BPEX Weekly: March 26, 2010

Marketing News

Bacon Week Highlights

The trade sector winners of the Bring Home the Bacon competition were awarded their trophies on Monday 22, at the Butchers Hall, London. The winners were:

• Foodservice Supplier – The Country Butcher with their Bramley Apple & Calvados Bacon who was also crowned the Overall Winner for the Week.
• Multiple Retailer – M&S (Cranswick) with their Outdoor Bred British Smoked Dry Cured Streaky Bacon
• Independent Butcher – Boxleys of Wombourne with their Traditional Dry Cured Back Bacon. For full press release and info of all finalists and winners click here.

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Radio Responses

Sarah Kennedy commented about the week on Monday morning along with Chris Evans.  LIPs did a sterling job, dropping off bacon sarnies to radio presenters around the country. Some even managed to get into the studio and do interviews, Jane Drew on BBC Oxford, Anne Sheddon and Jill Piercy on Minster FM, Rita Wells on Stray FM and Barbara Hardy on Manchester Rock FM.

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Philip Schofield was presented with a bacontrait, which he talked about on This Morning, see clip, and also Tweeted his appreciation on Twitter, which received a number of responses/comments.

TV appearances this week of Anton were on Market Kitchen, Alan Titmarsh Show, Live from Studio 5 and Angela Friends.  Copies of the clips will be uploaded to Youtube in due course.

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The last stop on the 2009/10 season of BPEX Roadshows ended on a high with an impressive turnout from butchers at the South of England Showground.

It was William Dyer Ltd from Ashtead who was crowned Overall Champion for the South of England, with a ‘Hot Pot’ ready meal. For the butchers it was a fantastic start to their competition career; not only was it their first time taking part in the BPEX product evaluation event but their second competition entry ever.

Steve Jones from William Dyer collected the award on the night, he said: “We’re delighted and never expected to do so well. Our customers are always giving us great feedback on our pies and ready meals, so we thought it was about time we started putting them to the industry test.

“In total we came away with three gold and two silver awards and then of course, the category and overall champion award for our ready meal, which is such a great boost for the shop."

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Knowledge Transfer

Condition Scoring Sows

Managing sow body condition so that there are no large swings in body weight loss or gain is key to producing a sow with good fecundity and longevity. Monitor sow body condition on entry to the farrowing department, approximately 18-21days into lactation to check she is not losing too much condition, at weaning and then half way through gestation. This will provide you with information about the condition and feed allocation during the whole reproductive cycle and highlight areas that require more attention.

Aim to achieve an optimal average condition score of 3 throughout the breeding herd. See Action for Productivity 20 (Condition Scoring Sows) for more information.

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Two new Action for Productivity sheets are now available from BPEX. The latest factsheets cover Gilt Management (no. 27) and Pleurisy (no. 28).

Good management and selection of gilts is fundamental for maintaining a productive herd. At any time 20 – 25% of production should be from gilts. A typical 45% replacement rate means that nearly half the herd will have been replaced during the year. Performance from, and management of, this parity therefore, has a large impact on overall productivity and profitability.

After enzootic pneumonia-type lesions, pleurisy is the second most common reason for condemnations of pigs at abattoirs. Over 12% of pigs and 68% of English herds are affected. Pleurisy reduces daily liveweight gain resulting in lighter carcases and/or an increase in the number of days to slaughter. At the abattoir costs of disposal are increased and line speeds are reduced, increasing processing costs. Losses from pleurisy can be as high as £2.30 per pig, for a typical batch where 1 in 10 of pigs has pleurisy.

To receive a copy of either of these new factsheets call or email BPEX, or speak to your local KT manager. Email: [email protected] Tel. 02476 478793.

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Pig unit ventilation is under the spotlight in a new DVD from BPEX. The aim is to help pig producers identify ventilation-related problems and, more importantly, provide practical solutions.

It is presented by John Chambers of J C Consulting, who has been trouble-shooting problems caused by poor ventilation for many years. Ventilation systems have a significant impact on the health, behaviour and performance of pigs at every stage of production – it is not to be underestimated.

BPEX Head of Knowledge Transfer (KT) Dr Mike Varley said: “Producers often rely on trial and error to tackle the challenge of ventilation on their units. But it is best to seek specialist advice as early as possible. BPEX wants all producers to benefit from greater understanding of the subject and the DVD will help achieve that.” The regional KT managers are also running ventilation workshops for producers throughout the spring.

Nottinghamshire pig producer Michael Hatton attended a BPEX ventilation workshop at his local pig club and said afterwards: “I decided to explore my options further for a new building and asked for advice from a ventilation specialist. We also reviewed the existing systems at the same time.”

Ventilation systems are usually scrutinised when a new building is put up but they must also be regularly checked and maintained throughout the life of the building. On the DVD John Chambers explains what an effective pig unit ventilation system should do and how to maintain and run it. Importantly, it provides the information and advice to help producers assess their own units and make informed decisions about ventilation.

Copies of the DVD are available from BPEX regional Knowledge Transfer Managers or by e-mailing [email protected] or calling 02476 478793.

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This meeting is aimed at commercial pig stockpeople covering practical and legal issues relating to pig dispatch throughout all age groups of pigs, with a pig specialist vet and the Humane Slaughter Association.

The workshop is taking place at Larkmead Vet Practice, Cholsey, OX10 9PA, on 21 April, starting at 3pm. To register, or for more details, contact Helen Thoday: 07973 701202 [email protected].

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The date is set for the next Introduction to the Industry day: Thursday 29th April 2010 at the College of West Anglia, Milton, Cambridge.

BPEX has organised the event for people who work alongside the pig industry and wish to improve their knowledge of practical pig production systems. The financial aspects of pig production and the current legislative requirements that producers face in today’s industry will also be discussed. Delegates at previous Introduction to the Industry days have come from a range of organisations including Animal Health, Environment Agency, Health and Safety Executive and the BBC. By the end of the day delegates will have an understanding of:

• general pig industry systems
• regulatory requirements (health and safety, welfare, environmental controls)
• biosecurity in the pig industry
• current challenges faced by the industry
• the proactive measures the industry is taking to help themselves. 

Spaces on the course are limited to 15 per course, as the day includes a Farm Walk, and will be allocated strictly on a first come first served basis. Should this course be over subscribed, BPEX will be happy to arrange more events in the near future.

Please confirm your attendance by email to [email protected] by Monday 19 April 2010.

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Farmers Weekly is looking for nominees for its 2010 Farmers Weekly awards. Past winners of the “Pig Farmer of the Year” award include Andrew Freemantle of Kenniford Farm, Devon and Martin Barker of Midland Pigs. Could it be you or someone you know this year? If you know one of the best pig farmers in the country, now is the time to give them the recognition they deserve. By telling the farmers’ stories the awards aim to help spread best practice, inspire others and influence the public about the role that farmers play in today’s society.

Nominating is simple and takes just a few minute by clicking on this link It simply requires you to enter contact details and a reason why you are nominating that person.

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New Assurance Standards

Red Tractor Assurance Scheme standards for manipulable material for pigs have been changed and will come in on 1 April 2010.

BPEX has produced a short introductory guide to help ensure that you comply with the new standards.  The guide will help assess some of the options depending on the system you have. More information and advice on enrichment toys and manipulable materials will be available from May 2010 and at the British Pig and Poultry Fair.

The revised standards – Red Tractor Farm Assurance, Section AH.1.1 – include the following:

• Chains alone are not acceptable
• Tyres are not acceptable as some may contain wire which could hurt the pigs
• Objects must be shown to be of interest to the pigs – i.e. not fouled
• Objects must be within the pigs’ reach

To download the guide, please click here.

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National News:

New Livery for LIPs Van

The van used by Ladies In Pigs (LIPs) for their work around the country has undergone a transformation.

The van, brightly decked in Quality Standard Mark logos has been completely repainted to reflect the change to the Red Tractor logo, though the standards underpinning it all are unchanged.

Pork that carries the Red Tractor logo has been sourced from assured pig farms and is independently audited for animal welfare, food safety and quality at every stage of the supply chain.

The ladies of LIPs can be seen at agricultural shows and the like all around the country promoting Red Tractor pork by giving cookery demonstrations and tastings.

LIPs chairman Sue Woodall said: "The van has given sterling service but was starting to look a little tired after visiting hundreds of show over the years.

"The repaint with new logos and graphics has made a real difference and will, I’m sure, serve us very well for many years to come."

