company, are uniting with top research scientists at The University of Guelph, Ontario and representatives from major abattoirs, to tackle the persistent problem of boar taint.

Pork Commentary: Those Pigs Just Keep Coming and Coming!
CANADA - This weeks North American Pork Commentary from Jim Long.

Modern Technology From Big Dutchman
GERMANY - New barn with exhaust air washer for 3,300 piglets.

Third Quarter results confirm SPs solid position
NEW JERSEY - The finances of world-leading pharmaceutical giant Schering-Plough are very much in order. The company has recorded its 12th consecutive quarter of double-digit adjusted sales growth putting it in prime position for the integration of the...

Competent Partner In Finland
FINLAND – Big Dutchman, the worldwide market leader for housing equipment for modern pig management, welcomes a new partner to its tightly woven net of exclusive distributors around the world: the Finnish company SKT Suomen Karjatilatarvike Oy from Iittala...

Boehringer Ingelheim Announces Swine Division Additions
US - Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., (BIVI) swine division announces the following additions to its U.S. swine team.

Pork Commentary - Record Slaughter but Prices Do Not Collapse
CANADA - When we think of recent history in the hog markets 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003 when there was a collapse of prices in the face of huge marketings, it appears we have established new price plateaus, the ones established in commodities every thirty...

Euro approval for the World's largest animal health business
EUROPE - Schering-Plough Corporation has received European Commission approval for its planned acquisition of Organon BioSciences, from Akzo Nobel.

Behaviour, efficiency and secure access: Key developments for pig producers
NETHERLANDS - Nedap welcomed its business partners from across the world to its Velos Event 2007, held at their premises in Groenlo, The Netherlands, last week.

DuPont Pledges $250,000 For Water Conservancy
DES MOINES -- DuPont today announced a pledge of $250,000 to The Nature Conservancy in an effort to improve water quality in vital Midwestern watersheds and to further reduce excess nutrient runoff from agricultural fields.

Thompson's tip: Save feed, cut waste
UK - Despite the high cost of feed, frequently very simple feed-saving tasks on pig farms are being ignored.

Pork Commentary: China Syndrome
CANADA - This past week, we continued to Biomin Asian Nutrition Tour in China. There were three stops; Guangzhou (Canton), Nanchang and Beijing, writes Jim Long. Our observations: