World Hog news:

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Lack of Support for Pork Products Causes Outrage
IRELAND - The Chairman of the IFA Pigs and Pigmeat Committee Tim Cullinan said that pig producers are outraged over the drop in pig prices this week, despite a rising EU market situation.



Demand on the continent is up and yet Irish processors cannot find a way to secure better prices for Irish producers. In the last week, prices rose by 3-5c on the European market.

Although processors have stated that prices here would rise if prices across the EU rose week on week, Mr. Cullinan said, “This simply isn’t happening and the current situation cannot continue as pig producers are losing money.”

Mr. Cullinan said, “Pig producers are living on a knife edge between being stretched on credit and then losing money as retailers refuse to dip into their own margins to pay a realistic price for pigs. Processors have stated time and again that this is because of imports undercutting the market, taking up shelf space and ultimately the secondary processing sectors refusal to support Irish. The fact that this imported meat is labelled to appear Irish exacerbates that situation.”

Recently Bord Bia published their latest quarterly meat audit results. According to the survey, a number of retailers have dropped the number of products stocked that carry the Quality Assurance Logo.�

Mr. Cullinan expressed his deep disappointment at this development. The poorest results were from Lidl, which has never been very supportive of Irish products, but recently gave assurances to IFA that there would be an increase in their level of support across a number of products. However the latest results show a decrease in the number of bacon and rasher products carrying the Irish logo and not one piece of ham in the stores surveyed was of Irish origin.

The Tesco bacon performance was even worse with Quality Assurance completely disappearing from the bacon products. At a recent meeting Tesco personnel claimed that this was a packaging issue, now a meat issue that will be rectified in the next three weeks. Mr. Cullinan said that farmers would be watching very closely to ensure that all assurances are followed through.

He concluded by saying “the secondary processing sector are responsible for the importation of huge quantities of meat and any increase in levels that displaces Irish meat will not be taken lightly by Irish producers. Given the opportunity by these so called Irish companies, retailers are turning their back on quality Irish products to replace them with inferior imports simply to boost their own margins.”

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Taiwan's Pigs No Longer Under H1N1 Flu Threat
TAIWAN - No new outbreaks of the H1N1 influenza have been reported in the country.



The Taiwanese veterinary authorities sent Follow-up Report No. 1 to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) last week (13 November).

The cause of the outbreak has still not been confirmed. A real-time reverse transcriptase/polymerase chain reaction (RRT-PCR) test was conducted and the results came out negative.

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Pig Producers Crucified by Imports and Mislabelling
IRELAND - IFA Pigs Committee Chairman Tim Cullinan yesterday met representatives from Callan Bacon in Kilkenny over the company’s ongoing failure to increase the level of Irish pig meat in their products and the labelling they are using.





The meeting followed a protest by pig farmers outside the plant in Kilkenny yesterday morning
[Photo: IFA]Mr Cullinan said, “Callan Bacon must increase the amount of Quality Assured pig meat they are supplying to retailers. Pig producers are living on a knife-edge because of credit problems and then losing money as retailers refuse to dip into their own margins to pay a realistic price for pigs. Secondary processors like Callan Bacon cannot abandon local producers and replace them with imports that are of inferior quality.”

The IFA Chairman also tackled the management of the company on the labelling used in supermarkets. “It is unacceptable that a logo such as a map of Ireland can be used to lure the consumer into thinking the product is Irish. Nothing less than the certified QA mark should be used to eliminate any confusion

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Pigs Play a Role in Spread of Hepatitis E
NETHERLANDS - Pigs play a role in the exposure process of humans to Hepatitis E virus (HEV), a Dutch scientist has recently revealed.



According to Vetsweb.com, in most cases, infections do not lead to clinical signs in humans, nor in swine.

Martijn Bouwknegt, who will receive a PhD for his research at Wageningen University and Research Centre in the Netherlands, did his research at the Centre for Infectious Disease Control Netherlands (CIb), part of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).

Dr Bouwknegt's research shows that the virus reproduces easily among pigs. Once one pig has been infected, others will follow shortly. The virus replicates in pigs and will be excreted through faeces and urine. In addition, the virus' genetic material has been traced in several organs and pig muscle tissues. In most cases, the pigs did not have any clinical signs of disease.

Two routes of exposure have been researched for humans to HEV from pigs: pig liver consumption and direct contact with pigs. The research showed that 6.5 per cent of the researched livers from shops contained HEV genetic material.

Research to antibodies in veterinarians and a representative number of members of the public showed that among the vets working intensively with pigs was the highest percentage of infected people (11 per cent). Infections among vets working less frequently on pigs amounted to 6 per cent; members of the public showed an infection percentage of 2 per cent.

It remains unclear as to how the virus spreading works in the Dutch pig population. A large genetic variation of HEV on various farms could point into two directions: the virus remains on-farm for a long time or there are more than one external sources. Since HEV exists in animals in the wild as well, virus exchange probably occurs between contaminated populations.

Dr Bouwknegt said that it is of major importance to prevent HEV from entering any farm, since the virus replicates easily. Hygiene measures and vaccination would be potential tools.

What exactly could be the role of pigs in comparison to other animals in which HEV has been found, like deer and wild boar, still needs to be researched, just like the extent to which people can get ill. The infection does not seem to lead to disease in most cases.


 

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Interest in US Feed Grains Grows in Viet Nam
VIET NAM - The Council hosted approximately 120 commercial swine producers for the Swine Industry Symposium in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, this week.



The symposium’s objectives were to educate commercial swine producers on key managerial and technical issues. According to Adel Yusupov, USGC regional director in Southeast Asia, the potential for feed grains demand in Viet Nam’s commercial swine sector is tremendous.

He said, “An average backyard pig consumes about 110 pounds of corn, whereas commercially produced hog consumes 441 pounds. We can double corn feed demand by educating commercial swine producers on proper swine nutrition, farm management, record keeping, disease prevention, reproduction and genetic improvement. I am very excited about DDGS prospects. The usage is increasing. September imports were at 37,000 metric tons and October imports are estimated at 40,000 tons. This is a very exciting market to work in!”

The Council brought six consultants to the symposium. Dr Robert Thaler, USGC consultant in attendance, said, “The symposium’s attendance was higher than anticipated and participants indicated a real interest and need among Vietnamese swine producers for technical information. With the rapid growth of the commercial swine sector, there is tremendous potential for US corn and DDGS.”

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009Print This Page
EU Pig Prices: Steady Situation Throughout Europe
EU - This week, slaughter pig prices prove to remain steady throughout Europe.

 

Apart from just a few exceptions, the quotations remained unchanged. A course was set in a positive way by Spain and Denmark with their 3 cents’ plus each, thus confirming the price level to stand on a solid basis. Record quantities of pigs are currently slaughtered all over Europe. However, with the prices keeping on a comparably low level, selling is done smoothly on the Single European Market and in third countries.

In Sweden, the quotation remained unchanged, but as a result of exchange rate changes the corrected price there was the only national pig price which went down slightly. Spain is the new front-runner with regard to EU prices. By their price increase, the Spanish were able to outdistance Great Britain as the hitherto leader.

Trend: Extensive quantities of pigs mature for slaughter are being expected on the European markets over the days ahead. In view of the slaughter companies’ buying interest, demand and supply prove to be well balanced. So, the producer prices are anticipated to at least remain steady this week.

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More A/H1N1 Outbreaks Reported in Norway
NORWAY - According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), Norway has reported more A/H1N1 outbreaks in the country.



The country's veterinary authorities sent Follow-up Report No. 5 to the OIE yesterday, 25 November.

Norway has reported a total of ten A/H1N1 outbreaks in swine.

The source of the outbreak has still not been confirmed. Norway has decided to sample all elite breeding herds and sampling at abattoirs.

Several tests were conducted, confirming the presence of the virus in the country.

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H1N1 Flu Detected in Indonesian Pigs
INDONESIA - The veterinary authority has announced that the influenza A H1N1 virus has been found in pigs on an island off Sumatra.



The Indonesian veterinary authority sent an Immediate Notification dated 26 November to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

The report describes the discovery at the end of August 2009 of the H1N1 flu virus in 250,000 pigs on Bulan Island in Riau Islands province.

According to the report, outbreak investigation has been conducted by Disease Investigation Center, Region II, Bukittinggi. In total, 180 nasal swabs and serum samples were collected in pigs in the breeder, weaner and farrow/finishing units. Of these, 33 samples were positive for influenza A and divided on 11 pool samples, which were sent to the Indonesian Research Center for Veterinary Sciences and to the Australian Animal Health Laboratory for advanced tests. Six samples were positive for pandemic influenza A/H1N1.

The Ministry of Agriculture officially declared on 23 November 2009 that an outbreak of pandemic influenza A/H1N1 occurs in pigs.

