ThePigSite Newsletter - 16 May 2011

Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial – Danish Report Highlights Just How Much Efficiency Can Reduce Environmental Impact

The ecological footprint of Danish pork production has been calculated by scientists from Aarhus University in Denmark and published in a new report.

The researchers found that the 25 per cent of Danish herds with the highest technical efficiency in the production process produce pork with a 10 per cent lower environmental impact.

More than 95 per cent of the total environmental impact occurs at the farming stage, they revealed, except for use of non-renewable energy, where the slaughtering stage and related transport account for 12 to 13 per cent of the total. They attribute the low impact related to the slaughtering stage to an efficient use of residues and by-products for energy production and feed.

Using the attributional approach as prescribed in the PAS 2050, the environmental impact per kilo of Danish pork leaving the slaughterhouse is estimated to 3.1kg carbon dioxide equivalent in global warming, 243g nitrous oxide equivalent in eutrophication, 56g sulphur dioxide equivalent in acidification, 21MJ of primary non-renewable energy and 5.8 square metres in land use.

Time for strong leadership and a united approach in order for the UK's pig industry to make key decisions on processed animal protein (PAP), and capitalise on consumers' openness to learn about genetic modification were the key findings from the headline debate at this year's Pig & Poultry Live event last week.

Also in the UK, the National Pig Association warns that some of the country's largest retailers are paying such low prices that they may soon find difficulty in sourcing sufficient high-welfare pig meat to meet demand. Squeezed by rising feed and other costs, some producers are being forced to leave the industry.

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, exports of US beef and pork continued at record-setting pace in March, with pork showing an impressive 40 per cent increase.

Culling started last week of livestock in the no-entry zone within a 20-kilometre radius of the crisis-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. A senior government official said this was necessary due to the difficulty in feeding the animals. Before the devastating earthquake and tsunami on 11 March, it is estimated that there were about 31,500 pigs in the area.

Jackie Linden

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 7 new features this week:

Canadian Breeding Herd Finds New Level (May 2011)
By Chris Harris, Editor-in-Chief of ThePigSite. Our snapshot of the ongoing global pig industry trends as reported in May 2011 Whole Hog Brief. To read the full detailed analysis, including all the commentary and graphical data, subscribe to the publication.

Smaller Producers Pig Health Course: Parasites Part 1 – Mange and Lice
Advice from Mark White, BVSc LLB DPM MRCVS, on recognising and treating these parasites in smaller pig herds.

Don't Miss the First Insemination
Time of mating and the start of heat detection after weaning are key to successful sow breeding, according to Pieter Langendijk in the latest Pig Tales newsletter from Western Australia's Department of Agriculture and Food.

PK/PD Integration of Tiamulin by Injection against Mycoplasmal Infections of Lung and Joints
A report of a study into the pharmaocokinetic and pharmacodynamic integration of tiamulin (Denagard®) by injection against mycoplasmal infections of the lung and joints, presented by D.G.S. Burch (Octagon Services Ltd, UK) and U. Klein (Novartis Animal Health Inc, Switzerland) at the 5th Asian Pig Veterinary Society Congress in Pattaya, Thailand, in March 2011.

World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates - May 2011
Pork production and farrowings are expected to increase gradually, according to the latest USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates.

United Kingdom Pig Meat Market Update - May 2011
James Park, senior economic analyst with AHDB Meat Services Economic and Policy Analysis Group, explains the latest trends in the UK and EU.

BPEX Export Bulletin - April/May 2011
The British Pig Executive's (BPEX) Export Bulletin for April/May 2011 reports pig industry trends from around the world.

Company News

Meriden Attends Expo-Amevea
PERU - Meriden Animal Health Limited joined its distributor, Aveagro, at Expo-Amevea in Lima.

US Hog Margins in May 2011
US - Margins deteriorated sharply since the middle of April as a combination of lower hog prices and higher feed costs have put pressure on producers from both sides of the equation, writes Doug Lenhart, Genesus General Manager, USA.

Improved Progressive Atrophic Rhinitis Vaccine
NETHERLANDS - Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health announced has that it is introducing PORCILIS® AR-T DF, an inactivated vaccine against progressive atrophic rhinitis in piglets with a new adjuvant associated with fewer injection site reactions.

TOPIGS: 28.1 Weaned Piglets Per Sow Per Year
NETHERLANDS - Pig farms with TOPIGS sows weaned an average of 28.1 piglets per sow in 2010.

Merial Launches Piglet Indication for CIRCOVAC
MALTA - The third Merial Forum Update on Pig Production and PCVD, held in Malta, was the occasion of the formal launch of the piglet indication of CIRCOVAC® in the EU.

Initiative to Help WFU Highlight Farm Zoonoses Threat
UK - Farmers and others working with livestock are being urged to pick up a free medical contact card at county shows across the UK this summer. The card helps to make GPs and farmers more aware of the threat to human health presented by the animal diseases that can also infect man.

Nedap Concludes Contract with Chinese Processor
CHINA - On 12 May, Nedap Agri concluded a contract with one of the top three largest pork processing companies in China, Yurun.

Global Pig Industry News