Finding Latest Feed Info
Nearby LIFFE wheat futures remained relatively unchanged this week - £89.00 on Dec 4. A major US pig producer has confirmed the purchase of UK and Brazilian wheat as a cheaper alternative to US maize.  US CBOT soyameal futures were trading at $272.52t on Thursday 4 as rains in Argentina eased concerns about crop conditions in the world’s third-biggest soya exporter.

Knowledge Transfer

Tip of the Week – Wall Planner
Don’t miss out on the BPEX 2009 wall planner! The planner has been flying off the shelf and we are now down to single figures! If you have not received one yet and would like to, contact Michelle on 01908-844734. This large wall planner includes monthly reminders, contact details of the knowledge transfer team and a due to farrow calendar.

Cutting Energy and Labour Costs
The price of energy is likely to increase and in addition to labour costs, is a significant contributor towards the total cost of production. BPEX Ltd is holding a winter workshop to explore how these inputs can be used even more efficiently.

At this forthcoming workshop Nigel Penlington, BPEX Ltd’s Pig Technologist, will be exploring how energy use can be monitored and controlled and Dr Steven Webster from Delta Innovations, a recipient of the Innovation Fund, will be showing how labour efficiency and reinvestment decisions can be enhanced using the new data capture kit for work processes. This is a great opportunity for you and all involved to have a good discussion about how we can use both energy and labour more efficiently. It is on Tuesday 9th December 2008, starting at 6.30pm with a hot buffet, ready for a 7.00pm start. It is at Uncle Henry’s, Grayingham Grange Farm, DN21 4JD.To register or find out more contact Angela Cliff 01908 844744.

Optimising Gilt Management
The gilt is the foundation of your herd. If you don’t have the correct number of gilts available to serve when you need them, at the correct age and in the required condition, then you may well be tempted to serve older and less productive sows.

Retaining these gilts in the herd can also be difficult. It is not uncommon to find only 60% of the original intake remaining by their 3rd parity. This will be depressing productivity and adding to your cost of production.

At this workshop David Chennells will be exploring how gilts are introduced onto the unit and into the herd and Dr Pinder Gill, BPEX Ltd’s Pig Technologist will be discussing their nutritional management. This is a great opportunity for members of the Midland Pig Club and regional producers, to come and have a good discussion about how we manage our gilts, so that they have a long and productive life. It is on Wednesday, December 10 at the Premier Inn, Daventry NN7 4PX. It starts at 6.30pm with a hot buffet and the meeting itself gets under way at 7pm. To register or find out more contact Angela Cliff 01908 844744

When To Wean
Newly weaned piglets often show reduced and variable feed intake, digestive disorders and poor growth and development. These problems can be reduced by the use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs), copper sulphate and zinc oxide. The routine use of AGPs in feed was banned in the EU from January 2006 and, due to environmental concerns, dietary inclusion levels of copper and zinc are limited by regulation and may be further reduced in the future.

Weaning pigs at a later age, when their digestive and immune systems are more mature, has been suggested as one way to reduce the negative effect of the AGP ban on pig productivity. The AGEWEAN project was funded by Defra to evaluate the practical impact of this approach under British farm conditions for lifetime health and performance of sows and their progeny, the overall cost of production and environmental impact. Results from this study can be found in the Pig Development Centre topical briefing note, which can be viewed here .

Producer Group Map
A new interactive producer group map can now be found on the BPEX website. The map highlights where each BPEX producer group is in the country so that you can easily see where your nearest one is. The map provides details of meeting times and locations as well as contact details for the KT Manager responsible for organising the meeting. To check out the map click here.

Marketing News

Gammon on The Radio
On 11 December Lesley Waters will do a morning of radio interviews about how to cook gammon and recipe usage of gammon leftovers.  30 regional newspapers are carrying a promotional competition to win a stainless Gammon set - a large pan and serving forks with a collection of top quality complimentary sauces and chutneys (courtesy of English Provender).  For details on how to cook gammon click here. For some gammon recipe ideas click here.

Royal Smithfield Christmas Fair
This is at the Bath & West Showground.  In support of the BPA there will be a butchery demonstration of a shoulder of pork and a cooking demonstration of the cuts obtainable from the shoulder. The focus will be on slow cooking with pork and what good value using pork shoulder cuts can be over the Christmas period.  Demo times are Fri 5 Dec at 2.30/3pm and Sat 5 Dec at 2pm, to be held in the Theatre in the Food Hall.