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Sow Shoulder Lesions Linked to Prolonged Lying
SWEDEN - The longer that a sow spends lying down during farrowing and early lactation, the greater the development of shoulder lesions, Swedish researchers have found. Preventing long periods of lying on her side would help to improve the sow's welfare, they concluded.



E. Rolandsdotter and colleagues at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences have published a paper in Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, reporting their studies relating shoulder sores and sow behaviour.

Shoulder lesions are caused by tissue breakdown of the skin and/or underlying tissue as a result of long lasting pressure, explain the researchers. The lesions are commonly seen in sows during the period of lactation and contribute to poor animal welfare as well as affecting the consumers' attitudes towards the pig industry.

The aim of their study was to investigate the correlation between prolonged recumbency during early lactation and development of shoulder lesions, in particular the lying bout time.

Eighteen sows of Swedish Landrace were observed for 24 hours during the day of farrowing and day 2, 4, 9 and 11 after farrowing in May 2009.

The data were analysed for correlations between the duration of the longest observed uninterrupted lying bout and the prevalence of shoulder lesions recorded at weaning (week 5).

In the study, shoulder lesions were observed in eight of the eighteen sows at the time of weaning. The total lying time of the sows was highest on day 0 and day 2, when the proportion of time spent in lateral recumbency over the 24-hour period was on average 80 per cent.

The longest lying bout had an average duration of 6.3 hours (right side) and 7.2 hours (left side).

A significant correlation (Spearman rank coefficient = 0.88; P<0.05) was found between the duration of the longest observed uninterrupted lying bout and the occurrence of shoulder lesions on right side among well conditioned sows with a low amount of straw present at farrowing.

This suggests that avoiding prolonged uninterrupted recumbency contributes to the prevention of shoulder lesions in sows.

Reference
Rolandsdotter E., R. Westin and B. Algers. 2009. Maximum lying bout duration affects the occurrence of shoulder lesions in sows. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica 2009, 51:44 doi:10.1186/1751-0147-51-44

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EU Pig Prices: Unchanged Prices Throughout Europe
EU - Throughout Europe, the slaughter pig prices again appear widely unchanged this week.

 

From most of the European countries, record numbers of pigs mature for slaughter are being reported. The meat market sufficiently receptive, the quantities on offer are being placed easily. Therefore, the prices are moving sideways in Austria, Belgium, France, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany.

In Spain, the pig price boomed again, which is said to be a result of increased slaughter activities at the slaughter companies. Thus, demand exceeds supply of pigs mature for slaughter. Yet, no price increase can be enforced on the Spanish meat market. Quotations remained unchanged in Sweden and Great Britain, but as a result of exchange rate changes, the prices went down a little.

Trend: Although it’s the beginning of the Christmas season now, the still extensive quantities of pigs for slaughter are being easily taken up by the marketers. Therefore, the pig prices are expected to remain steady the week ahead.

Week D NL DK B F PL CZ IT ESP AUT GB SWE IR
42 Week 1,296 € 1,289 € 1,268 € 1,242 € 1,216 € 1,265 € 1,440 € 1,544 € 1,319 € 1,290 € 1,383 € 1,382 € 1,253 €
43 Week 1,296 € 1,251 € 1,242 € 1,230 € 1,181 € 1,312 € 1,414 € 1,519 € 1,303 € 1,290 € 1,354 € 1,343 € 1,253 €
44 Week 1,246 € 1,241 € 1,242 € 1,193 € 1,176 € 1,301 € 1,372 € 1,519 € 1,284 € 1,250 € 1,346 € 1,344 € 1,253 €
45 Week 1,246 € 1,241 € 1,215 € 1,205 € 1,175 € 1,276 € 1,308 € 1,519 € 1,284 € 1,250 € 1,349 € 1,324 € 1,214 €
46 Week 1,296 € 1,280 € 1,242 € 1,242 € 1,179 € 1,276 € 1,352 € 1,519 € 1,284 € 1,290 € 1,324 € 1,300 € 1,214 €
47 Week 1,296 € 1,280 € 1,242 € 1,242 € 1,200 € 1,276 € 1,367 € 1,462 € 1,322 € 1,290 € 1,337 € 1,319 € 1,214 €
48 Week 1,296 € 1,280 € 1,269 € 1,242 € 1,205 €     1,462 € 1,354 € 1,290 € 1,351 € 1,304 € 1,214 €
49 Week 1,296 € 1,280 € 1,269 € 1,242 € 1,210 €     1,462 € 1,366 € 1,290 € 1,337 € 1,294 € 1,214 €

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High Aussie Dollar Hitting WA Pork Exports
AUSTRALIA - Western Australian pork producers say the high Australian dollar has cost them a quarter of their export market.



