Latest Feed Info

Markets have had a mixed week, over the week, nearby LIFFE Nov wheat fell £6/t to close Thursday at £98.5/t.

In the oilseed markets, EU rapeseed prices fell due to an expected record harvest, whilst US soyabean values rose from tight supplies and strong export demand. CBOT August soyabean prices were static this week at c. $404/t following the previous weeks rise of $42/t.

Through July, China is reported to have imported a record 4.82Mt of soyabean. In June the country imported 4.71Mt, 31% more than that imported in June 2008. The high level of demand has led to surges in CBOT soyabean and meal prices over the past week. China has also tried to sell its reserves of soyabeans into the domestic market, but prices have been quoted as too high compared to imported soyabean, and the sales have been unsuccessful.

For more, click here.

Marketing News

See Liz McLarnon

Liz is touring with the lovepork team from 14-16 September, demonstrating how to cook pork properly with a new selection of Autumn recipes. 

For a chance to be in the audience and see Liz and the team cook these seasonal dishes just answer a simple question online at www.lovepork.co.uk and be in with a chance of watching Liz at any one of six locations around the country. Enter now at www.lovepork.co.uk.

Autumn Recipes

But if you want to try the 6 seasonal recipes out now, which include Spicy Pumpkin Pork or Mini Pork & Pear Pies download the booklet by clicking here.

Looking For Magical Bangers

This years British Sausage Week Competition is opening for entries.  This year the mystery celebrity and British Sausage Week team are looking for the region’s most magical tasting bangers.  It could be that magical extra flavour, or the mystery of how it’s produced.  If you think your bangers are magical then the entry forms are available to download from www.britishsausageweek.com.

Knowledge Transfer

Tip of the Week: Mycotoxins

Be aware of mycotoxins and where they are likely to be found (see Action for Productivity 8), and make sure that feed bins are clean and in good repair. Poor feed and straw quality can be a real threat to the physical performance of both breeding and finishing herds. Whether purchasing compound feed or home mill & mixing, producers should be vigilant, particularly with the storage of feedstuffs and especially during the summer and autumn months.

NVZ Technical Helpline

The Environment Agency NVZ technical helpline has been a popular source of confidential help so the service has been extended until 31 March 2010. Call the helpline on (for England) 0845 345 1302 (Monday-Friday, 8am-6pm).

Following the success of the spring/early summer series of NVZ events the EA are planning more for later this year. Check farming and local press, click here or call 08708 506506 for information.

‘Guidance for Farmers in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones’ was produced by Defra and the EA. They’re available free of charge on Defra’s website and are supported by detailed questions and answers, available by clicking here.

Influenza Advice

Updated advice on influenza bringing together information from across the industry has just been published.

It was produced by BPEX working in conjunction with industry organisations and government and brings together all the existing advice on keeping seasonal flu out of pig units. Click here for further information.

Care of Finishing Pigs

Aimed at the senior stockperson or farm manager level, this course will provide focused and relevant information of practical use to pig keepers. The event is being organised by and held at Bishopton Vet Group on 19th August from 10am until 4.30pm (Cost £10). To book your place or for more information contact Sylvia: sylviat@bishoptonvets.co.uk or 01765 602396.

Swine Dysentery Charter

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.

Apologies if you tried to visit the SD page via the link given last week, you should now be able to access the page by clicking here.

National News:

NADIS Latest - Lime Washing

In recent years, lime washing of concrete surfaces – particularly those which are cracked or are difficult to clean fully with a power washer – has become a routine procedure as part of a drive to improve hygiene.

Powdered hydrated lime when mixed with water undergoes a chemical reaction which generates heat and raises the pH of the emulsion to 13-14 i.e. it is extremely caustic.

Not only does this mean that sensible precautions must be taken when mixing, handling and applying to avoid scalding of the skin, but also the reaction – which is itself temperature dependent - can take up to 3-4 days to complete. If pigs come into contact with it before it is ‘cured’, even if the surface is dry, scalding can occur particularly on the snout. The blisters and ulcers that result, are painful and potentially can become infected and mimic Foot and Mouth disease lesions. Always let lime wash cure before restocking a pen.

New Chair For AFS

Assured Food Standards (AFS), the organisation behind the Red Tractor logo, has appointed David Gregory as its new independent Chairman. He will join the board at the end of September and take on the role of Chairman from December 1st when Colin Smith will step down from the post at the end of his six-year term.

Barbecue Source

The RSPCA has launched a "BBQ Source" campaign after research revealed that shoppers are less likely to buy welfare-friendly produce for the barbecue.