Love Pork on Coronation Street!
New promotional posters supplied back in the spring have finally made it onto the Coronation Street set. They were spotted by Street fans last week. Do look out for them in the butchers scenes.

Farmer Meets Local MP
Conservative MP for East Devon, Hugo Swire has met Robin Bright to discuss Robin's experience of the issues facing the pig industry. A photographer will record the event and the meeting is being sold in to local press.

Are You a Bacon Connoisseur?
If so, visit www.lovebacon.info and tell us why, in 50 words or less! As part of the publicity for Bacon Connoisseurs Week (16-22 March) a competition has been launched this week to find Britain’s Bacon Connoisseur 2009. The winner will join a panel of experts in judging the trade competition in February and will be a VIP guest at the launch of the week in London in March.

Food Report Gives a Boost
The annual Publican Food Report was published last Monday covering the views of over 250 licensees. When asked 'Which of the following have you supported with special menus or events?' the majority replied British Sausage Week. Other pork facts showed that Sausage & Mash was the 6th most popular menu item with 67% of people serving it and that overall ham is the most popular sandwich filling with bacon 4th.

National News:

Every Lidl Helps
History is being made in Lidl stores— the Quality Standard Mark has appeared on pork for the first time. This is partly a result of a two-year campaign by BPEX's Simon Brookes and partly because all retailers are getting their houses in order before Jamie Oliver's programme on British pork is screened next month. The Quality Standard Mark is now appearing on leg joints and loin steaks supplied by Tulip and Dunbia. Many more lines will carry the Mark by the end of January.
(source: NPA Website)

Swine Dysentery Charter
The Swine Dysentery Producer Charter is an important new health initiative by producers in the East of England, supported by BPEX. Controlling Swine Dysentery has the potential to save producers £thousands.  A Swine Dysentery Control Centre has been set up to track the disease, assist in recovery when breakdowns take place, and record when units become free from the disease.  It is one of a number of disease-beating measures expected to be rolled out around the country in the months and years ahead, always in cooperation with pig-keepers and vets, region by region. The ultimate vision is to stamp out some diseases on pig units altogether.  To find out more about the charter click here.

Plaudit for Waitrose
Waitrose will only stock British bacon from this month. The supermarket can now claim to source all of its pork, chicken and beef products from Britain - including all sandwiches, ready meals, cooked and fresh meat.

Backing for Pig Industry
Two early day Motions have been proposed in Parliament with relevance to the pig industry. The first says: That this House is concerned that some supermarket low-cost line foods such as pork sausages and fish pies contain less than 10 per cent. of pork or fish, respectively, while being bulked out with ingredients such as water, animal fats and sugar; and believes that such practices are a threat to the nation's health and that such products should not be misrepresented as pork sausages or fish pies when their nomenclatured content is so low.

The second says: That this House believes that British consumers are entitled to know exactly how and where the food they are eating is produced, and that clear and unambiguous labelling stating the country of origin of the major ingredients is required to achieve this; and further believes that this will level the playing field for British farmers and enable British consumers to show their preference for home-grown food which is produced to high standards of animal welfare, health and safety and environmental protection.

International News:

Approval For New GM Soya
Monsanto's second-generation GM soya has been authorised by the European Commission. This means RoundUp Ready 2 soya, which will be widely harvested in the United States and Brazil next year, can be imported into all 27 European Union countries. The import approval is for ten years.

Had the approval not been granted, importers may have refused to import any soya from the United States or Brazil from next harvest, for fear of falling foul of Europe's zero tolerance rules.

Canada’s Eating Habits Change
Canadians have changed their eating habits following an outbreak of listeriosis linked to Maple Leaf Foods deli meat this past summer, a survey by the University of Guelph concluded.

Following the outbreak and recall, the proportion of consumers who said they never consume ready-to-eat (RTE) meats at home rose to 39 percent, from 6 percent. The percentage of people who said they never consumed RTE meats in fast-food outlets or restaurants jumped to 56 percent, from nine percent.

Fines For Flatulence!
Belching and flatulent cows and pigs could start costing farmers money if a US federal proposal to charge fees for air-polluting animals becomes law.

Farmers so far are turning their noses up at the notion, which is one of several put forward by the Environmental Protection Agency after the US Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that greenhouse gases emitted by belching and flatulence amounts to air pollution.

"This is one of the most ridiculous things the federal government has tried to do," said Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks, an outspoken opponent of the proposal.

Export Bulletin
For all the latest news on the export front, click here.

International Prices
Click here for the latest international prices