World Hog news:

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Monday, March 02, 2009Print This Page
Boars Live Longer in Top Herds
JAPAN - Koketsu and Sasaki have published a study into boar culling and mortality in commercial herds. On average, they found that boars were culled or died aged two years and eight months, having been in the breeding herd for just over two years and one month. Boars in high-performing herds entered the breeding herd earlier and were retained longer than in average herds.



Koketsu and Sasaki from Meiji University in Japan have published a study into boar culling and mortality in commercial breeding herds in the journal, Theriogenology.

The objectives of this study were:

to measure culling rate and mortality rate of boars
to compare boar life day (BLD: days from birth date to removal date), boar herd life day (BHLD: days from herd entry date to removal date) and herd entry age of boars between high-performing herds and ordinary herds (herd groups)
to examine herd measurements for BLD, BHLD and boar age at herd entry, and
to observe removal patterns and survival curves for boars by herd groups.
This study used 2474 records of individual boars born in 108 herds from 2000 to 2003. Two herd groups were formed on the basis of the upper 25th percentile of pigs weaned per mated female per year (2001-2005). Mixed-effects models and survival analysis were performed.

Means of BLD and BHLD (± SEM) were 984 ± 9.5 and 781 ± 8.4 days, respectively.

Annual culling rate and mortality rate were 0.411 and 0.035 boars per 365 BHLD, respectively.

Boars in high-performing herds had 51 higher BLD and 62 higher BHLD than those in ordinary herds (P<0.01).

Boars came into high-performing herds 32 days younger than into ordinary herds (P<0.01).

Herd mortality and herd size were not associated with BLD or BHLD.

The hazards in survival analysis were associated with herd groups (P<0.05).

Measurements in the present study provide benchmarks for boar removal in commercial herds, the authors concluded.

Reference
Koketsu Y, Sasaki Y. 2009. Boar culling and mortality in commercial swine breeding herds. Theriogenology. 2009 Feb 20. [Epub ahead of print]

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Monday, March 02, 2009Print This Page
Crisis Meeting over Danish Crown Urged
DENMARK - Trade union officials have called for a crisis meeting over the state of Danish Crown.


The officials see the decision to close two more plants and tio scale down a third as undermining the viability of Denmark's pigmeat industry.

They have accused farmers who send their pigs to Germany to escape Danish Crown's low prices of "lacking solidarity.

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Monday, March 02, 2009Print This Page
PRRS Hits Three Vietnamese Provinces
VIET NAM - A blue-ear epidemic in pigs is developing in three Vietnamese provinces, resulting in nearly a thousand of pigs being infected with the blue-ear virus, said the Department of Animal Health under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development today.



In northern province Quang Ninh, the disease infected about 50 pigs raised on two local farms, said the department.

In central province Quang Nam, the virus is plaguing pig farms in 20 communes of four districts, causing the culling of nearly 700 pigs, said the department.

Meanwhile the disease broke out recently in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu, infecting 13 pigs with the blue-ear virus, said the department.

The ministry vows to speed up measures to prevent diseases in livestock this year.

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Tuesday, March 03, 2009Print This Page
EU Pig Prices: Germany Left Out in the Cold
EU - This week witnesses an overall positive trend in the European slaughter pig market.

 

Some of the quotations are in a position to noticeably get a move on. Spain is a step ahead of the others, reporting a corrected 6 cents’ plus. Even in the Netherlands the quotation increased by a corrected 3 cents, thus clearly starting to close the last weeks’ above-average gap towards Germany.

The German price level was outrun by the French price, which also went up considerably. Demand improved in Poland as well, so the quotation there noticeably increased. With its corrected 1.27 euros per kg slaughter weight, it is drawing near again to the local price level.

In other countries, too, a plus was realised, as, for instance, in Belgium and Great Britain. Denmark and Austria were reported to have come to “German conditions”, which means that prices there remained unchanged. The Swedish quotation remained steady also; however it turns out to be weaker with regard to the corrected version for exchange-loss reasons.

Trend: During the week, there will be lower quantities of slaughter pigs being on offer throughout Europe. The consumers’ having a little more money left in their pockets at the beginning of the new month might have a stimulating effect on the demand for meat. The price increase is approaching.

