World Hog news:

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Monday, July 14, 2008Print This Page
Rapid Rise in British Pork Exports
UK - British pork exports are showing a year-on-year rise of over 20 per cent.



The figures for the first four months of 2008 are 41,000 tonnes up on the same period last year, a rise of 22%, reports Farming UK.

The major export markets for British pork now include Germany, Holland, Poland, Hong Kong and also, more surprisingly, Vietnam.

BPEX Export Manager Jean-Pierre Garnier said: "The exchange rate has played a part in the increase but the strong performance is also down to the hard work of exporters.

[mikey]

Monday, July 14, 2008Print This Page
Higher Standards in UK Industry
UK - The majority of pigs in the UK, including those in Scotland, are kept to a higher welfare standard than elsewhere in the EU and other countries, these are the conclusions of a report by the Farm Animal Welfare Council.



In a letter to the Scottish agriculture minister Richard Lockhead FAWC said that the higher standard arises from differences in legislation and voluntary measures but both will have increased the costs of pig production in the U.K. relative to those in exporting countries.

The letter follows a meeting between the minister and FAWC.

"while it is true that importers of pig meat into the UK could demand in their purchasing specifications that suppliers meet UK standards, this can only be voluntary and whether importers insist on such a requirement will be determined, in part, by market forces," FAWC Chairman, Professor Christopher Wathes said in the letter.

"Other members of the food chain, particularly retailers, can play a major role by offering products of different welfare standards and origin, thereby catering for consumer choice.

"However, if pig meat is not labelled according to its welfare provenance, then concerned consumers will not be able to exercise their choice and may, unwittingly, purchase products that do not meet their requirements.

"The arguments for welfare labelling of animal products were made in the FAWC report (June 2006) and the possible introduction of a European labelling scheme is under active consideration by the Commission at present."

[mikey]

Monday, July 14, 2008Print This Page
Food Safety Paramount for China
CHINA - As the Summer Olympics approaches in Beijing, farms are carefully scrutinized.



According to the StarTribune, if security is high at farmer Lin Yuan's vegetable farm, a premium provider for the Olympic Village, it's even higher at the ranches and livestock pens that will provide meat for the athletes. Pork for Olympic athletes comes from 10 secret pig farms set up far away from cities, state media report. The pigs get two hours of exercise a day, eat organic feed and are monitored around the clock.

Given the extent of such efforts, Chinese officials naturally bristled when they heard athletes from some countries -- the United States and Australia in particular -- were brown-bagging some of their own groceries to the Olympics.

In some ways the matter shows the delicate balance as China tries to overcome long-held foreign suspicions about the safety of its food without stirring up citizens, who may wonder why even the pigs get such special treatment when it comes to what's served to foreigners.

[mikey]

Friday, July 11, 2008Print This Page
China Extends Financial Support to Pig Production
BEIJING - China plans on allocating 2.8 billion yuan from its central budget in support of live pig production.



The funds will be used to build breeding farms and standard large scale piggeries to promote pork production and further ensure market supply, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on Friday.

About 70 million yuan of the funding will go to poultry farm construction, according to the NDRC.

The NDRC has channeled an accumulative 5.6 billion yuan from its central budget to livestock farm construction this year.

Currently, 55 breeding farms, 375 propagation piggeries, 70 poultry farms and 20,000 standard large scale hog breeding farms have been established.

The NDRC also said the government planned to allocate more funds to the snow havoc and earthquake-hit regions where breeding facilities suffered severe damage in the disasters.

Hunan, Jiangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Guangxi, Anhui, Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu were included.

A total of 69.56 million livestock and poultries were estimated to have been killed in the snow havoc in the first quarter, while more than 3million pigs were killed in the 8.0-magnitude Wenchuan earthquake.

[mikey]

Tuesday, July 22, 2008Print This Page
TOPIGS Genetics: 26.36 Weaned Piglets / Sow / Year
THE NETHERLANDS - Dutch pig farmers with TOPIGS sows achieved an average production of 26.36 weaned piglets per year in 2007. Compared with 2006, this is an increase of 0.65 piglets.


This picture emerged from the technical results of 942 farms with a total of more than 368,000 sows. The top 25% of farms realised an average of 28.52 piglets per sow in 2007. A result of 30 or more piglets per sow per year was achieved at 22 farms. In 2006 only 9 farms achieved a result of 30 piglets or more. See also the table and graph.

 


From the 2007 results we can conclude that the approach of TOPIGS in the areas of piglet survival and piglet vitality works. In 2007, 12.75 piglets were born per litter, whereas in 2006 that was 12.47. This is an increase of 0.28 piglets per litter.

The preweaning mortality fell slightly from 12.2% to 12.1%. This goes against the widespread opinion that mortality will rise with increasing litter size.

[mikey]

Tuesday, July 22, 2008Print This Page
Follow-up on Russia's ASF Situation
RUSSIA - A total of 435 pigs are reported to have died of the African swine fever virus in Russia's North Caucasus republic of North Ossetia.



"A total of 66 pigs have died in the past 24 hours," a statement read.

RIA Novosti reports that some 1,775 pigs have been culled in the republic following the outbreak, while over 7,000 potentially-infected animals have yet to be destroyed.

Outbreaks of the highly contagious virus are rare outside Africa, but last spring, Georgia, which borders on North Ossetia, saw outbreaks in 10 regions. A total of 20,000 pigs were culled.

The area has been cordoned off, and all the local pigs will be culled as a preventive measure. Around 174 people have been deployed to guard the province's border, to ensure that no pork products are taken out of North Ossetia.

[mikey]

Monday, August 04, 2008Print This Page
Vietnamese Feed Companies in Trouble
VIET NAM - Up to 40 feed companies have ceased trading so far this year as they struggle with imports and unfavorable exchange rates.



Bui Thi Oanh from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Animal Husbandry Department said that the failing businesses produced feed for cattle, pigs, poultry and even fish, according to an official source.

Processors spend more than $1 billion a year importing most of the ingredients, such as soybeans, corn and flour.

Prices for the various feed ingredients have risen 60 to 110 per cent in the past year while the cost of imported feedstuffs has also risen considerably.

Much tighter credit, high loan-interest and exchange rates, and high foreign-exchange transaction fees have added to the problems.

"We did not have enough foreign currency (US dollars) to pay our suppliers because the banks sold US dollars at such a high level," said Do Kim Chi, a representative of New Hop Co.

On top of all this, supplies of ingredients held in reserve by manufacturers became exhausted. Complicated import procedures, plus outbreaks of diseases did not improve the overall outlook.

Nguyen Xuan Duong, deputy director of the Animal Husbandry Department warned that prices for feed ingredients are likely to increase a further 20 to 30 per cent in the near future, threatening many more producers with bankruptcy.

Vietnam is now being forced to import finished feed because of the shortage of domestic supplies.

This year, the nation's demand for animal food is 18 million tonnes, of which domestic manufacturers meet only about 79 per cent. In the first six months of the year, nearly 3.5 million of tonnes of feed worth US$ 1.5 billion had to be imported.

Stability efforts
In an effort to stabilise the market and support manufacturers, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked the government to make feed products and ingredients essential commodities.

This would enable import taxes to be dropped to zero from the present 5 per cent.

However, the ministry is initially guiding farmers on how to economise on the use of feed supplements.

Hoang Kim Giao, director of the Animal Husbandry Department, said that the growth of animal husbandry was only 0.03 per cent in the first half of the year.

"To reach an annual growth rate of 4-5 per cent, in the second half of the year, the industry must grow by 8-10 per cent at least," he said.

The Livestock Breeding Department of the Ministry of Agriculture has already declared that it will focus on developing intensive farming areas for growing soy beans, corn and grass with high nutritional value.

[mikey]

Tuesday, August 05, 2008Print This Page
Goldman Sachs Invests in Chinese Pig Farming
CHINA - Goldman Sachs has invested US$200 to 300 million in purchasing a dozen pig farms in China's Hunan and Fujian provinces.



This indicates that foreign investors are showing growing interest in China's farm and sideline production, according to oficial sources.

Deutsche Bank Group's DWS Investments launched DWS Global Agribusiness Fund in September 2006 with investment in China's breeding business.

Cao Jianhai, a researcher with the Institute of Industrial Economics under Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the enormous market, low labour cost and brisk price increase expectations would bolster investors' investment in this sector.

Mr Cao added that substantial profit could be obtained given tight grip on the industry chain of live pig breeding.