A survey carried out for the RSPCA by YouGov revealed that over a quarter (28%) of consumers seek higher-welfare meat when doing a normal shop, but only one in six (17%) buy welfare-friendly produce for the barbecue.

The vast majority of respondents (72%) said that buying high-welfare would depend on price, and what was on special offer.

The RSPCA hopes that by providing information on sourcing welfare-friendly meat on a budget, it will encourage more people to buy ethically for their barbecues. To mark the launch of the campaign, the charity has therefore posted a shopping guide on its campaign website, www.giveanimalsavoice.org.uk, which features information on the key welfare issues affecting farm animals and tips on sourcing high-welfare.

Learning Resource

A new learning resource on housing systems for pigs has been launched at the open learning platform built for Q-PorkChains in collaboration with UNESCO. This link takes you to the platform www.porktraining.org.

The platform is including the following applications:

• Archive with a few existing open learning resources (interactive course materials, webcasting lectures and guidelines)
• Wiki for the pork sector that can be used in teaching
• Virtual community for teachers and trainers

Please, go ahead and use the platform. Submit new trainings, use existing learning resources, add terms to the wiki and write your comments in the virtual community.

Veterinary Report

The veterinary profession needs to rethink its relationship with farmers and with the government, and play a more positive and central role in ensuring food safety, according to an independent report to the UK government, the veterinary profession and the farming industry.

 “Unlocking potential, a report on veterinary expertise in food animal production”, is by Professor Philip Lowe, and draws on the deliberations of a working group that brought together Defra, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the British Veterinary Association and the Royal Veterinary College.

The report finds a widening gap between the perceptions of vets and farmers about the role of veterinary medicine. While many farm vets voice fears that farmers are increasingly unable to access vital services because of a tendency for newly-qualified practitioners to gravitate towards small animal practice, farmers are more inclined to regard vets as costly “quasi regulators” who add little value to their businesses.

To see the full report, click here.

International News:

Soya Supply Shortage?

With South American soya stocks nearly 20 million tonnes lower than usual, the EU food and feed industry will probably need to import some 7.5 million tonnes of US soybeans to cover demand from mid-Sept 2009 to March 2010 according to 9 EU food & feed organisations.

And with certain leading US exporters having already announced a freeze in exports to Europe because of the EU’s zero tolerance policy, they warn that the economic impact of the loss of all US soybean imports until March 2010 would be in the range of €3.5-€5 billion, given the EU need to import three-quarters of its vegetable protein requirements.

Greenhouse Gas Row

The American Meat Institute is taking exception to a recent commentary in the Washington Post that indicated the livestock sector is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.

Ezra Klein's commentary "The Meat of the Problem" (Food, July 29) was "inaccurate and not scientifically based," AMI President and CEO J. Patrick Boyle wrote in a recently published letter to the editor in the Washington Post.

Boyle's letter asserted that Klein's use of the U.N. report "Livestock's Long Shadow" as the foundation for his assertion that the livestock sector is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide missed the mark, noting that a 2007 Environmental Protection Agency report concluded that only 2.8 percent of U.S. GHG emissions came from animal agriculture.

FMD in Colombia

The veterinary authorities have reported an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

The Colombian veterinary authority sent an Immediate Notification to OIE dated 4 August.

The report covers the discovery of FMD in a group of pigs at a local slaughterhouse of Ipiales in the state of Nariño, which is in the south-west of the country, just 5 km from the border with Ecuador.

Tyson Results

A profitable third quarter for Tyson Foods, thanks largely to a strong performance in its chicken business, had company executives in a good mood, but they remain cautious about market dynamics going forward.

Tyson said operational improvements are paying off as third-quarter results showed profitability in chicken, beef and pork, but the summer's over, and overall soft demand for meat is still a looming challenge.

Export Bulletin

Following statements from McDonalds and Burger King in the Netherlands and Belgium that they will refrain from using meat from pigs that have been castrated without being anaesthetised, their German counterparts have now said that from 2011 at the latest, they won’t be using any pig meat from castrated animals. McDonald’s expects the German producers should be able to supply enough pig meat from non-castrated animals by then. For more, click here.

International Prices

For the latest International Prices, click here.

Piggy Footy Matches

Pigs at a wildlife park are showing four legs really are better than two, by taking on the challenge of football.

The budding Beckhams at Woodside Wildlife and Falconry Park, near Langworth, Lincoln, show off their ball skills in a daily demonstration for visitors.

The idea, one step on from the pig racing the park currently offers, is proving a hit with the public, who help man the goals themselves.

Andrew Reeve, head keeper at the park, said the pigs play with a special ball that leaks feed as it rolls, encouraging them to move it around.

He said the highly-intelligent animals' matches are getting faster and faster as they learn the best tricks to get their treats.