About a third of the pork produced in WA is sent to the fresh market in Singapore, but the rising dollar is making those exports much more expensive.

Pork retailers in Singapore are turning instead to frozen product from the USA, Canada and Brazil to meet the demand, reports ABC Rural.

Ron Penn, from export company the Craig Mostyn Group, says WA producers can't afford to compete against frozen pork.

"So they speak to us of reductions in price of around 25 per cent," he says.

"That's impossible, it's just not possible to pass that reduction on and have our farms, and farmers, remain sustainable."

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Alleged Increase in Pig Cruelty
DENMARK - There is growing evidence of pig welfare abuse, which is blamed on increasing economic pressure on farmers.



In Denmark, an increasingly high number of pigs are arriving at slaughterhouses with visible injuries caused from being beaten with planks and chains, according to IceNews.

It cites a Copenhagen Post report that the reason for the growing rate of abuse may be the new system, introduced in 2006, which rewards the fast loading of animals onto transport vehicles. In the past two years alone, the number of pig abuse cases in Denmark has increased five-fold.

The University of Copenhagen's Department of Veterinary Disease Biology and Denmark's leading slaughterhouse, Horsens' Danish Crown, have both recognised the trend which has seen some instances of over 30 pigs arriving at abattoirs with serious injuries from a single truck.

Professor Henrik Elvang Jensen of the University of Copenhagen claimed that studies into the injuries indicated that most had occurred while the animals were still on farms. Professor Elvang Jensen said that pipes, chains and other blunt instruments were the likely cause.

The new system which came into place in 2006 where farmers are rewarded for fast transportation of the animals was also called into question.

"When a system is like that it can provoke a violent reaction if the farmer suddenly sees 30 pigs running in the wrong direction," the professor said.

Danish Crown's pork production committee head, Erik Bredholt, said that the practice of beating animals was entirely unacceptable.

He added: "Every farmer knows you don't get your pigs loaded on to the truck faster by beating them."

Mr Bredholt argued instead that the rise in porcine trauma had little to do with the new system but was rather a reflection of the increased economic pressure most farmers are currently facing, reports IceNews.


 

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Italy Reports H1N1 Outbreak in Swine
ITALY - Italy has reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) that an outbreak of A/H1N1 in swine was confirmed on 27 November.



The Italian veterinary authorities sent an immediate notification to the OIE on Friday, 4 December.

The outbreak occured in a pig farm in Lombardia. The source of the outbreak has not yet been traced.

A reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test was conducted, which confirmed the presence of the virus in the region.

Although the issue has been resolved, the OIE, along with the country's veterinary authorities, have applied measures.


 

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Pig Sales Increase Ahead of Chinese New Year
CAMBODIA - Pigs sales in Cambodia are almost doubled ahead of Chinese New Year which falls on Sunday, 14 February, compared to other days of the year.



Srun Pov, president of Association of Pigs Raising in Cambodia, said Friday that on normal daily basis, about 4,000 pigs are sold, but 7,000 to 8,000 pigs are sold out quickly ahead of the Chinese festival.

He said Cambodia permits the imports of 800 pigs from Thailand on daily basis, and a few hundreds more are illegally trafficked or imported in through small dealers or brokers.

The Chinese New Year holiday will begin on Saturday with the offering foods to ancestors and to be followed by family gathering and travels until next Monday.

While the number of the pig sales is increased during the Chinese New Year, its price is also increased.

The price is varied according to the size and weight of the pigs, with the regular price ranging from US $25 US to US $150 a pig.

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, February 18, 2010Print This Page
Indonesia Lifts Ten-Month Ban on Pork Imports
JAKARTA, INDONESIA - Indonesia has lifted a temporary ban on imports of pork and its by-products after they were ruled out being the source of human H1N1 flu.



The Trade Ministry said on its website on Saturday that they decided to lift the ten-month ban because they considered the fact that 'the disease cannot be transmitted from animals to human'.

UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) experts say there is no risk of getting H1N1 flu from eating pork, according to Asiaone News.

Indonesia has recorded more than 1,000 confirmed cases of the A(H1N1) virus since it appeared in the country in June last year. Ten people in the country have died from the disease.