Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial - One Per Cent More US Pigs than One Year Ago

United States inventory of all hogs and pigs on 1 March 2011 was 64.0 million head. This is one per cent more than 1 March 2010 although one per cent fewer than 1 December 2010.

Breeding herd inventory – at 5.79 million head – was up slightly from last year and from the previous quarter. Market hog inventory, at 58.2 million head, was up one per cent from last year but down one per cent from last quarter.

The December 2010-February 2011 pig crop, at 28.0 million head, was one per cent more than 2010 but two per cent fewer than 2009.

Sows farrowing during the period totalled 2.86 million head, down one per cent from 2010 and down five per cent from 2009. The sows farrowed during this quarter represented 49 per cent of the breeding herd. The average pigs saved per litter was a record high 9.80 for the December 2010-February 2011 period, compared to 9.61 last year. Pigs saved per litter by size of operation ranged from 7.50 for operations with 1 to 99 hogs and pigs to 9.90 for operations with more than 5,000 hogs and pigs.

In the field of animal health, Merck and sanofi-aventis have announced the mutual termination of their agreement to form a new animal health joint venture by combining Merial, the animal health business of sanofi-aventis, with Intervet/Schering-Plough, Merck's animal health unit. As a result, each party will keep its current, separate animal health assets and businesses.

In the last week, reports of new outbreaks of foot and mouth disease (FMD) have been received from Russia, Taiwan, South Africa and Bulgaria. The South Korean authorities estimate the cost of the current FMD epidemic to have already cost three trillion won (KRW; US$3.42 billion).

New cases of African swine fever have been reported in Chad and Russia, while PRRS is causing heavy losses in Mandalay, Myanmar, and the New Zealand pig industry is struggling to control the spread of PMWS.

Jackie Linden

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This Week's Feature Articles

Company News

Merck, Sanofi-Aventis to Keep Separate Businesses
US & FRANCE - Merck and sanofi-aventis announced today the mutual termination of their agreement to form a new animal health joint venture by combining Merial, the animal health business of sanofi-aventis, with Intervet/Schering-Plough, Merck's animal health unit. As a result, each party will keep its current, separate animal health assets and businesses.

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PIC Takes Lead in Testing for Profit-Robbing Reciprocal Translocations
GLOBAL - Reciprocal translocations (RTs) are chromosomal rearrangements that lead to the development of genetically ‘unbalanced’ sperm cells that can result in a significant economic impact over the life of a boar with this genetic mutation. Research has indicated RTs to be the root cause of probably 50 per cent of hypoprolific boar problems.

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PIC Raises the Bar with New Gilt Production Units
PHILIPPINES - To serve the increasing demand from Filipino pork producers for superior performing PIC boars and gilts, PIC is expanding its production capacity by more than 5,000 GGP and GP sows in the Philippines.

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On-line Welfare Training Courses Launched
UK - rl consulting, based in Oxfordshire, UK, has launched a series of inter-active, high quality on-line training courses under the name - 'Fundamentals'.

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New TOPIGS Nucleus Farm in Canada
CANADA - TOPIGS has purchased a new nucleus farm in Canada named Windy Acres near the village Malonton in Northern Manitoba.

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JSR Breeding Pigs Fly into China
CHINA - More than 800 high-health, genetically advanced breeding pigs have successfully touched down in China in the last week. The animals were transported from the UK onboard a specially chartered 747 aircraft on behalf of JSR Genetics.

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Global Pig Industry News

Korea, South

 » FMD NEWS: S Korea Says FMD Costs Near $2.7 Bln
 » Pork Belly Price Stymies Purchases

United States

 » Weekly Outlook: Update on Corn Consumption
 » Market Preview: Market Jitters Subside for Now
 » US Swine Economics Report
 » CME: Shares of Retail Beef and Pork Prices
 » Free Up of CRP Acres for Feed Grain Production Urged
 » CME: Pre-Report Survey of Hogs and Pigs Report
 » Machine Actuated Ceiling Inlet Exceeds Expectations
 » Commercial Red Meat Production Higher in February
 » Congress Urged to Pass Mexican Trucking Pact
 » Results of Latest Hogs and Pigs Report
 » Plant Buffer Strips Cut Run-Off of Vet Products
 » First Zero-Waste Pork Processing in Sight
 » CME: Key Data from Latest Hogs and Pigs Report

Belarus

 » Belarus Lifts Pork, Poultry Import Ban from Germany

Myanmar

 » PRRS Kills Over 500 Pigs in Second Largest City

European Union

 » EU Pig Prices: Supply and Demand Well-Balanced
 » Human Illness from Salmonella Falls, Campy Rises
 » Country-of-Origin Debate Back on EU Agenda

General

 » AgFeed: 'Continued Operational Excellence'
 » Govts Urged to Prioritise Feed Grains
 » Global Wheat Production to Increase in 2011
 » AgFeed Industries Announces New President

China

 » China Orders Crackdown on Illegal Meat Additive
 » Further Probe into Pork Problem
 » Pig Farmers Using Garbage as Feed
 » Netease CEO's Pig Farm Settles in Zhejiang
 » Vice Prime Minister Hui Visits Zhongpin
 » Zhongpin Closes Common Stock Offer

Russian Federation

 » AgroFarm 2011 on Course for Growth
 » One More Outbreak of ASF in Russia
 » Cherkizovo's CEO Welcomes Recent Govt Support
 » Defra Update: African Swine Fever in Russia

Chad

 » Six New African Swine Fever Outbreaks in Chad

United Kingdom

 » Protecting Livestock from Threat of Viral Disease
 » Pig Producer Confidence at All-Time Low
 » UK Slaughter Statistics - March 2011
 » Contract Follows Spot Up

New Zealand

 » Devastating PMWS Continues to Spread

Canada

 » Animal Care, Environment: Top Research Priorities
 » Canadian Pork Industry Statement on Federal Budget
 » Federal Election Could Delay Key Ag Initiatives
 » Key to Minimising Losses Resulting from FMD
 » Pork Commentary: Market Goes on Wild Ride

Denmark

 » Bacteria in Feed Can Protect the Environment
 » Course in Animal Stress Responses Well Received

Thailand

 » Thailand's Pig Farmers Face Probe

Swaziland

 » Pork Production Still Below Domestic Demand

Netherlands

 » Production Efficient; Manure Results in High Costs

Korea, North

 » Urgent Vaccine, Equipment Needed to Contain FMD

Brazil

 » Sales Growth Recorded for JBS in 2010

Japan

 » An Eye on Recovery Efforts and Feed Grain Trade

That's all for this week!

Ed.