BPEX Weekly: 22 October 2010

Marketing News

Pigs Are Still Worth it! Website Now Live!

A one stop shop for the campaign and all press activity and features. The site replaces the previous Pigs are Worth it! Site. As the campaign progresses, the latest Dapp and COP figures will be featured along with new reports or articles as they are produced. Go to http://www.pigsarestillworthit.co.uk/ for more info.

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British Sausage Week Update – 1 week to go!

The website, www.britishsausageweek.com, has been updated with new areas and some fun activities to encourage interest and awareness of the week. These include the option to comment on Facebook and Twitter, to enter a Sausage and Mash sculpture competition or to vote on which region has the most favourite sausage. Go to www.britishsausageweek.com to join in.

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Results from the East Anglia Butchers Roadshow

Two generations from Bradwell Butchery, Bakery & Delicatessen, Norfolk proved that they have a winning combination. Andrew and Megan Edmonds were thrilled to walk away with five of the twelve category champion awards, including the Young Sausage Maker award. Furthermore, Andrew was crowned Overall Champion for East Anglia with his ‘Hand Raised Pork Pie’ while Megan goes forward to the Champion of Champions event with her ‘Pork with Sage and Apple Sausage’. They were two of over 60 superb products put forward for evaluation at the event held in Sawbridgeworth, Herts on 20 October. Butchers from the region came together for feedback from the expert judges and left with a total of 58 awards between them; nearly half of which were gold. The next roadshow will be held at Harrogate Showground on 17 Nov 2010. If you wish to enter, download an entry form at www.porkforbutchers.co.uk.

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Knowledge Transfer

Tip of the Week: Ventilation

Check lagging around pipes and that ventilation systems are working; are the ACNV curtains operational, are flaps in the correct position, are there draughts? See Action for Productivity 21 for more information.

A DVD has also been produced by BPEX to help pig producers identify ventilation-related problems and, more importantly, provide practical solutions. To request a copy (free of charge to English levy payers) contact BPEX: 0247 647 8792 or [email protected].

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Midlands Training Initiative

Pig producers in the Midlands have a jam-packed training programme!

The new Midlands Training Initiative started right at the beginning, with training on the oestrus cycle – weaning to conception.

Led by vet David Chennells and BPEX KT Manager Angela Cliff, the session highlighted good management of the sow post-weaning and heat detection procedures. The group also focused on the detail of insemination itself, learning about technique and timing of inseminations, boar management and looking after the sow post-AI. The 16 trainees were then put to the test at the end of the afternoon with a quiz.

The programme continues throughout the autumn with a workshop on pregnancy establishment, followed by Pig Club meetings on risk management when buying feed and focusing on the breeding herd to achieve the Tow Tonne Sow (2TS) target.

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IPPC Workshop

BPEX is holding a workshop on IPPC for farm staff and managers within Lincolnshire and its surrounding operating pig farms. The event will be split into two sessions:

• Session 1; What is involved and the latest position – Primarily for stock workers and new members of staff who may have received no formal IPPC training
• Session 2; Update, audits, non compliances, interpretation, Q & A – For owners and managers responsible for implementing IPPC.

The workshops will be led by Nigel Penlington, BPEX Environment Programmes Manager and will be held at Uncle Henry’s, Grayingham Grange, Grayingham, Gainsborough on the 16th November 2010.

For more information or to register, contact Clancy Smith on 0247 647 8792 or [email protected]

Download the event flyer here.

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AI Video

A new video has been produced covering basic laboratory techniques for those involved in DIY artificial insemination.

The video has been produced by BPEX and is available on-line. Following the steps will help produce good quality AI and overcome common problems when using the microscope and assessing semen quality.

To see the video, click here.

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Anaerobic Digestion Workshops

The AD plant is currently in biological commissioning – it has been filled with slurry and feedstocks and the anaerobic digestion process has started.

A series of workshops is planned starting in December, including a tour of the Cockle Park plant. A number of experts from within the Industry together with Newcastle University staff will provide an insight into Anaerobic Digestion and help to unravel some of the mysteries and complexities surrounding this technology. This outreach programme is being funded by the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE).

Click here to download the flyer.

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National News:

ASA Complaint

Waitrose has had a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority upheld over an advertisement for outdoor bred pork which the ASA said could be misleading.

