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Welcome to this week's newsletter
We have 5 new features this week:
Challenging Year for Livestock Production
The livestock and poultry industry in the US will be increasingly challenged this year by rising feed prices that drive up costs and lower returns, and by consumers confronted with uncertain economic conditions.
Philippines Livestock and Products Pork Market Report 2008
By USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. This article provides the pork industry data from the USDA FAS Livestock and Products Pork Market report for the Philippines. A link to the full report is also provided. The full report includes all the tabular data which we have omitted from this article.
Antibiotics in the Environment and Antibiotic Resistance
We share the world with a wide range of living organisms from microscopic bacteria to gigantic whales. Although we cannot see them, bacteria are all around us and are a normal part of our ecosystem and live, write Dale W. Rozeboom, Barbara E. Straw, Hui Li and David K. Beede from Michigan State University1 in MSU Pork Quarterly Vol 12 No.4.
UK Pig Slaughterings Start to Fall
Clean pig slaughterings in the UK slipped to 698,000 in March, according to the latest quarterly UK Pig Statistics from the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs, writes Chris Harris, Senior Editor, ThePigSite.
Fall in EU and UK Pig Numbers
The total number of pigs in the UK has fallen by 1.3 per cent and the breeding herd by 2.8 per cent according to the latest figures from the Department of Food and Rural Affairs, Defra, writes Chris Harris, Senior Editor, ThePigSite.
 United Kingdom
Pork Promoted to Prospective Cooks
SCOTLAND - Scotland’s chefs in the making could be great fans of Specially Selected Pork thanks to a new QMS educational resource.
Meat Prices Lagging, says Agric Board
UK - Prices for milk, cheese and eggs in Europe have shown a sharp increase over the last year while those for meat have gone up less than half as fast according to a report just published
MEP vents anger as French pig farmers 'manipulate the rules'
UK - Scotland's rapidly diminishing band of pig producers is under serious financial pressure with losses in the region of £20 for each animal sent to slaughter.
Pork Processor Could Bring 130 New Homes
NORFOLK - Plans by UK processing giant Bowes to put its whole operation on one site could means 130 news houses for Watton.
Task Force Chair Announced
SCOTLAND - Gordon McKen will chair the pig industry task force. His appointment was annouced by Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment Richard Lochhead yesterday.
Half National Herd Applies for PCV2 Vouchers
UK - Nearly half the English pig herd will soon be vaccinating against PCV2, which should create an increase in production of between a half and one pig per sow per year.
Pub Call for BPEX
UK - BPEX is on a pub crawl to encourage more licensed premises to make the most of pork on their menus.
Farmers Take Slaughter Option as Feed Cost Rises
UK - Britain's pig farmers are forecast to post losses of £200 million this year. An increasing number of them are sending more of their breeding animals to slaughter to avoid the soaring cost of feed.
Feed Contamination Investigated
UK - Animal Health (AH) is currently conducting an investigation and tracing exercise after taking routine samples from wheat feed stock at a feed business operator.
Insight into Consumer Influences
UK - Young pig producers in the UK gained an insight into what influences consumers when they buy pork and where the burgeoning markets are likely to be in the future at the first West Country young pig producers dinner held in Exeter.
£200,00 Available - For Ideas Quick Off the Mark
UK - Pig producers with a 'big idea' they'd like to put into practice should talk to BPEX Ltd - and fast? Producers and processors have got until the end of April to submit ideas and qualify for the BPEX Innovation Fund.
 United States
Pork Future: Hogs End Lower
CHICAGO - Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs closed lower Monday on fund liquidation, bear spreads and Chicago Board of Trade corn's price plunge.
Weekly Roberts Report
US - Agricultural US Commodity Market Report by Mike Roberts, Commodity Marketing Agent, Virginia Tech.
Record Conference in the Name of Welfare
ATLANTA, US - Top animal welfare experts gathered in record numbers for a conference highlighting new trends, the latest research and leading strategies to implement better care on the farm.
Glycerin: A Different Kind of Feed
US - Crude glycerin, a byproduct of biodiesel production has recently been fed to poultry and pigs in a series of tests conducted by the Iowa State University. They say that the results indicate that as a feed, crude glycerin is viable and comparable to corn.
Pork Futures: Hogs End Up Sharply
US - Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs settled sharply higher Wednesday on fund buying, fundamental support and short covering.