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Meat-packing business Hilton Food Group said it had appointed Sir David Naish as chairman following the death of Gordon Summerfield. Sir David, a former president of the National Farmers’ Union, has been a non-executive director at the Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire firm since 2007.

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The Food Standards Agency has published a response to the report into an e coli outbreak in Wales. While this report concerned the outbreak in South Wales, the Agency is addressing its recommendations on a UK-wide basis, looking at all major causes of foodborne illness, not just E.coli.

Click here for more.

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Ministers have been accused of showing a lack of leadership by failing to ensure their departments buy British food.

Shadow environment secretary Nick Herbert said it was time for a Government which "cares about British farming" as he pointed to recent figures showing a drop in the amount of homegrown food procured by Whitehall.

Food and Farming Minister Jim Fitzpatrick conceded there was "room for improvement" but insisted "good progress" was being made on the issue.

During Commons question time, Mr Herbert highlighted recent statistics showing 65% of food bought by Whitehall in 2008-09 came from UK farms, compared to 66% the previous year.

He said: "The figures show that the Government is sourcing a declining proportion of British food – less British poultry, less British beef, less British lamb, less British pork.

"Some departments are not buying a single rasher of British bacon. What kind of leadership and example does it show when this Government purchases a lower proportion of British food than the rest of the country as a whole?

"Isn’t it time that we had a Government which cares about British farming and will only buy food to sustainable British standards?"

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Latest BPHS Dates

Below are the latest BPHS assessment dates.

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

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International News:

Dutch Face 2013 Problems

A study has been published on the financial feasibility of welfare and environmental regulations in the Netherlands. Since 2013 is a mile stone for the pig sector – the transition period for a handful of regulations will expire then – the government wanted to know the impact of these regulations on the viability of the Dutch pig sector. The study shows more than half of the pig farms are not able to meet the requirements, due to financing troubles.

To read the report, click here. The report is in Dutch but with an English summary.

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Following a request from The European Commission, the Panel on Animal Health and Welfare was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on African Swine Fever and to assess:

• the significance of the occurrence and risk of endemicity of ASF in the countries neighbouring the EU
• the possibility of ASF becoming endemic in domestic pigs and to maintaining itself in a wild boar population in the EU, keeping in mind the differences in virulence of ASF virus strains, in particular the virus strains which  are now endemic in the Caucasus region;
• the role played by vectors in the spread and the maintenance of ASF and provide geographical information and maps of Member States displaying the geographical distribution of Ornithodoros erraticus as well as other potential invertebrate hosts.

According to EFSA’s findings, the risk of ASFV becoming endemic in the wild boar population in the EU is moderate.

EFSA recommends:

• the setting up of an integrated strategy involving Trans-caucasian countries, the Russian Federation and the EU to facilitate the trans-boundary control of ASF
• Developing a specific ASF eradication strategy for backyard holdings in Trans-caucasian countries, the Russian Federation and the EU
• Promoting knowledge and implementation of biosecurity principles , including mechanisms to reduce or prevent contact between domestic pigs and wild boar
• Increasing the awareness of both pig farmers and veterinarians of the risk of ASF especially in limited and free-range production sectors should be increased. Inform farmers about the potential origin of infected products.
• Enhancing the enforcement of the EU legislation on destruction and disposal of waste food from international means of transport, e.g. by increasing the awareness of the official veterinarians at the MS Border Inspection Posts.

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A global leader in animal health will be created as Merial merges with Intervet/Schering-Plough. The new joint venture will be equally owned by Merck & Co., Inc. (Intervet/Schering Plough) and sanofi-aventis (Merial). The formation of this new animal health joint venture is subject to execution of final agreements, antitrust review in the United States, Europe and other countries and other customary closing conditions. The completion of the transaction is expected to occur in approximately the next 12 months.

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The Danes fear loose housing of sows could see a quarter of them disappear on the island of Bornholm over the next four years. The blame is being laid at the door of the EU requirement that sows should be in loose housing as of 2013, according to the latest Export Bulletin. It means that every fourth pig on Bornholm – equivalent to 100,000 – will disappear, should the old stables not be renovated. However, it is not affordable and it is not possible to get the investment financed because of the economic crisis in the farming sector. Should production fall too much it may mean Danish Crown will have to close the slaughterhouse on the island. To read the full bulletin, click here.

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For the latest international prices, click here.

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