At present, China's live pig breeding and processing industry maintains low concentration with top three meat processing enterprises sharing 3.7 percent of national market.

International capital players could make profit through controlling domestic live pig breeding enterprises and the prices of soybean, maize and other meals on the international market, according to analysts.

The report adds that China - the world largest breeder and consumer of pigs - plans to launch live pig futures in a bid to curtail price fluctuations and prompt integrations.

[mikey]

Tuesday, August 05, 2008Print This Page
Over 5,000 South Russian Pigs Killed by ASF
RUSSIA - It is now reported that African swine fever virus (ASF) in Russia's North Caucasus republic of North Ossetia has so far killed over 5,000 pigs.



RIA Novosti says that around 1,300 pigs died of the virus and more than 3,800 pigs have been culled in the republic since the outbreak was registered on June 30 in four of the province's eight districts.

A state of emergency has been declared in the province.

Outbreaks of the highly contagious virus are rare outside Africa, but in spring 2007 Georgia, which borders North Ossetia, saw outbreaks in 10 regions. A total of 20,000 pigs were culled.

[mikey]

Friday, August 08, 2008Print This Page
Pig Industry Goes for Gold in Beijing
BEIJING - As the Olympics get underway in China, there is good news for the UK pig industry. From, Thursday 7th August, the Peoples Republic of China has lifted all the restrictions on imports of livestock and meat from the UK, which have been in place since the Foot and Mouth outbreak last year.

 

Defra and Animal Health are taking immediate action to agree export health certificates for breeding pigs, pig meat, skins, hides, greasy wool and dairy products to allow trade to re-start as soon as practically possible. The changes come after a concerted effort by BPEX, Defra, the Foreign Office and UK Trade Investment.

Mick Sloyan, BPEX Chief Executive said: "This is the pig industry equivalent of an Olympic Gold Medal, before the games have even started! Exports of pig breeding stock to China are hugely important to UK companies with big orders in prospect. The decision will also give British pig meat producers access to the biggest and fastest growing food market in the world."

[mikey]

Friday, August 08, 2008Print This Page
Pig Auction Transparency Improves
HONG KONG - Information transparency in the live pig auction market has been improved, says the Consumer Council.



In the council's report released today, it said there is no direct evidence suggesting the competitive environment of the trade is hindered by restrictive practices or abuse of market power

However, a few live pig buyers with a small market share have been involved in aggressive bidding, which inevitably causes maximum auction prices to deviate from the average auction price in the wholesale market.

Welcoming the report the Food & Health Bureau said measures have been adopted since mid-January to further enhance market information flow and ensure a stable supply.

Stable supply
The bureau has kept close liaison with the Ministry of Commerce to ensure a stable supply. It has also enhanced market transparency by making public the quantity of live pigs to be supplied to Hong Kong in the following day. No unusual fluctuation in auction prices of live pigs has been detected so far.

On the council's suggestion of establishing a complaints handling scheme the bureau said a similar mechanism has been put in place.

The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department and slaughterhouse operators regularly meet the trade to gauge views and handle complaints. The department will consider whether there is a need to further enhance the mechanism.

Slaughterhouse operation
The existing operation contract of Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse will expire by July 31. The department is drafting the tender document of the new contract and plans to conduct a tender exercise later this year.

It will include clauses in the new contract to enhance regulation of the slaughterhouse operation. It will also enhance regulation in the areas of fees, information provision and disclosure, as well as the system of sanctions and incentives.

[mikey]

Wednesday, August 06, 2008Print This Page
World Pig Price Projections Point to Recovery
GLOBE - The chart below, from a European Commission forecast published last week, is only telling us what we already know — but it is good to see, nevertheless.



The projections of strong world price increases in 2009, 2010 and 2011 are made against an index of 100 (which represents the average 1999-2006 price).

The green line is the United States Department of Agriculture's projection.

The purple line is the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's projection.

The blue line is the United States Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute's projection.
Although the projections vary, they all see a solid price recovery from 2009 to 2011. "Probably as an adjustment to rising feed costs," says Brussels.

[mikey]

Friday, August 08, 2008Print This Page
British Pig Industry Goes for Gold in Beijing
BEIJING - As the Olympics get underway in China, there is good news for the UK pig industry. From, Thursday 7th August, the Peoples Republic of China has lifted all the restrictions on imports of livestock and meat from the UK, which have been in place since the Foot and Mouth outbreak last year.