Week D NL DK B F PL CZ IT ESP AUT GB SWE IR
3 Week 1,306 € 1,289 € 1,267 € 1,255 € 1,250 € 1,425 € 1,442 € 1,494 € 1,316 € 1,300 € 1,464 € 1,147 € 1,329 €
4 Week 1,306 € 1,289 € 1,240 € 1,255 € 1,250 € 1,294 € 1,360 € 1,481 € 1,284 € 1,300 € 1,473 € 1,175 € 1,329 €
5 Week 1,306 € 1,289 € 1,214 € 1,279 € 1,249 € 1,289 € 1,354 € 1,481 € 1,284 € 1,330 € 1,396 € 1,158 € 1,291 €
6 Week 1,306 € 1,270 € 1,213 € 1,255 € 1,250 € 1,261 € 1,327 € 1,354 € 1,284 € 1,300 € 1,480 € 1,183 € 1,291 €
7 Week 1,306 € 1,270 € 1,187 € 1,255 € 1,259 € 1,278 € 1,334 € 1,354 € 1,297 € 1,300 € 1,527 € 1,188 € 1,329 €
8 Week 1,306 € 1,251 € 1,186 € 1,230 € 1,300 € 1,214 € 1,261 € 1,291 € 1,335 € 1,300 € 1,525 € 1,167 € 1,367 €
9 Week 1,306 € 1,251 € 1,187 € 1,230 € 1,302 € 1,271 €   1,266 € 1,392 € 1,300 € 1,552 € 1,132 €   
10 Week 1,306 € 1,280 € 1,187 € 1,255 € 1,330 €     1,266 € 1,449 € 1,300 € 1,541 € 1,093 €   




Explanation
1corrected quotation: The official Quotations of the different countries are corrected, so that each quotation has the same base (conditions).
base: 56 per cent lean-meat-percentage; farm-gate-price; 79 per cent killing-out-percentage, without value-added-tax (VAT)

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Tuesday, March 03, 2009Print This Page
Duties on Pork and Poultry Increased
RUSSIA - The Russian Government issued a resolution at the end of last year covers changes to quotas and duties on imported beef, pork and poultry meat. This is a USDA Foreign Agricultural Service GAIN Report subtitled Import Poultry and Meat Duties and Volumes Changed for 2009, dated December 2008 but released last month.

 

The Russian Government issued a Resolution #918 on temporary import duties for certain varieties of beef, pork and poultry meat. Duties were sharply increased on imports of pork and poultry meat that exceed the tariff rate quotas in 2009, but lowered the duty on over quota beef imports.

Meat market experts worry that growth of over quota duties on pork and poultry in combination with reduction of poultry TRQ volume may result in an increase in the retail prices of meat and poultry in Russia and reduce its availability for consumers.

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Wednesday, March 04, 2009Print This Page
Recession Consumer Chickens Out of Pork
CHINA - Meat-eaters are "trading down" from beef and pork in favour of chicken as consumers pare their food costs, according to the chairman of grocery chain Safeway Inc and analysts at Deutsche Bank AG.



The switch will squeeze beef and pork producers, while chicken sellers may gain from the quest for "cheaper protein", Deutsche Bank said in its "Monthly Mouthful" report. Still, poultry prices face pressure as rising protectionism and global recession make global trade more competitive, the report said.

"We're seeing more shifts in the meat category to cheaper meats - ground beef and chicken - than we saw earlier in the year," said Safeway Chairman Steven Burd. There is "trading down virtually across the board" in retail and even "on-retail products", he said during the Pleasanton, California-based company's earnings teleconference on 26 February.

"Diminishing demand for hogs and cattle have led to ample market-ready animal supplies, despite liquidation efforts," Deutsche Bank analysts including Christina McGlone wrote in the 24 February report.

In addition to lower demand for beef, the slaughter of dairy cows is set to increase in 2009, as farmers look to cut costs.

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Wednesday, March 04, 2009Print This Page
NZ Not Up to British Pig Farming Standard
NEW ZEALAND - New Zealand consumers are confused about the welfare of pigs reared in their country, following the latest Jamie Oliver expose about pork farming (TV One, Tuesday, 24 February 8.30pm).



The British pig farming standards exceed ours here in New Zealand, with Britain having a 100 per cent ban on the use of sow stalls (or sow crates).

Gregor Fyfe, from Freedom Farms comments, "Jamie reassured viewers that it was okay to buy British pork because pig farmers don't use sow crates, but unfortunately many New Zealanders appear to have made the incorrect assumption that New Zealand farmed pork is fine as well."

