Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial – Russia and Ukraine Step up ASF Controls

The Russian food safety and veterinary authority, Rosselkhoznador, has stepped up it measures to counter the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Kursk and Oryol.

The authorities are concerned that the disease could run rampant in the region which is close to the borders with Ukraine and Belarus.

In a bid to get a grip on the outbreak, Rosselkhoznador has enhanced its monitoring measures and introduced steps to eliminate ASF in the Kursk and Oryol regions. However, despite strict controls being implemented, the authorities appear to be fighting a battle to get on top of the disease.

Ukraine and the European Commission have reached agreement on taking joint measures to counter the spreading of ASF into the territory of Ukraine and the European Union member states, according to a statement made by the State Veterinary and Phytosanitary Service.

"We, jointly with the European Commission, have commenced work on creation of a control zone to avoid and suppress spreading of the virus onto the Ukrainian and, of course, the European territory," said Agrarian Policy and Food Supplies Minister, Mykola Prysiazhniuk.

He added that, during a meeting with EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dacian Ciolos, agreement was reached on stepping up control over movements of animal products, grain from the Russian territory affected by ASF, and also control over migration of wild animals.

In Uganda, residents of Adjumani District have ignored health warnings about the risks associated with eating pork from pigs killed by ASF. Although the veterinary department placed a quarantine on pigs, the number of pigs killed by swine fever has risen from 60 to 120, in just two weeks. Officials from the production department have arrested two residents of Patua village for exhuming pig carcasses for consumption.

Pig farmers in the UK, particularly in Yorkshire, are being encouraged to raise their level of biosecurity, to join a producer group and to to be on the alert for signs of disease, following several confirmed outbreaks of swine dysentery in the UK recently. Our news report covers what stockmen and farmers should be looking out for and what to do. In a more detailed report on control measures, eradication is a feasible solution in the medium term, according to a veterinarian based in the region. If the disease strikes, she recommends transparent communication with suppliers, neighbouring pig farmers and abattoirs to minimise the risk of spreading the infection.

With a growing population but a shrinking rural population, China's farmers are changing from man-power to iron horse-power as they move to a more contemporary approach to agriculture.

China is clearly experiencing a rise in their standard of living which is resulting in a change in their consumer habits, said Alexander Haus with VDMA at the Sino-European Conference held during Agritechnica in Hannover, Germany, recently.

Mr Haus said: "We see China's households moving toward higher quality food and their everyday food mix is changing to include more meat, milk, wheat noodles and potatoes. Self-sufficiency for basic food products is one of the main targets for China's central government."

Returning to disease issues, a pig with symptoms of foot and mouth disease (FMD) has been found in a Taiwan slaughterhouse.

With the holidays coming up fast, the next newsletter from ThePigSite will be mailed out to you on Tuesday 3 January.

In the meantime, very best wishes for the festive season and 2012 from all of us at 5M Publishing.

Jackie Linden

This Week's Feature Articles

Company News

PCV2 Impairs Danger Recognition, Says Top Expert
UK - Two leading experts on PCV2 provided vets with an update on the virus at the Pig Veterinary Society's autumn meeting.

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Meriden Appoints New Regional Manager
GLOBAL - Meriden Animal Health Limited has appointed Dr Wael H A Abdelrahman BVetMed MScVetSc PhD as a Regional Technical Sales manager.

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JSR Signs Contract with Agroprime Holding Ltd.
UKRAINE - Agroprime Holding Ltd based in the Ukraine, have been established since 2005. It has grown into one of the leading agricultural companies in the Odeas region, growing from 5,000 ha to over 18,000 ha of arable land (including 700ha of irrigated fields).

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Less Boar Taint by Selecting Terminal Boars
EU - TOPIGS will soon start selecting finisher boars which have less risk of breeding offspring with boar taint.