USDA Must Address Crisis, say Pork Industry Leaders
US - In the face of rising feed costs and tightening credit markets and in an effort to stem mounting financial losses, the US pork industry has asked the US Department of Agriculture for assistance.
Peta Offer a $Million for In Vitro Meat
US - Scientists around the world are researching or seeking funding to research ways to produce meat in the laboratory without killing any animals. Now the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has decided to up the pace by offering a million dollars to first person to do so.
US and Canadian Hog Inventory Up Three Percent
US - This publication is a result of a joint effort by Statistics Canada and NASS to release the total hogs, breeding, market hogs, sows farrowed, and pig crop for both countries within one publication.
Pork Futures: Hogs Finish Lower
CHICAGO - Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs settled lower on fund selling, June/July bear spreads and Chicago Board of Trade corn's fall.
Goats' Milk Helps Fend off E. coli-related Illness
US - Pigs fed goats' milk that was genetically modified to carry an important antibacterial enzyme found in human breast milk showed signs of better resisting attack by common E. coli bacteria than did pigs fed unmodified goats' milk without the human enzyme, report researchers at the University of California, Davis.
Pork Futures: Hogs Finish Uneven
CHICAGO - -Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs settled mixed Friday, with May through August higher on cash quotes, short covering and spreading into front months out of back contracts, driven by pre-weekend position evening.
Weekly Review: Pork Product Prices Pushed Higher
US - Weekly review of the US hog industry, written by Glenn Grimes and Ron Plain.
Livestock Slaughter: Hogs up 5%, Lamb and Mutton at Record March Low
US - Report by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
Market Preview : Higher Prices Offer Little Relief
US - Weekly US Market Preview provided by Steve R. Meyer, Ph.D., Paragon Economics, Inc.
'Red Ink' Remains for Hog Producers
DES MOINES - Farm analysts say that pig producers will continue to struggle with profitability due to low hog slaughter prices and high grain costs.
Drug User Fee Law Critical, says NPPC
US - The National Pork Producers Council has urged Congress to reauthorize the Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA), after the US Food and Drug Administration sent recommendations for the law to Capitol Hill.
 Philippines
Davao Pig Raisers Quitting Fast
PHILIPPINES - About 30 percent of backyard hog raisers in Davao have folded and a lot more are expected to call it quits due to rising costs.
In-breeding Inefficient, says GB Expert
PHILIPPINES - Cross breeding is a better alternative to in-breeding even for backyard pig farms, a British expert said during the recently concluded hog convention.
 Malaysia
Nik Aziz Backs Selangor Pig Plans
MALAYSIA - PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has expressed support for the proposed high-tech pig farm in Selangor provided it does not contaminate the environment.
 General
Food for Thought: Does Meat Cause Hunger?
WORLDWIDE - Not bio-fuel, but animals raised for meat are the main reason for the growing shortage of food in the world claims Pune Maharahtra. One-third of the annual global food production is used for feeding animals specially bred and fattened to be killed for their flesh. If the crops fed to them were to be consumed by humans, there would be no shortage.
 Russian Federation
Lenoblast Opens New Pig Site
RUSSIA - The Pulkovsky agricultural complex will open a new pig farm this week in the Leningrad Oblast.
 European Union
EU Pig Prices: Confidence Returns
EU - The EU slaughter pig market shows some inconsistency this week, but there are signs of confidence.
EU Upholds Slovakia Pig Ban
EU - The European Commission has upheld an embargo on pigs and pig products from Slovakia after an outbreak of Swine Fever was confirmed there last week.
 Canada
Sow Liquidation-Weekly Slaughter-Storage Stocks to Determine Live Hog Prices
CANADA - A Saskatchewan livestock economist expects North American sow liquidation, weekly US hog slaughter numbers and global demand for North American pork to drive live hog prices heading into the summer and the fall, writes Bruce Cochrane.
Pork Commentary: Hog Prices Surge Higher
CANADA - This week Jim Long reports that the Iowa-Minnesota lean hog price last Friday surged to 67.53, up from the previous Friday’s 58.76 and a resounding 18¢ higher (48.89) than March 21st.
M-COOL Continues to Disrupt Trade in Hogs
CANADA - The president of Paragon Economics predicts uncertainty over the passage of the 2008 U.S. Farm Bill and what that will mean for Mandatory Country of Origin Labelling will continue to disrupt trade and harm relationships between the Canadian and U.S. hog industries, Bruce Cochrane.