 

Defra and Animal Health are taking immediate action to agree export health certificates for breeding pigs, pig meat, skins, hides, greasy wool and dairy products to allow trade to re-start as soon as practically possible.

The changes come after a concerted effort by BPEX, Defra, the Foreign Office and UK Trade Investment.

Mick Sloyan, BPEX Chief Executive said: "This is the pig industry equivalent of an Olympic Gold Medal, before the games have even started! Exports of pig breeding stock to China are hugely important to UK companies with big orders in prospect.

The decision will also give British pig meat producers access to the biggest and fastest growing food market in the world."

[mikey]

Monday, August 11, 2008Print This Page
Meat Imports a Possibility
VIET NAM - It may be necessary to import pork, beef and poultry at the end of this year if the animal production and feed industries fail to solve their current problems.



The warning came from Le Ba Lich, chairman of the Viet Nam Animal Feed Association.

An official source reports Mr Lich saying that many pig farmers, especially in southern provinces, quit the business when feed prices shot up.

The current price of pig feed is 8,500 dong (VND; US$0.50) per kilo. To produce one kilo of pork, 2.6 kilo of feed are needed, costing VND22,100 ($1.30).

Meanwhile, a kilo of live pig goes for VND32,000-34,000 ($1.90-2.00) in the south of the country, and VND28,000-30,000 ($1.70-1.80) in the north.

With capital used to buy breeding animals and animal feed coming from loans with 20 per cent interest, farmers cannot afford to continue their line of work, Mr Lich said.

On top of these financial concerns, blue ear disease and avian flu have also contributed to the current meat shortage.

Pork accounts for 80% of the country’s meat consumption, chicken 11-12% and beef 3-4%.

Meat consumption is especially high during the Christmas, New Year and Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays, according to Mr Lich.

To avoid meat shortages and encourage pig farming, Mr Lich said, the association plans to invest in production and imports of raw materials for producing animal feed.

The association asked the Ministry of Finance to eliminate the value added tax (VAT) for raw produce, banks to decrease interest rates and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to reorganise distribution systems.

[mikey]

Monday, August 11, 2008Print This Page
China Moves From Backyard to Farms
CHINA - For more than 2,000 years, China's heartland south of the Great Wall has not seen traveling herdsmen on horseback.


In the northern grasslands, where the land in the Yangtze and Yellow valleys have been entirely used for intensive farming this was commonplace, and the predominant way to produce meat has been through household-based pig farming, reports China Daily.

But not just for family consumption. The most important reason for raising one or two hogs is for their owners to sell them to the urban slaughter houses in order to finance their small farming operations and to buy daily necessities.

During the reform era, for many rural households the first pieces of farm machinery were paid for by selling pigs. Indeed, the poorer a place was, the more its members had to depend on pig farming for any little change in their lives, even though getting a hog to market could be a great trouble.






A farmer carrying his hog to a township fair from his mountainous village in Hubei province in the 1980's, and in more recent times as a pet!
This sight was commonplace in the Chinese countryside in those days. Except for a few urban pockets, most of China was still rural, and most of the residents were struggling hard just to feed themselves. Having a hog to sell might be just the one thing that could lift them from the subsistence level.

Today, while the nation's demand for meat has been rising, an increasing number number of farmers have found other ways to make a cash income. Carrying hogs to the township fair is no longer the only way for rural households to generate cash, as funds from young men and women working in the cities has become a more convenient way help to their relatives in their home villages.

From mid-1990s to 2006, family farmer's spending on productive assets, mainly farm machinery, grew more than 170 percent, while the country's pork production, including that from large State-run farms, rose by 60 percent.




At the same time pig farming has become more dependent on feed supplies, has become mainly concentrated in just a few provinces, such as Shandong, Hunan, and Sichuan and now bears an increasing resemblance to an industry.

In another 30 years, one can reasonably imagine pigs will disappear from most Chinese households - except, however, those being kept as pets.

One of the nation's pioneering pet pigs was also caught by our photographer's lens, this time in Beijing's 798 Complex, a renovated industrial neighborhood for the city's modern artists and art dealers.