Welcome to the new BPEX Weekly which we hope you will find as useful as the original but in a more user friendly format. We are always keen to attract new readers so if you know of anybody who might be interested let them know. We would also like some feedback on this new format, also if you have any problems with it. Please get in touch with jon.bullock@bpex.org.uk

Latest Feed Info

Over the past two weeks, grain prices have fallen in the major global markets. In the UK, LIFFE feed wheat futures for November fell £6/t over the week to close Thursday at £101.25/t.

In the latest HGCA feed ingredients price survey, FEMAS soyameal, ex-mill Liverpool, was quoted at 294.50/t, down £2/t on the previous week.

Argentina’s 2010 soyabean crop is estimated at a record 52Mt. In 2009, the drought-hit crop only reached 32.2Mt. The increase in production in 2010 is seen to be caused by farmers switching to planting soyabeans, following difficulties in planting wheat over recent weeks.

Click here to visit the Market Intelligence area of the website.

Marketing News

Sausage of the Year

Entry forms for this year’s competition are being sent out to all sausage suppliers to the Foodservice industry over the next week.  A prestigious event, which receives a wide variety of PR coverage, especially for the finalists. So if you want a chance to show the industry your prize winning sausages you can enter up to 3 entries into each of the five categories.  These include:

1. Traditional Pork Sausage
2. Speciality Pork Sausage
3. Best Pub Pork Sausage
4. Best Innovative Pork Sausage
5. Best Pork Sausage

If you are interested in entering or just want further information please call Toni Connolly on 07503 871179, or email toni.connolly@hdcommunications.co.uk.  Closing date for entry forms: Thursday 3 September 2009.

Morrison's Millions

Two million on-pack Love Pork BBQ fix a form recipe stickers will be applied to pork BBQ products from next week.

ASDA Barbecue

7000 Love pork BBQ recipe booklets will be used by Asda in their 24 stores which have serve over counters.

New Category Report Due

The latest issue of the quarterly report packed full of facts and figures on the pig meat market is due out in a fortnight.

It will follow the same format as the first one giving top line figures such as the DAPP, category overview and a breakdown by retailer. It also goes into more depth on fresh pork, bacon and sausages and sliced cooked meats.

When published, it will be available to download from the BPEX website and a link will be included in a future BPEX Weekly.

Knowledge Transfer

Tip of the Week: Respiration

At rest our respiration rate should be about 25 breaths per minute, a sow’s respiration rate should be about 30. You can use breathing rate as a method of identifying distress in sows – stop to take time to observe sows, especially in the summer heat and in the farrowing rooms. A respiration rate much higher than 30 breaths per minute could indicate that the sow is distressed and needs your attention.

Tackle Swine Dysentery

The Swine Dysentery Producer Charter is an important health initiative supported by BPEX. Controlling Swine Dysentery (SD) has the potential to save producers thousands of pounds.

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 Swine Dysentery Producer Charter or to download related documents visit the SD section of the BPEX website.

Library Goes Live

The new online library of Action for Productivity sheets is now available on the BPEX website.

The sheets can be seen on an electronic revolving carousel and from there can be downloaded and printed. They can also be ordered in hard copy and there is a facility to take clippings of relevant sections of each one.

To see the library, click here.

On-Line Technical Report

The BPEX Annual Technical Report is now available to read on-line. The document is full of information about the technical side of the work done by BPEX including a number of case studies which can provide valuable information for producers. As it is a large document, it can be viewed in individual chapters so as not to jam up people’s computers. It can be accessed from the home page of the BPEX website by clicking here.

Technical Team Strengthened

The environment and animal health are important priorities for the pig industry and BPEX is investing in both areas to provide an even better service for producers and processors.

Two new members of staff have been recruited, a Veterinary Projects Manager and an Environment Projects Manager.

On the environment side, the post is being filled by Charles Baines who has had a wide range of experience first on a working pig farm and latterly advising on NVZ, IPPC food chain and pig movements.

On the veterinary side is Charlotte Evans who has hands-on experience having worked on a 1,000 sow indoor breeding unit and is currently finishing a PhD on the impact of respiratory disease on pig production.

BPEX Director Mick Sloyan said: “Both Charles and Charlotte have exactly the knowledge and experience we are looking for to make an impact within English pig businesses.”

“There is a great deal of work to be done in both fields and their addition to the team will bring great benefits to the industry.”

Improve Your Returns

Improving returns from finished pigs is vital to the success of any pig unit. Understanding and meeting the contract specification, and increasing the uniformity of finished pigs (see Action for Productivity 11) will help improve financial returns. Are you getting up to 85% of finished pigs in the optimum box? Do you weigh your pigs on a regular basis? Action for Productivity sheet 22 focuses on reviewing your contract, taking into account your location, pig production system and current grading. For more information and management guidelines click here to download the factsheet (hard copies can be obtained from kt@bpex.org.uk).