Cull Programme Meat Goes to Food Banks
CANADA - Around CAN$500,000 of federal funds will be used to process ground pork from animals slaughtered through the new federal cull breeding swine program. The meat will be used by the province's food banks and distributed Winnipeg Harvest.
Manitoba Government Provides Cash for Processing Culled Breeding Swine
CANADA - Manitoba's agriculture minister has announced her province will help cover the cost of processing the pork from hogs slaughtered as part of the Federal Cull Breeding Swine Program, writes Bruce Cochrane.
Sharp Decline in Hog Numbers
CANADA - Statistics Canada says there were 1,115,000 hogs in Saskathchewan at the beginning of this month - that's a decline of almost 17 percent on the previous year as a sure sign the industry is declining fast.
Producers Speak Out on Industry Crisis
CANADA - Times are tough and not likely to get better in the near-term. The crisis in the livestock industry is drawing together farmers to discuss and debate their future options and 250+ independent pork producers from the Midwest and Canada recently met in Mankato.
Winnipeg Harvest Applauds Manitoba Food Bank Initiative
CANADA - Winnipeg Harvest is applauding the efforts of the various partners in a program designed to direct pork to Manitoba food banks, writes Bruce Cochrane.
High Grain Costs Hit Maple Leaf
CANADA - Maple Leaf Foods has reported significant losses in hog production as grain prices increase in its report of the financial results for the first quarter of 2008.
Food Bank Program to Put Cull Breeding Swine to Good Use
CANADA - The Saskatchewan Pork Development Board says an initiative designed to divert pork from culled breeding stock to food banks will ensure that meat is put to a good use, writes Bruce Cochrane.
Saskatchewan Food Banks to Benefit from the Federal Cull Breeding Swine Program
CANADA - A grant being made available by the Province of Saskatchewan will help ensure pork from hogs slaughtered in Saskatchewan under a federal program to reduce the Canadian breeding swine herd will not be wasted.
Greater Attention Must be Paid to Animal Biosecurity
CANADA - The extension veterinarian for the state of North Dakota is calling for greater cross border dialogue to address issues related to animal biosecurity, writes Bruce Cochrane.
 Viet Nam
Blue Ear Restrictions on Exports
VIET NAM - Concern over the possible spread of blue ear disease has prompted the Vietnamese agriculture ministry limit pig exports to China.
PRRS Vaccines Imported
VIET NAM - Vietnam has imported 100,000 doses of PRRS vaccine from China in a bid to try and combat the surging disease. 10 Vietnamese northern and central provinces.
 Denmark
Danish Crown Shuts Plants
DENMARK - The pork division at Danish Crown is to close the slaughterhouse in Skive and the deboning unit in Hurup at the end of June.
 Iceland
Acquisition of Stork Food Systems Completed
ICELAND - The European competition authorities has given the go ahead to the takeover of Stork Food Systems by the Icelandic food equipment company Marel Food Systems.
 Ireland
Nutrigenomics Centre Opens Doors
IRELAND – The global animal health company Alltech cut the ribbon on its Centre for Animal Nutrigenomics and Applied Animal Nutrition this week. They are calling the facility the first of its kind in the world, as it is dedicated to the studying the effect of nutrition on gene expression.
 New Zealand
NZ Industry Hammered by Price Slump and Rising Costs
NEW ZEALAND - Pork may be bucking the trend of rising food prices - but it's at a cost to farmers who are losing around $50 for every pig sold.
 Turkey
Turkey's Pork Butchers Disappearing
TURKEY - The role of Islam in Turkish society is a subject of continual debate. Secularists are protesting against what they see as the government's increasingly Islamic agenda, and as Sarah Rainsford found out, the latest battleground could be across the butcher's counter.
Company news
Disease Prevention Focus at BPPF
UK - The new option of using an injectable antibiotic to prevent as well as treat respiratory disease will be featured by Pfizer Animal Health at this year's British Pig and Poultry Fair.
Pfizer Acquires Animal Health Products
EU - Pfizer Animal Health today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire multiple product franchises from Schering-Plough Corporation.
Tuck-in with a chance to win a top notch boar!
UK - To prove that enhanced performance can go hand-in-hand with superior meat quality, pig breeding company ACMC Ltd is running a hog roast, with its own breed of pigs, on both days of the British Pig and Poultry Fair (Stoneleigh Park 13th and 14th May).
That's all for this week!
Ed. |
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