High Contract Prices Take the Shine Off Spot
UK - According to Peter Crichton, the recent heatwave seemed to knock some of the stuffing out of the market, although DAPP continues to move upwards and now stands at 154.59p providing an excellent return...

Weekly Review: Hogs & Pigs Report Brings Surprises
US - Weekly review of the US hog industry, written by Glenn Grimes and Ron Plain.

Producers to Found National Union of Hog Breeders
RUSSIA - The country's largest domestic hog breeders have united to found a new special association, the National Union of Hog Breeders, which would help Russia become a world leader in pork production....

Supply to Continue to Exceed Demand for Live Pigs
CHINA - Although live pig prices have rebounded recently, supply will continue to exceed demand in the live pig market for some time, according to an analysis by the National Development and Reform Commission...

NFUS Wary of Creation of Independent Defra Body
UK - NFU Scotland, in its response to a Defra consultation on the creation of an Independent Body for Animal Health in England, has urged policymakers to take the impact on Scottish livestock farmers into...

RSPCA Speaks Out Against Live Export Trade
AUSTRALIA - The Live Export Shipboard Performance Report revealed that more than 36,000 sheep, cattle and goats died while being transported overseas for slaughter in 2008.

Welfare Laws Fail Pigs Miserably
NEW ZEALAND - An official MAF report reveals current pig welfare legislation is strongly at odds with the views of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Agriculture and the majority of the New Zealand public...

Getting Gilt Integration Right
UK - With good returns on finished pigs, attractive cull sow prices and a contracting EU pig herd, many producers are building up their breeding herds again, some of which have been run at below optimum...

Carbon Market Opportunities for Agriculture
Carbon credits generated by agriculture are a relatively new commodity according to Dr Dave Beede and Dr Wendy Powers of Michigan State University in the latest MSU Pork Quarterly.

Expansion of Food Borne Illness Monitoring Urged
CANADA - A food safety expert with the University of Manitoba warns, until we know what foods make people sick most frequently, it's unlikely we'll ever be able to manage the risks associated with food...

To Dry or Not to Dry: That is the Question
UK - The June issue of Target Farm Action from BPEX explains the benefits and best procedures for drying off gilts right after their first farrowing.

Small US Slaughterhouses Continue to Decline
US - A new report issued today by Food & Water Watch examines how the slow demise of local small slaughter and processing operations in the United States is preventing farmers and ranchers from fully satisfying...

Pork Producer Issues Appeal to Consumers
CANADA - An Ontario pork producer is urging the Canadian public to think about where they want the pork they eat to come from and to ask their grocers where it comes from, writes Bruce Cochrane.

EAC Secretariat and ILRI Unite Over Livestock
TANZANIA - The East African Community Secretariat and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), an international research institute with its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya have signed...

FSIS Issues New Directive for Imported Meat
US - The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued a directive on verifying requirements for pre-stamping of imported meat and poultry.

Voluntary 14-day Antibiotic Withdrawal Period
US - Pork producers are being reminded to review their use of feed/water tetracycline-class antibiotics (tetracycline, oxytetracycline or chlortetracycline) to make sure their use meets standards set by...

Imported Pigs Crowd Out Local Pork
RUSSIA - The country's pork producers are facing a growing challenge from importers of live pigs who are using a loophole in customs regulations to avoid quotas and higher tariffs.

Promotion Program Funds Available for US Industry
US - US red meat companies taking advantage of the USDA’s Branded Products Promotion Program – administered through USMEF – rang up $6,920,063 in sales of US beef and pork to international buyers in fiscal...

MSP Report Welcomed Depending on Price to Survive
SCOTLAND, UK - NFU Scotland has welcomed the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs and the Environment Committee’s report into the Scottish pig industry. However, even if the Scottish Government and producers...

Ag Guide Open for Comment
US - The draft Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Teaching and Research (Ag Guide) is available for comment.

Argentine Workers Suspected of Passing Flu to Pigs
ARGENTINA - Workers at an Argentine farm apparently infected pigs with the new H1N1 flu strain, only the second suspected case of humans passing the deadly virus to swine, a government spokesman said ...

US Swine Economics Report
US - USDA's latest survey of the US swine herd said the market herd was down 1.9 per cent on 1 June and the breeding herd was down 2.7 per cent compared to 12 months earlier, writes Ron Plain in his Swine...

Russia Bans Imports from Chile and Argentina
RUSSIA - The authorities have banned imports of pork from Chile and Argentina.

Severe Outbreak of Glasser's Disease in VLA Report
UK - The Monthly Scanning Surveillance Report for May 2009 from the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) highlights a case of swine dysentery of unknown origin, parasitic pneumonia, and a severe outbreak...

Livestock Transport Standards Being Developed
US - American Humane Certified is to develop humane livestock transport standards.