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Welcome to this week's newsletter
We have 6 new features this week:
Management Practices To Reduce Expensive Feed Wastage
By J. Carr - Murdoch University, Department of Production Animal Health and Medicine, Portec, P.O. Box 331, Belmont, Australia WA 6984. The Pig Journal Proceedings Supplement 1, due out April 2008.
Managing Credit and Cash Flow During Low Prices
John Bancroft - Market Strategies Program Lead/OMAFRA. With the current low prices and the poor price outlook for the next few months, developing an acceptable cash flow will be challenging.
2007 Annual Report on Danish Pig Production
By Lindhart B. Nielsen and Orla Grøn Pedersen. This article is an extract taken from the Danish Pig Production's Annual Report for 2007. The report discusses changes in the market, statictics and the economy, plus new techniques for management, health and welfare and environmental. You can view the report in its entirety by clicking on the link provided below.
Canadian Hog Statistics - February 2008
By Statistics Canada. Canadian hog inventories plunged during 2007 as a strong dollar and high feed costs challenged producers.
News Reports from the National Farmers Union Conference in London 18 - 19 February
This week the UK's National Farmers Union (NFU) celebrated its centenary by holding a two day conference in London. But rather than dwelling on the last one hundred years of farming practise the conference, 'Growing for Another Century', peered into the future of the agricultural sector.
Single Dose Therapies Can Help Control Disease
By Dr Don McDermid, Manager of Veterinary Services for Swine, Pfizer Animal Health, Canada. Producers know how quickly disease can spread in a herd, not to mention the dramatic impact it can have on their profitability. Swine respiratory disease (SRD) is costly to North American producers in terms of productivity losses, medication and labour. Clearly, controlling disease is key to running a profitable pig operation.
 Canada
Stop the Transport Trauma, says New Campaign
CANADA - A global campaign launched today uses undercover video footage, collected by a coalition of welfare groups, to demonstrate the desperate conditions of long-distance live animal transport.
Producers Seek Clarification of New Employment Standards Code
CANADA - Manitoba's pork producers will be seeking further details of what will be expected of them when changes to Manitoba's Employment Standards Code take effect June 30, Bruce Cochrane.
Hog plant costing CAN$20K a Week to Stay Open
CANADA - Receivers says that Prince Edward Island's beleaguered pig processing plant in Charlottetown is cosing taxpayers $20,000 a week to stay open.
$60M in loans for Manitoba Industry
CANADA - Manitoba's government is making $60 million available to help livestock producers struggling to deal with soaring feed costs, low livestock prices and the high Canadian dollar.
Maple Leaf Sees Earnigs Rise on Meat Falling Sales
CANADA - Earnings from operations at Canadian pork and food processor Maple Leaf increased by 11 per cent in the fourth quarter and by 15 per cent for the year.
Task Force to Review Vet Service
CANADA - All facets of veterinary services provided to Manitoba's Agriculture sector will be reviewed by a new task force. Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Rosann Wowchuk announced the review which aims to establish establish what services were required by the province.
Pork Commentary: Fewer Sows, Fewer Pigs
CANADA - Statistics Canada released its January 1st, 2008 swine inventory last week.
PSC Recommends Low Cost Strategies for Reducing Costs
CANADA - The Prairie Swine Centre in Saskatoon is encouraging hog producers to consider best management strategies that can be implemented at no cost to help reduce expenses in the barn.
 Thailand
Re-calculation Planned on Pork Pricing
THAILAND - Pig industry representatives will meet the Commerce Ministry this week to discuss rising pork prices and a new formula for calculating retail prices.
 United States
Weekly Outlook: Focus on the CRP Debate
URBANA - The debate surrounding the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is an indication of the concern about production risk in 2008 and the implications for crop prices and the resulting impact on livestock producers and, ultimately, on food prices, said a University of Illinois Extension marketing specialist.
Pork and Red Meat Production Tops Record for December
US - Report by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
Market Preview: Canadian Report No Hit, Possibly a Miss
US - Weekly US Market Preview provided by Steve R. Meyer, Ph.D., Paragon Economics, Inc.
Weekly Review: Canadian Hog Inventory Down
US - Weekly review of the US hog industry, written by Glenn Grimes and Ron Plain.
Hogs From Canada at Record High
US - Canadian pig imports still continue to flood into the US and the volume is high enough to have an impact on US pork production numbers and prices, says Department of Agriculture Outlook Board Chairman Gerry Bange.
Animal Antibiotics May Breed Human Superbugs
US — Some the pathogens that become resistant to the antimicrobials used to fight animal disease,might lead to more human resistance to the benefits of antibiotics, says a top food scientist.
Smithfield Cutting Sow Herd By Five Percent
VIRGINIA — America's biggest pork producer, Smithfield Foods, plans to reduce sow numbers by between 40,000 to 50,000 head. The four to five per cent cut in its breeding herd will to take out almost a million slaughter pigs out of production per year.
Export Projections Positive - US Will Lead the World
US - The United States is expected to lead the global pork export market for the next ten years. These are the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) projections, an outlook backed by the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF). 
Arginine Boosts Littersize and Weight
TEXAS - Supplementing sow diets with Arginine has been found to reduce prenatal deaths.
Record pork production for January
US - The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Friday that commercial red meat production in the United States totaled 4.42 billion pounds in January, up 8 percent from the 4.09 billion pounds produced in January 2007.
