ThePigSite Newsletter - 15 March 2010

ThePigSite Weekly Newsletter

Monday 15th March 2010

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Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial - Enter a New Animal Health Giant

The big news to emerge from pig industry suppliers last week was the creation of a new global leader in animal health as Merial merges with Intervet/Schering-Plough.

The new joint venture will be equally owned by Merck & Co., Inc. (Intervet/Schering Plough) and sanofi-aventis (Merial). The formation of this new animal health joint venture is subject to execution of final agreements, antitrust review in the United States, Europe and other countries and other customary closing conditions. The completion of the transaction is expected to occur within about 12 months.

A protracted trade dispute came to an end last week as US Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, announced that the United States and Russia had reached an agreement to reopen the Russian market to US pork and pork products.

US Meat Export Federation Chairman-elect, Keith Miller, said the timing of the agreement is critical as Russia's economy and currency have recently been gaining strength and that means increased opportunities for US pork and beef exports.

And finally, in view of improvements to feed safety and traceability, it is time to consider lifting the meat-and-bone meal (MBM) ban, say European Union farmers, renderers and feed manufacturers in a briefing document. They urge members of the European Parliament to review the ban on feeding meat and bone meal, which they now call 'Processed Animal Protein'.

Jackie Linden

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 8 new features this week:

North American Herd is Cut Back Again (March 2010)
By Chris Harris, Senior Editor, ThePigSite. Our snapshot of the ongoing global pig industry trends as reported in March 2010 Whole Hog Brief. To read the full detailed analysis including all the commentary and graphical data, subscribe to the publication.

Septic Laminitis (Bush Foot)
Bush foot is a welfare issue, explains pig veterinarian, Mark White, in the latest Health Bulletin from NADIS. The condition, most often seen in sows, is caused when the foot above the hoof becomes infected and an abscess forms.

Benefits of Extra Late Gestation Feed Only Found for Gilts
At Kansas Swine Day 2009, N.W. Shelton reported no effects of giving extra feed to sows in late pregnancy in terms of subsequent litter size although the same treatment for gilts resulted in some beneficial effects on reproductive performance in the second parity.

Examining Costs of Production
Software modelling tool, AusPig, was used to model the effects of live weight and carcass weight on Cost of Production (COP), using the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and costs recently released for 2008/09 from the Pork CRC’s Benchmarking Project as the baseline for a production unit, writes Graeme Crook, Pork CRC AusPig Project Manager, in the latest Australian Pork CRC Specials newsletter.

What Does 'Local' Mean for Pork?
In surveys, consumers seem to be confused over the definition of 'local' but Professor Goddard said at the 2010 Banff Pork Seminar that whatever the definition, there is growing demand for local produce, including pig meat.

World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates - March 2010
The forecast from US pork production has been lowered, according to the USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates for March 2010.

BPEX Export Bulletin - February 2010
The British Pig Executive's (BPEX) Export Bulletin for February 2010 reports pig industry trends from around the world.

EU-27 - Livestock and Products Semi-Annual 2010
According to the latest GAIN Report from USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), Classical Swine Fever (CSF) has retreated to most Eastern Member States and is largely under control in wild boar populations.

Company News

First Trivalent Swine Flu Vaccine with H1N2 Launched
FRANCE - Merial has launched the first-ever trivalent vaccine against swine influenza to include the H1N2 subtype: GRIPOVAC®3.

Merial To Merge With Intervet/Schering-Plough
GLOBAL - A global leader in animal health will be created as Merial announces it will merge with Intervet/Schering-Plough.

AgFeed Announces Record Revenues
CHINA - AgFeed Industries, Inc., one of the largest independent hog production and animal nutrient companies in China, has announced record levels of revenue in both of its operating units: hog production and animal nutrition. Production volumes increased by 66 per cent in the company's hog division and 56 per cent in the animal nutrition division.

Pork Commentary: Cash Hog Prices Continue to Surge
CANADA - This week's North American Pork Commentary from Jim Long.

Meriden Enhances its Product Portfolio
UK - Fusion is the next generation of toxin binder that also has great antifungal, ammonia binding properties and is an anti-caking agent.

Global Pig Industry News