First Nucleus Stock Sent from Belgium to Ukraine
GLOBAL - Elita Farms and Rattlerow Seghers have signed an agreement to develop Ukrainian pig production, and the first shipment of animals has now arrived in quarantine.

ACMC Stock for Spanish Integrator
SPAIN - Against stiff international competition, British-based pig genetics company, ACMC Ltd, has won an order to supply one of Spain's largest integrators with breeding stock.

Stronger Jaws Mean More Milk
BELGIUM - Why do piglets with a lean muscle gene show improved survivability and quicker growth?

Genus Increases Porcine Capacity in China
CHINA - Genus, a world leading animal genetics company, is pleased to announce significant advances in its strategy for expansion in China with progress being made in both the bovine and porcine sectors....

Accurate Labelling on British Pork Products
UK - Naturally occurring isotopes of five common elements found in pork will be measured to prove its provenance and thereby protect the integrity of the Quality Standard Mark.

Farmer Suggests New Govt. Focus in Meeting with Premier
CHINA - Premier Wen asked stakeholders for their opinion on the government's work. A pig farmer suggested greater focus on improved genetics and compulsory vaccination.

Genetic Defect that Causes Infertility in Pigs
FINLAND - In the late 1990s the Finnish Yorkshire pig population was threatened by a genetic defect which spread at an alarming rate and led to infertility.

Investing Significantly in Agriculture
UK - Quantech Solutions has recently undertaken an analysis of the innovation intensity of agriculture, i.e. how much does agriculture invest in innovation relative to other sectors.

US Distribution Agreement with Zierke Formed
US - TOPIGS International announces a US distributor agreement with the Zierke Company in Morris, Minnesota (US).

Little Concern for GM Animal Farms in Australia
AUSTRALIA - The report, GM stockfeed in Australia: economic issues for producers and consumers, was released yesterday by Phillip Glyde, Executive Director, ABARE.

Snipping Out the Money Genes in Livestock
US - The livestock industry accounts for almost $100 billion of the annual agricultural gross domestic product.

Will US Consumers Eat Up GM Meat Rule?
US - On January 15, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration decided how it will regulate genetically engineered animals, for the first time paving the way for such animals or their products to be sold as...

GM Pigs to be Bred for Organ Transplant Harvesting
UK - Lord Winston, a fertility researcher, has announced plans to breed genetically engineered pigs, for the purpose of harvesting their organs for transplant into humans.

New Collaboration for Hermitage Genetics in Spain
SPAIN - On 12 December 2008, Hermitage Genetics and Gepork announced their new collaboration in the Spanish market with a technical conference presenting the Hermitage Genetic Pig Improvement Program to...

New Boar Stud Planned by Hermitage in Ireland
IRELAND - Hermitage Genetics has received planning permission to build a new state-of-the-art 240-place boar stud in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Work on the project will begin shortly.

The Future of US Livestock is Genetically Modified
US - The US Food and Drug Administration today issued a final guidance for industry on the regulation of genetically engineered (GE) animals, which advises the use of GE animals for food.

Clones for Food: EC Breaking its Own Rules?
EU - An animal welfare group has claimed that The European Commission is breaking its own rules with a wait and see approach to animal cloning. The group claims that cloning harms animal welfare.

Hermitage Pigs Win Top Awards in Russia
RUSSIA - Hermitage pigs won top prize at a leading agricultral show in Moscow in October.

PIC: Sales in Bulgaria Continue to Grow
BULGARIA - Sales in Bulgaria continue to grow with GP’s, Parents and Boars being produced locally from a large, 550 sows contracted Nucleus and Multiplication farm near Schumen, supplemented with imports...

PIC Canada Sponsors Banff Pork Seminar
CANADA - For longtime sponsor PIC Canada, Banff Pork Seminar is all about the exposure. The Seminar takes place in 20-23 January 2009.

AVMA Comments on Regulation of GM Animals
US - The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has commented on the regulation of genetically engineered (GE) animals.

JSR Opens New Pig Breeding Base in Bulgaria
BULGARIA - JSR Genetics, a leading British-based international pig genetics company has taken further steps into Eastern Europe by setting up a new distributor in Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia. Their...

Straw Houses - A Better Option for Sows?
CANADA - Research conducted by the University of Manitoba indicates, from an animal welfare perspective, sows housed in groups on straw tend to out perform those housed in conventional slatted floor systems,...

Impacts of Gut Microflora and Probiotics
CANADA - More than 40 scientists and experts from different universities and research centers across North America and Europe gathered last month in Quebec City to participate in Institut Rosell-Lallemand’s...

CME: Smaller Supplies and High Demand
US - CME's Daily Livestock Report for 8 December 2008.