The advertisement featured Heston Blumenthal and Delia Smith and the ASA said viewers were likely to understand ‘outdoor bred’ to mean that the pigs that were used to produce the product spent the duration of their lives outdoors.

BPEX Head of Marketing Chris Lamb said: "Waitrose is one of the leaders in supporting the British pig industry and also in ensuring there is clear and unambiguous labelling on-pack.”

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Electronic Pig movements

Pig producers and abattoirs are saving time and money with the new BPEX electronic pig movement project, known in short as eAML2. And, for the first time, it means the industry will have a realistic herd register to enable better communication and control in the event of disease outbreak.

The system is currently being trialled in all assured abattoirs and will go live across the industry in April 2011 for England and Wales. It has combined the Animal Movement Licence (AML2) and Food Chain Information (FCI) forms – required when pigs are moved from farm to slaughter – and made the whole process electronic.

Dorothea Schiemann of BPEX said: “The producer fills in details of his consignment online before sending them for slaughter and the abattoir is emailed the information automatically early in the morning before the pigs arrive.

“As before, the abattoir confirms the number of pigs received, any pigs dead on arrival (DOAs) and the consignment’s unloading time. Only now the information will be submitted online, which is quicker than handling the paper forms.

“The information is automatically uploaded to the central government database and a copy is sent to the Local Authority, so there is no longer a need for abattoirs to post AML2 forms.

“Producers are also finding it saves them time during Trading Standards audits. What might normally take an hour now only takes 15 minutes: movement licences can all be seen at once on the producer’s computer screen so there is no need to faff about with paper licences.”

In time, it will also be possible for third party agents, such as marketing groups, to enter movements onto the system for producers who are uncomfortable with using the internet. The project also has the full support of the British Pig Association.

The next stage is to recruit independent abattoirs to join the trial in October. At the moment, the project covers farm to slaughter movements only, with farm to farm and farm to market/show to follow in due course. The system is funded by DEFRA and is free to use – all that is needed is a PC and internet access.

For more information visit www.eaml2.org.uk.

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Freedom of Information?

Defra has launched a 30-day informal consultation on the public’s right to know about environment matters.

IPPC legislation requires information about pig and poultry permit-holders — including their location — be made available to the public. The pig industry says this is sensitive information and could be misused.

Defra has produced a draft report giving examples of work the government has undertaken to give the general public access to environmental information. Click here: Defra consultation.

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NADIS Latest

Since the increase in popularity of on farm AI, the old problems of excessive and under use of a boar have been less in focus. 

However, some producers are returning to natural service, particularly in conjunction with AI and the old standards for use of boars should not be ignored:

No more than two matings in a 24-hour period should occur and where they do at least a further 24-hour rest is recommended. For mature boars, aim to spread matings out through the week.

Minimum use for working boars should be once per week and if a prolonged rest occurs (more than 14 days) the first mating should not be relied upon.

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Latest BPHS Dates

Assessment dates for June to December 2010 in all participating abattoirs have been published and are available on the BPEX website.

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International News:

US Exports Grow

August pork exports from the USA grew 9 percent in volume and 16 percent in value over last year, totalling 146,459 metric tons valued at $369 million.

January-August exports totalled 1.244 million metric tons valued at $3.11 billion. The volume is 3 percent higher than 2009. The value climbed 9 percent over last year and is only 3 percent off the record pace of 2008.

Mexico ($644 million, up 32 percent) and Canada ($409 million, up 25 percent) led pork export value growth, but exports to Japan also rose 3 percent in value to $1.09 billion.

Pork export value was $40.87 per head in August, up from $34.50 last year. For January-August, export value was $43.92, compared with $38.79 last year.

Exports were 22.4 percent of total pork production in August and nearly 24 percent for the year, both representing slight gains from August 2009 (20 percent) and January-August 2009 (22.4 percent).

For complete January-August statistics, click here.

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Beglian Industry Shrinks

The number of farms with pigs in Belgium has shrunk by 4.6% compared with last year.

A provisional count showed the country has 5,879 farms, of which 5,125 were in Flanders, the northern part of the country – which mostly consists of flat countryside.

