ThePigSite Newsletter - 7 December 2009

Monday 7th December 2009

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Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial - Pig Farming and Climate Change

Today sees the start of the United Nations' summit on climate change in the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Its official title is COP15, referring to the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The media is sure to be full of reports and opinions on the progress of the conference until its final day on 18 December and beyond. There is a good deal of scepticism about what this high-level conference will bring, and it certainly seems unlikely that any agreement will emerge that mentions pig farming directly. However, as an activity with many and complex environmental impacts, agriculture will feel the repercussions of any agreement in the coming months and years.

That's not to say that pig producers and processors should not urgently address their impact on the environment and indeed, many countries and individuals are working hard to reduce emissions from farms and processing plants.

Just last week, the British pig meat industry set out the challenges facing the sector in tackling environmental issues, climate changes and the carbon footprint of production in two reports. One of these examines the environmental impact of pig production and lays down guidelines to meet the challenges, while the other looks at how the British Pig Executive (BPEX) is working to enhance the environmental sustainability of pork production.

BPEX Head of Marketing, Chris Lamb, commented: "The launch of the two reports is only the start and we are looking forward to tackling the challenges of engaging on this subject and cutting the industry's impact on the environment."

Last week, we reported that researchers at Eindhoven University in the Netherlands have succeeded in growing artificial pork in a laboratory. The leading scientist said that artificial culture could mean that the meat of one animal could be increased to a volume equivalent to the meat of a million animals. One of the advantages, he said, was the reduction in environmental impact.

Jackie Linden

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 6 new features this week:

How PCV2 Interferes with the Immune System
Dr Kenneth McCullough, head of research at Switzerland's Institute of Virology and Immunoprophylaxis explained how PCV2 affects the pig's immune response at this year's PCVD Forum organised by Merial. Jackie Linden reports for ThePigSite.

EU Producer Prices Decline Again (December 2009)
By Chris Harris, Senior Editor, ThePigSite. Our snapshot of the ongoing global pig industry trends as reported in December 2009 Whole Hog Brief.

Proper Disposal of Dead Animals on Michigan Farms
The Bodies of Dead Animals Act (BODA) is important for many reasons, not least to protect human as well as animal health, according to Dale W. Rozeboom from Michigan State University's Department of Animal Science.

Maximising Weaning Weight
Hypor females have the potential for high milk production and large litter size, resulting in large numbers of heavy piglets at weaning. Attention to these factors that influence weaning weight will help to maximise weaning capacity.

Improving Key Performance Indicators: Breeding Herd
Farrowing rate, farrowing index and non-productive days are interconnected and important key performance indicators for the breeding herd. BPEX explains why in number 26 in its series Action for Productivity.

European Union - Livestock and Products Annual 2009
Total EU pig production in 2009 is expected to be the lowest since 2000. However, current high pig prices indicate that the pig cycle will bottom out in 2010, according to the latest GAIN report from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.

Company News

December's Assignment for 'Virtual Walk the Pens'
US - This month's new assignment for Pfizer Animal Health's 'Virtual Walk the Pens' simulator has just been released. In this seventh scenario, the virtual co-worker has concerns over the vaccination programme of in-coming pigs. Players must must find out why!

ACMC Tip: Dealing with Backlogs and Stocking Rates
UK - Significant increases in stocking densities have been seen in finishing pens, especially among larger pigs, as various abattoirs have 'rolled back' their weekly kills.

Global Pig Industry News