"This is absolutely not the case, and New Zealand consumers need to know that a large number of our pig farmers use sow crates."

There is only one way that consumers can be sure that the bacon and pork they are buying and eating has been reared without the use of sow crates, and that is to only buy products labelled "free farmed".

[mikey]

Wednesday, March 04, 2009Print This Page
First Nucleus Stock Sent from Belgium to Ukraine
GLOBAL - Elita Farms and Rattlerow Seghers have signed an agreement to develop Ukrainian pig production, and the first shipment of animals has now arrived in quarantine.



In January 2009, Rattlerow Seghers delivered 192 high health nucleus breeding stock from Belgium to Elita Farms in the Ukraine. This is the first delivery of a complete nucleus collaboration program between both companies and is the first shipment ever of breeding stock from the Benelux to the Ukraine. Government institutes of both countries worked closely together to get this delivery done.



From left to right: Nadia Kudlai (director of Elita Farms), Melnik Yuriy Fedorovych (Minister of Agriculture of the Ukraine), Geert Rombouts (area manager at Rattlerow Seghers), Ivan Kudlai (director of OSC 'Terezine') and Ms. Svitlana (interpreter)During a meeting with Melnik Yuriy Fedorovych, minister of Agriculture of Ukraine and Geert Rombouts, area manager of Rattlerow Seghers in October 2008, the plans were made and four months later, the first shipment arrived at the quarantine facilities in the Ukraine.

"The contract includes delivery of a large nucleus programme and training programs to support growth and efficiency of the Ukrainian pig industry. With support of the national Ukrainian government and genetics from Elita, we will focus to expand the total pig herd after some years of serious decline"

Elita Farms imported the first breeding animals of Rattlerow Seghers in 2004. Great Grand Parents (GGP) and Grand Parent (GP) of both female and sire lines were sent from the UK Elita produces GP- and parent (P)-boars, GP-gilts and P-gilts, which have been successfully marketed since the beginning of 2005. Due to a growing demand, additional GGP stock was shipped in 2005 and 2006 and the plan for a closer collaboration grew in 2008. The Easy2Manage approach of Rattlerow Seghers convinced Elita to switch from Mira to the Cora programme as to confirm the lead in setting new standards in Ukrainian pig production. Bigger farms need strong and reliable breeding stock to perform well under intensive conditions.

The objective of Elita is to combine local resources with the best technology and know how from Western Europe to improve results of pig farming in the Ukraine.

Today, the Ukraine only produces around 44 per cent of domestic demand. The recent currency problems have strengthened the will of the Minister of Agriculture to expand this industry rapidly like the Russian Federation has done over the last five years. The Ministry of Agriculture has chosen to establish and restore the industry on solid grounds with local partners and the best breeding programmes of the world.

The total breeding programme will maintain a total breeding herd of 200,000 sows.

Rattlerow Seghers thanks the Belgian and the Ukrainian ministries of agriculture and health authorities for their help and support for this successful collaboration between both countries.


 

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Wednesday, March 04, 2009Print This Page
Ajinomoto Establishes Meat JV in Thailand
THAILAND - Ajinomoto has agreed to establish a joint venture (JV) in Thailand with Itoham and Betagro.



Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Ajinomoto Co., Inc has announced that its consolidated subsidiary Ajinomoto Co., (Thailand) Ltd. (Ajinomoto (Thailand)) will establish a joint venture company to be called Itoham Betagro Foods Co. Ltd on 6 March 2009. The joint venture is with three other companies: Itoham Foods Inc. of Japan, Betagro Public Co. Ltd and Hoei Bussan Co. Ltd.

The new joint venture will process and sell ham and sausage. It would be expected to generate sales of approximately 1.7 billion yen (JPY) in three years from exports to Japan and domestic sales in Thailand. In addition, the joint venture plans to import Rockdale Beef, a premium brand of beef from cattle raised by Itoham in Australia, and sell it primarily to the retail and restaurant markets in Thailand.

Ajinomoto and Itoham formed a business alliance in May 2008, and the two companies have since studied ways to expand business by complementing and taking advantage of their mutual business strengths. This joint venture agreement is a part of that effort.

Betagro is a major livestock raising and processing company with swine and poultry farming operations in Thailand, and already conducts a joint venture with the Ajinomoto Group in pork and poultry processing and frozen foods.