The total number of pigs, however, grew slightly by 1.2% to almost 6.4 million animals. The majority of this number, more than six million, can also be found in Flanders. The greatest growth was seen in finishing pigs.

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Meat on Monday Campaign

Two agriculture-related student organizations at the University of Arkansas combined efforts to coordinate "Meat on Monday," an event promoting the consumption of meat, beef, chicken and pork as part of a healthy diet.

Students belonging to the UA Block and Bridle club and the UA Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow club distributed free packets of beef jerky at various locations on campus as well as at the State Fair in Little Rock last week.

Naming the campaign “Meat on Monday” was a takeoff on the “Meatless Monday” campaign launched by a nonprofit group in 2003 and aimed at reducing meat consumption.

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Skills Shortage Addressed

MPs are being asked to sign an Early Day Motion calling upon the Government to address skills shortages in the food sector and recognise the importance of the food supply sector in its policy making.

Andrew George MP and sector skills councils Lantra, Improve Limited and Skillsmart Retail launched the EDM following a parliamentary reception addressing the issue last week.

Nearly 100 MPs, civil servants and industry leaders attended the event on the Terrace at the House of Commons.

Speaking at the event Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Jim Paice said: “It’s important we get the right skill set for today and also for tomorrow. I want to see this industry raise its profile as one with a huge economic impact; and as an industry of huge social importance.”

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EU Cloning Ban

A five-year ban on cloning animals for food in Europe was proposed today – a move designed to give legal clarity for the first time to the cloning controversy.

The cloning technique is currently not used in Europe for food production, but the European Commission said its proposal was a response to calls from MEPs and EU governments to develop a specific EU policy on a "sensitive" issue.

"I believe that the temporary suspension of animal cloning for food production constitutes a realistic and feasible solution to respond to the present welfare concerns," said Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner John Dalli.

He said the suspension would not affect animal cloning for research, the conservation of endangered species or the use of animals for the production of pharmaceuticals.

More than two years ago MEPs voted for a total ban on cloning and EU ministers asked the commission for a detailed study.

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EU in Figures

The statistical office of the European Union has released a new publication "The EU in the world – a statistical portrait". This publication paints a picture of the EU in relation to the rest of the world using a range of harmonised European and international statistics. It covers a wide range of socio-economic fields, of which there is some interesting data on trade that you will be able to find p39-48.

It shows:

– There has been a rapid increase in the growth of Chinese exports over the past decade: while the EU-27 exported 3.7 times as many goods as China (in value terms) in 1999, this ratio fell to 1.3 times as many by 2009; China overtook the United States to become the world’s second largest exporter.

Chinese exports in 2009 were 4.7 times as high as in 1999, while exports from Russia, Turkey, India and Brazil were at least two times as high. In contrast, the EU-27, Canada, the United States and Japan all reported relatively subdued export growth.

– The world GDP was 41 200 billion euro in 2008. The EU, with a GDP of 12 500 bn, accounted for 30% of the total, compared with 23% for the United States, 8% for Japan and 7% for China.
– The EU (1 090 bn euro) was the largest exporter of goods in 2009, followed by China (860 bn) and the United States (760 bn).
– The EU (1 200 bn) was also the largest importer of goods in 2009, followed by the United States (1 150 bn) and China (720 bn).

– The EU-27 ran a trade deficit for goods equal to EUR 105 252 million in 2009; this was the second largest deficit among the G-20 countries, behind that recorded for the United States (EUR 390 869 million).

– During the period 2005-2008 there was annual growth of around 10% in the value of world trade in agricultural goods. The EU-27 remained the largest global importer and exporter of agricultural goods:

it was generally a net importer of raw products such as tropical fruits, oilseeds and oils, fruit and vegetables, while trade in livestock and cereals was quite balanced. The dairy and processed products sectors registered trade surpluses, in particular for food preparations and alcoholic beverages (mainly spirits and wine).

Click here for the full document.

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Welfare Workshop

The European Commission is organising its second workshop on pig welfare on November 11, 2010. It will be held in Parma. BPEX and NPA Steward Houston will participate as a speaker.

Programme includes topics such as group housing, animal welfare indicators for pigs, share of experiences (Italy, Spain, US) and indications of Commission’s intentions for the future.
For more information, click here.

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Export Report

Click here to view the export report.

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International Prices

For the latest international prices, click here.

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