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Saving Pigs Matters Most to Producers
US - Choosing a respiratory disease treatment that helps save pigs, time and money is an important component of an anti-infective programme, says Pfizer's Team Pork.

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Novus Receives Sustainability Award
US - The Regional Chamber and Growth Association (RCGA) has recognised Novus International, Inc. week with a Circle of Excellence award as part of the organisation's Green Business Challenge.

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JSR Holds Seminar for Bioenergia
RUSSIA - Bioenergia, OOO Managing Company, the JSR agent for Russia (excluding Krasnodar Kray region), recently attended a sales and product training seminar at their offices in Saratov.

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Awards Presentation at TOPIGS Canada
CANADA - TOPIGS Canada hosted the annual Customer Appreciation Night on 3 November 2011. The highlight of the evening was the awards presentation for achieving various levels of production with TOPIGS genetics over a period of one year.

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Westerhof Appointed Director of TOPIGS Nederland
NETHERLANDS - Michiel Westerhof has been appointed as the new director of TOPIGS Nederland.

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Global Pig Industry News

Taiwan

 » FMD NEWS: Pig with FMD at Taiwan Slaughterhouse

United States

 » Pork Commentary: California and Other Things
 » CME: Only Small Changes for Corn, Soy & Wheat
 » Continued Weakness in Crop Prices
 » CME: Overseas Market to Boost Meat Export Growth
 » Weekly Roberts Market Report
 » Composting Helps Swine Farms Improve Biosecurity
 » CME: USDA Reinstates Its Cancelled Reports
 » Mississippi Ag Commodities Post Record Values
 » Pork Exports Up, Imports Down

China

 » China's Economic Trends Drive Change to Modern, Efficient Agriculture
 » IBM to Build Food-Safety System for Pork
 » Zhongpin Starts Trial Production at New Pork Plants
 » New System Tracks Pigs from Farm to Plate

General

 » Ukraine and EU Agree to Step up ASF Control
 » UN Promises Sustainable Agriculture
 » Australia, China Continue Agricultural Partnership
 » Gains in Efficiency of Livestock Systems Needed
 » Talks Held in Warsaw over Veterinary Issues

United Kingdom

 » Consultation on CAP Reform
 » Pig Keepers Need to Register before Going to Market
 » Swine Dysentery Control: Communication and Eradication
 » NFU: Grants for Livestock Health Projects
 » Extra Supply Sees Prices Ease
 » NPA Urges Planners to Look at Facts of Foston Plan

Australia

 » Farm Export Earnings Set to Rise
 » Feral Pigs Killed in Queensland Aerial Cull

Uganda

 » ASF: Residents Defy Ban on Pork in Uganda

New Zealand

 » Consumers Urged to Buy NZ Pork These Holidays
 » NZ Pork Does Not Guarantee Good Welfare

European Union

 » EU Pig Prices: Slaughter Pig Demand Still Brisk
 » Ag Council Discusses Welfare and MRLs

Romania

 » CarmOlimp Expects Boost from Pork Exports

Canada

 » Advice to Be Sure of Nutrient Profile of DDGS
 » Research Conducted Could Benefit Pork Producers
 » Opportunity to Boost Productivity and Profitability
 » Omega-3 & Omega-6 Overcome Post-Weaning Check

Russian Federation

 » Russia Struggles to Get to Grips with ASF

Ireland

 » Ireland's Pig Population up 2.4 Per Cent

Denmark

 » Meat Company Takes Steps in Case of Euro Problems
 » High-Welfare Pork for UK: an Opportunity
 » Sensors, CCTV & Chips Find Way into Pig Houses

Viet Nam

 » US Corn Mission Sees Potential in Viet Nam

India

 » Pigs May be Relocated; Govt to Curb Imports

France

 » Pig Prices Move Closer to Production Cost
 » French Swine Vets Rewarded for Study

Switzerland

 » Pneumonia Causes Slaughter of 1,000 Pigs



That's all for this week!

Ed.