Through this joint venture, the Ajinomoto Group expects to enjoy an advantage in procurement of meat and other raw ingredients for its seasonings and processed food businesses.

[mikey]

Wednesday, March 04, 2009Print This Page
Five Genesus Customer Herds Surpass 30 Pigs
GLOBAL - Five Genesus customers' herds surpassed 30 pigs weaned in 2008.

 

Genesus would like to congratulate the five of its customer herds that have surpassed 30 pigs weaned* in calendar year 2008.

They are:
Camrose (USA) – 31.30 (second consecutive year over 30)
Riverview (USA) – 30.20
Woodland (Canada) – 30.03 (third consecutive year over 30)
Grand (Canada) – 30.01
Evergreen (Canada) – 30.00
*pigs weaned mated female year - 1 January to 31 December 2008

These are impressive results. It takes tremendous management intensity seven days a week to reach these outstanding results. These are not 4.5 day a week managed operations. The results are a testament to the advanced genetics provided by Genesus. Smart managers also make the right decisions.

The genetic capacity of Genesus is raising the bar in production potential.

If you are not using Genesus, you are not reaching your maximum profit potential, says the Company.

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Thursday, March 05, 2009Print This Page
Quang Nam Province Ravaged by PRRS
VIET NAM - The People’s Committee of the central province of Quang Nam has officially declared the outbreak of blue-ear pig disease in the province and banned all transport, trade, slaughter and the consumption of pigs and pork products in the affected areas.



The provincial veterinary department reports that the disease had affected 1,287 pigs in 20 communes by 4 March with 1,185 pigs destroyed.

The epidemic is spreading quickly as pigs are usually raised on a small scale and in a scattered manner without using biologically safe methods or the stipulated vaccinations. Even now, pork is still being sold publicly in many affected areas, according to VOVNews.

Local agencies have implemented a number of measures such as setting up check-points which are on duty around the clock, erecting warning signs, and providing guidance to people to avoid places currently affected by the disease

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Thursday, March 05, 2009Print This Page
Free Range Labelling in the Spotlight
AUSTRALIA - The Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport has announced that it will be extending its inquiry to include the use of labels the 'organic' and 'free range' across all meat products.



The initial inquiry focused on issues relating to lamb marketing and the substitution of hogget and young sheep for lamb. As a result of submissions made to the inquiry, issues were raised in relation to marketing of other meat products.

"This is very encouraging news for the free range pork industry" says Lee McCosker, President of the Free Range Pork Farmers Association. "This is a matter that can no longer be dismissed and ignored by industry or government. Consumers have the right to make an informed choice when they purchase pork and if that choice is to buy a high welfare product then labels must truly reflect the production method claimed on the packaging."

At present there is no legal definition for free range and while most consumers would understand the term to mean free to range, the vast majority of pork labelled as free range currently available in butcher shops and supermarket shelves, is deceptively labelled. FRPFA has called on industry body, Australian Pork Limited, to produce industry guidelines for the different pork production methods. However, not only were requests denied but a descriptor for free range once displayed on the APL website, has now been removed.

It would seem that defining free range pork would not be in the commercial interests of the intensive pork industry. "The best outcome for consumers as well as free range producers, would be that the Standing Committee recommends that free range production be defined with a national standard" says Mr McCosker.

At present, the only way to ensure that a certified free range productis being purchased is to look for the Humane Choice logo, a quality assurance program and standard for free range pork producers, independently audited by Aus-Qual Pty Ltd.

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Friday, March 06, 2009Print This Page
Top Chinese Vet Warns of Animal Disease Threats
CHINA - Jia Youling, a leading veterinarian at the Ministry of Agriculture has issued a grave warning about the high risk of the emergence of a a new strains of the bird flu and foot and mouth disease viruses.



China, the world's biggest meat and poultry producer, faces high risks of animal disease outbreaks this year as new strains emerge and cases of bird flu rise, said the country's top veterinarian, according to Bloomberg.

"Problems with animal diseases are grave" compared with last year, Jia Youling of the Ministry of Agriculture said in Beijing. A higher number of bird flu outbreaks in and around China and a new variant of foot-and-mouth disease are the biggest threats, he said.

China's flagging economy has already slowed demand for meat and poultry, cutting sales of animal feed. Threat of disease has prompted farmers to cut pig and poultry numbers, further reducing demand for soybeans and corn, the main ingredients in feed.