National News:

Lower Fat and Sugar Plans

The Food Standards Agency has launched a consultation on its proposals to introduce voluntary recommendations for food manufacturers for reductions in saturated fat and added sugar and increased availability of smaller single-portion sizes in a number of key foods - biscuits, cakes, pastries, buns, chocolate confectionery and soft drinks. For more information click here.

Industry Opposes Weaner Imports

Producers representing over a third of the British national pig herd have now voted in the NPA's poll on whether or not the British pig industry should welcome commercial weaners from the continent, or whether it should do its best to disrupt the trade.

Overwhelmingly producers are opposed to the trade because of the inherent disease risks and the majority are prepared to take action to protect the credentials of British pork.

Some respondents have called on the allied trades to refuse knowingly to supply any farmer who takes delivery of imported weaners. Some key announcements are expected on this front soon.

New EBLEX Director

Nick Allen has been appointed as the new director of EBLEX, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) announced today.

Nick will take up his post in October. He moves up from his current role as senior regional manager for the beef and lamb division of AHDB.

He joined MLC in 1998 as South East Regional Manager, crossing over to EBLEX when it was formed to manage the regional team. He has extensive knowledge in the sector and has first hand experience of managing a dairy herd and rearing beef.

Stand For Election

NPA Chairman Stewart Houston has made a plea for people to stand for election to the organisation. He said: "We have got some great talent in this industry.

"Some have already served on Producer Group to great effect, and some I hope to see serving in the future. Yes, prices are firm at present and it may seem as if we are set fair for the next year or two, but I can see some significant challenges on the horizon, so this is emphatically not a time when we can rest on our laurels.

"Producers are often modest people by nature and don't think they are cut out for representational politics. Does that sound like you? If so you might be surprised to know how others regard you.

"The chances are they will be delighted to see you enter the lists on behalf of your industry. So please... don't leave it to others. Don't ask what your industry can do for you, but in the words of John Kennedy, ask what you can do for your industry. Please download a nomination form today.

"I have a similar message for the allied trades. Your steadfast support of NPA since it was founded has been hugely appreciated by producers. How about going one step further and standing for election to the Allied Industry Group? We really do rely on your continued support."

International News:

EU GM Maize Proposal

The EU Commission was due to send three proposals to Council to authorise three different genetically modified for import, processing, food and feed uses, after Member States did not manage to reach qualified majority at SCoFCAH despite favourable scientific assessments from EFSA.

EFSA concluded that there was no risk to human or animal health or to the environment. However, Member States returned no definitive opinion, either for or against the proposal, during the SCoFCAH meeting. Therefore, the Commission must now send the dossiers to the Council for a decision. If the Council does not reach a position, the proposals will be sent back to the Commission for final adoption.

Environment Impact Survey

Eurobarometer has published a survey on European attitudes towards sustainable consumption which shows four out of five consider the environmental impact of the products they buy.

In the same survey Europeans were evenly divided about claims by producers on the environmental performance of their products while nearly half thought that a combination of increased taxes on environmentally-damaging products and decreased taxes on environmentally-friendly products would best promote eco-friendly products. There was also strong support for retailers to play a role in promoting environmentally-friendly products and for mandatory carbon labelling.

Here are the main results:

• an overwhelming majority of Europeans (83%) said the impact of a product on the environment plays an important aspect in their purchasing decisions.
• Some 46% of EU citizens thought that the best way to promote environmentally-friendly products would be to increase taxes on environmentally-damaging products and decrease taxes on environmentally-friendly products ( Britons were most in favour of such a double taxation system).
• Approximately half of EU citizens (49%) are strongly in favour of retailers promoting environmentally-friendly products by increasing the visibility of such products on their shelves or having a dedicated green corner in their store.
• Some 72% of EU citizens thought that a label indicating a product's carbon footprint should be mandatory in the future (at present no such scheme exists Europe-wide, but at the December 2008 Environment Council ministers invited the Commission to study the introduction of carbon footprint labelling.)

To see more, click here.

Water Cost Influences Closure

The cost of water and waste water in individual areas will have an influence on which Danish Crown slaughterhouses will be closed. Danish Crown has been in touch with the authorities in which the slaughterhouses are situated to get information on the expected cost of water and waste water over the next five years. These costs are rising fast and will be one of the factors in closure plans.

For more information from the Export Bulletin, click here.

H1N1 on Quebec Farm

The H1N1 virus has been identified and confirmed in a single pig on a farm in Quebec.

The case was discovered in the course of routine surveillance by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Animal Health and confirmed by a federal laboratory in Winnipeg.

"The herd is now completely restored. It should be emphasized that no further cases have been reported in pig farms in Quebec and there was no human case associated with the situation," according to the ministry statement.

The statement also noted that existing control measures in place at slaughter ensure only meat from healthy pigs is found in the food supply chain.

The ministry did not state what the cause of this most recent infection might have been.