 Taiwan, Province of China
Welfare Recall Not Required in Taiwan
TAIWAN - Meat traders and dealers selling products from animals slaughtered in inhumane ways will not be asked to withdraw thier product from sale, says the Government. There are currently no rules mandating such a practice so such actions cannot be enforced.
 Denmark
Danish Deficits Mean Many Should Quit Now
DENMARK - Denmark's National Newspaper Jyllands-Posten says the nation's pig producers have lost £1b during the past six years. Further more, calculations based on Danish Pig Production statistics predict that a deficit of £300m is expected this year.
Danes Clear on Aid Request
DENMARK - The Danish Bacon and Meat Council has clarified its position on its request for industry aid.
 European Union
Euro Ministers Must Support New Crisis Measures
EU - European pigmeat producers are facing an unprecedented crisis, with prices for pig feed having risen by almost 50 percent in recent months due to the low availability of feedstuffs, reports the UK's National Pig Association.
Feeding Phytase Reduces Costs
UK - Adding more phytase to feed could help pig producers offset some of the addtional costs of feed phosphate prices. New generation bacterial phytases have been shown to be more effective at releasing plant-bound phytate phosphorus - so accessing valuable nutrients.
Failure on GM Crops Could Ruin Livestock Industry
EU - Europe's livestock industry could be decimated unless genetically modified crops are permitted for use in livestock diets
Europe Watches US PIN Investigations
EUROPE - European health and food safety officials are keeping a close watch on the progress of investigations into outbreaks of progressive inflammatory neuropathy (PIN) at US pig slaughterhouses. 
 United Kingdom
Reduced Milk Content Cuts Weaner Feed Costs
UK - In a bid to help UK pig producers cope with the continued economic down, a new range of lower-cost starter feeds, based on the latest protein and energy sources, have been launched.
Biotechnology Can Tap Potential Hidden By Energy Crisis
UK - Fibre is the future and fungus holds the key. That's the opinion of Dr Pearse Lyons, President of Biotechnology business, Alltech.
Shared Responsibility to Meet Threats
UK - By Chris Harris ThePigSite Senior Editor. Farmers and the Government have a shared moral responsibility to make the most of the potential of British farming, in a world increasingly threatened by food shortages and climate change.
Conservative Leader Warns over Food Crunch
UK - By Chris Harris, Senior Editor, ThePigSite. Food security must be a priority, Conservative Party leader David Cameron told the NFU's centenary conference.
Giving Customers What They Want
UK - By Chris Harris, Senior Editor, ThePigSite. Giving customers what they want and demand is a lesson the farming community needs to heed, was the message from Lucy Neville-Rolfe, executive director at Tesco.
Finding a Role Battling Climate Change
UK - By Chris Harris, Senior Editor, ThePigSite. Farmers have a large role to play in combating climate change, according to energy minister Malcolm Wicks.
Classic Country Hit Aims to Save UK's Bacon
UK - In a bid to raise awareness and save Britain's pork industry, dozens of pig farmers gathered in London to record Stand by your Ham, a record available for download online.
National Press Picks up on UK pig farmer's plight
UK - The continuing pressure on the UK's pig farming industry reaches the mainstrem press today with the Dairy Telegraph printing a big report on the problems facing the industry. Here's what James Hall, Retail Editor, Daily Telegraph has to say...
UK Slaughter Statistics February 2008: Numbers Creep Up
UK - This publication by Defra shows various statistics obtained from surveys of slaughterhouses run in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The trend shows slight increases to numbers, although carcase weights remain static.
'Fifth Quarter' Trade Could Earn Scotland £3M
SCOTLAND - Red meat businesses in Scotland are in line for specialised, funded, training to help them rekindle trade in the ‘fifth quarter’. If successful, the move could earn the industry an extra £3 million a year.
FMD Free Status Puts UK Back on Track
UK - Britain's pig industry is hoping the country's re-instated Foot and Mouth Disease-Free status will aid survival. The British Pig Executive (BPEX) is delighted with the news and says it give a welcome moral boost to the beleaguered sector. 
 Australia
Mislabelling Allegation Hits Primo Meats
AUSTRALIA - Primo Meats Group, Australia's largest smallgoods supplier, is under investigation over claims that subsidised pig meat imported from Denmark and Canada is being relabelled as Australian.
 Ireland
Guidelines Draw a Safer Path for Animal Transport
IRELAND - The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mary Coughlan TD, has officially launched new guidelines for best practice for the welfare of animals during transport.
 China
Market Report Counts China's Woes
CHINA - China's feed market experienced a hard time in 2007. Hog farms suffered a substantial reduction of hog inventory. Demand for Feed reduced largely and feedstuff price surged on a high level.
 Japan
Ministry Proposes Raising Prices of Pork, Beef
JAPAN - The agriculture ministry has proposed, to Government, an increase in the price floors for domestically produced beef and pork for the first time in three decades.
 Croatia
EU Emergency Veterinary Team Assist in Swine Fever Outbreak
CROATIA - An EU emergency veterinary team has been sent to Croatia to assist in containing an outbreak of Classical Swine Fever.
Company news
Liquid Feed System Offers Production Advantages
GERMANY - Big Dutchman has broadened its product range by introducing HydroAir, a new liquid feeding system designed to supply 1,000 to 4,500 piglets in the rearing phase.
BOOK REVIEW: Handbook of Pig Medicine
UK - David Burch reviews this recently published book written by Peter Jackson and Peter Cockroft
That's all for this week!
Ed. |
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