"Disease outbreaks have been sporadic so far," which does not indicate any epidemics, Mr Jia said. Still, the so-called type A foot and mouth disease is a challenge to deal with as no vaccines are commercially available, he said. Last month, Shanghai veterinarians culled 440 cows after an outbreak of the type A foot-and-mouth disease.

Bird flu outbreaks have also risen this year, with authorities in Hetian district of the remote north,west Xinjiang province culling over 13,000 domestic fowl in February after an outbreak of the H5N1 strain.

Migrating wild birds are the main carriers of bird flu viruses, and outbreaks in neighbouring countries can easily be spread to China, Mr Jia said while attending the annual parliament meeting in Beijing.

The wide distribution of small farms across the country increases the contacts between domestic fowl and wild birds, boosting the exposure to the virus, he said. China also has the most domestic waterfowl, which have to be vaccinated twice, so some farmers don’t want to make the effort to pay, he said.

China still has many live poultry markets, where viruses can live long and spread quickly, endangering humans, Mr Jia warned.

Still, controls on Blue Ear disease, which killed tens of millions of pigs in 2007, have 'significantly improved' after successful vaccination, Mr Jia told Bloomberg.

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Monday, March 09, 2009Print This Page
Oz Launches 'No Food Scraps to Pigs' Campaign
AUSTRALIA - A new campaign is underway to raise awareness of the risks of feeding food scraps that have had contact with any form of meat to pigs.





Department veterinary officer Anna Erickson and WA Pork Producers Association vice president and Cuballing pig producer Graeme Dent display the poster supporting the ‘no food scraps to pigs’ campaign.Department of Agriculture and Food veterinarian Anna Erickson said the campaign would target small piggeries, farm stays, pet pig owners, menageries and abattoirs, as well as environmental health officers and food outlets.

“Many non-commercial pig owners and food outlet staff may not be aware that most food scraps fit the definition of swill and that feeding swill to pigs is illegal,” Dr Erickson said.

“Swill is any meat, meat scraps, meat trimmings, animal offal, blood, bones or any material which contains meat or any other waste or refuse not known to be free of meat or from contact with meat.

“Because ‘swill’ is an unfamiliar term among the general public, in this campaign the department has chosen to use the term ‘food scraps’ instead. “

Dr Erickson said feeding food scraps to pigs would be the most likely way that foot and mouth disease (FMD) could enter Australia.

“The 2001 outbreak of FMD in the United Kingdom was thought to have been started through the feeding of swill to pigs,” she said.

“Pigs infected with FMD produce large amounts of virus that can infect other animals by contact, via the air, or through movement of animals, vehicles or people from the infected farm.

“FMD could have devastating personal and financial effects on individual pig owners and Australia’s livestock industries,” she said. Dr Erickson said during the campaign department officers would be contacting all rural and outer metropolitan local government environmental health officers to update their knowledge about swill feeding and provide them with brochures to distribute to food outlets.

“Department officers will also liaise with food outlet staff in their area about the disposal of food scraps and provide additional information on the risks of feeding of swill to pigs,” she said “Department officers will visit small piggeries, farm stays, pet pig owners, menageries and abattoirs in their area and display posters and distribute brochures at relevant field days.” Dr Erickson said the WA Pork Producers Association strongly supported the campaign.

[mikey]

Tuesday, March 10, 2009Print This Page
EU Pig Prices: GB Takes the Lead in Markets
EU - Reports on the European slaughter pig market say that the situation is steady this week.

 

For the ninth time in a row, the German quotation proves to remain on the unchanged level of a corrected 1.31 euros per kg slaughter weight. This is framed by prices being steady also in the neighbouring countries: the Netherlands, Denmark, France, Belgium and Austria. Prices are rampant in Spain, going up by 4 cents there. Gradually relaxing quotations are reported from Poland and the Czech Republic.

Great Britain is slightly ahead of the others, reporting on prices to be increasing, too, as a result of scarce quantities of live pigs on offer. In Sweden as well, the quotations are going up a little. Yet, as a result of changes in currency exchange rates, the corrected version of quotations remains a little lower, thus keeping Sweden being last to no-one. There’s a lot of eagerness about the question when the pig stock reductions will finally have an effect throughout Europe, making supply run short. Reportedly, France alone is expected to produce 1.6 per cent less pork this year than they have last year.

Trend: Europe as a whole waits for positive signs to come from Germany. There is hope that demand gets stimulated for seasonal reasons, so that prices finally may go up.