Focus on Consumer Recognised Value Encouraged
CANADA - The director of performance validation with PIC suggests in the future the pork value chain will need to step up its focus on developing consumer recognized value, writes Bruce Cochrane.

Hylife: Initial Response to New Name Positive
CANADA - The executive vice-president and chief operating officer of La Broquerie, Manitoba based Hylife, says the initial response to the company's new name has been positive, according to Bruce Coch...

Consumers Buy Food Based on Value, Not Just Price
CANADA - An Edmonton based research chef says, when it comes to selecting the foods they'll feed their families, today's consumers are looking at value, not just price, according to Bruce Cochrane.

Scientist from DJF Selected as Young Elite Scientist
DENMARK - Postdoc Henrik Hornshøj, who is behind a research project that aims to reduce boar taint, has been selected as Young Elite Scientist by the Danish Council for Independent Research.

VION Guarantees Boar Taint-Free Pork
NETHERLANDS - VION Food Nederland will be able to supply Dutch retailers with pork from uncastrated animals as of 1 February 2011.

Expression Biomarkers to Improve Pork Quality
NETHERLANDS - Complex traits, like livestock production traits, are regulated by genetic and environmental influences.

Pork Consumption Increase Encourages Agri Sector
COSTA RICA - The growth in Costa Rica’s pork consumption is partly due to producers’ work to improve meat quality. However, there is a niche such as to export fine cuts as pork legs during the second...

USMEF’s Branded Products Promotion Programme
US - Brand names are of increasing importance to global consumers looking for quality and consistency.

Hog and Poultry Days 2010: Pork Quality Competition
CANADA - A Poplar Point area Hutterite Colony has topped a field of 30 to claim the top award at the Manitoba Hog and Poultry Days 2010 Pork Quality Competition, writes Bruce Cochrane.

USMEF Initiative Targets Underappreciated Pork Butt
US - The pork butt is the Rodney Dangerfield of pork cuts. It’s more tender, juicy, flavorful and affordable than many cuts in the pork carcass, but it doesn’t get any respect. A new international...

JSR Signs Contract Within UK-China Business Summit
CHINA - JSR Genetics, the leading UK-based international pig genetics company, has signed a milestone contract for 1,100 animals with the Guangzhou Animal Husbandry Company in Beijing on 8 November 20...

Fines Can Lead to Safer Meat, Says WUR Researcher
NETHERLANDS - Fines farmers for pig carcass condemnation has been successful to reduce the liver worms but it would not be so effective in cases where antibiotic residues are discovered.

NFUS Slams Meat Inspection Cost Recovery Plans
SCOTLAND, UK - Farmers would bear the brunt of FSA proposals for recovering the costs of meat plant inspections, says the National Farmers Union of Scotland (NFUS).

How Stress Affects Pig Meat Quality
DENMARK - Researchers have found how stress affects the pig's meat quality at the cellular level.

Research Shines Light on Pigs' Secrets
CANADA - Which are the best pieces of pork, what their texture is, how moist they are – the secrets pigs keep from even the most skilled butchers – are about to be revealed, thanks to a sophisticated...

Forces Joined to Bring Home the Bacon
AUSTRALIA - The Brisbane Smallgoods Company (BSC) will have its brand, 'Aussie Farmer’s Choice' rindless middle bacon rashers, sporting the Australian PorkMark logo, in almost one thousand additional...

Pork Checkoff Supports Return of McRib Nationwide
US - For the first time since 1994, McDonald's McRib® sandwich is available in all participating restaurants nationwide through November.

Health Minister Denies Low Quality Pork Claims
MALAYSIA - The Health Ministry has denied that imported pork is of low quality.

Instrument Helps Determine Pork Loin Marbling Level
US - Extended online tests of a newly developed instrument grading system for pork carcasses demonstrate its ability to differentiate pork loins relative to marbling levels. Researchers have long shown...

Castration of Piglets Can be Avoided by Genetics
DENMARK - Castration of piglets is a piggery chore that can be spared if scientists succeed in developing genetic methods for pointing out which piglets are likely to develop boar taint.

Livestock Markets Key to Healthy Food Supply Chain
UK - The key role played by both the traditional and the new modern livestock auction markets with all the mod cons within Britain's food supply chain is being recognised by a growing number of people...

PQA Plus Programme Hits 50,000 Milestone
US - Pork Quality Assurance Plus® (PQA Plus), the pork industry's program to assure the world that US producers are delivering a safe and wholesome product and that they are caring for their animals in...

Penn Pushing Pork as Christmas Draws Near
AUSTRALIA - Western Australian shoppers can expect to pay more for their pork as Christmas approaches.

Wealth of Information Provided to Pork Producers
US - A leading how-to guide for hog producers has been revised and is available through Purdue Extension.

Joint Research on Iberian Pig Genetics
SPAIN - Manuel García Lorenzo and Mr Josep M. Monfort i Bolívar, Food Inga SA and IRTA Directors General, respectively, signed a funded-CDTI project agreement.

Consumers Key Focus of Proposed 2011 NPB Budget
US - Consumer perspectives of pork and pork production are the central focus of the National Pork Board's proposed 2011 budget that will be debated next week in Des Moines, Iowa.

New Addition to Pfizer Animal Health Team Pork
US - The Pfizer Animal Health US Pork Business Unit welcomes Aubrey L. Schroeder, PhD, to its staff as meat scientist.

Feeding Glycerol Improves Pork Belly Firmness
US - Feeding pigs eight per cent crude glycerol throughout the growing-finishing period resulted in a three per cent improvement in growth rate and a two per cent depression in gain efficiency, according...

Boar Taint Threshold Should be Lower
NORWAY - New research indicates that some consumers detect boar taint even at levels below the current maximum guide levels.

Increased Domestic Pork Consumption Promoted
CANADA - The Canadian Pork Council hopes to replace imported pork on the plates of Canadian consumers with Canadian pork through the creation of a new national pork market development organization, writes...