World Hog news:

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EU likely to export  more pork to Korea 
[3 April 2009] Frozen pork exports from the EU to Korea is likely to grow substantially after the two parties sign a free trade agreement (FTA). They signed a tentative FTA in late March and further talks will be held during a meeting of the group of 20 industrialised nations in London. If the FTA takes effect, Korea will have to remove a 25% tariff on frozen pork imports from the EU within 10 years leading to a growth in market share of EU pork in Korea. Korea imports frozen pork from the EU worth about USD 5 billion annually, mainly belly-strips from the Netherlands and Denmark. The EU frozen pork sold in Korea is 50% cheaper than those produced locally. 
 
 
 

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Monday, April 06, 2009Print This Page
Tariff Rises Have Helped Cut Imports
VIET NAM - Tariff hikes have helped to reduce imports of meat and poultry products.



Officials say that two import tax hikes have significantly reduced the quantity of imported meat and poultry entering the country, according to the Agricultural Information Centre under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The centre said total imports of meat and poultry declined by 21 to 24 per cent compared to the period before the tax hike.

Last October, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) increased import duties on meat and poultry for the first time by two per cent in order to curb a flood of imported goods into the country.

Ministry of Industry and Trade statistics showed that in 2008, roughly 4,250 tonnes of beef and 1,000 tonnes of other meat were imported monthly compared to only 333 tonnes of beef and 10 tonnes of meat in previous years.

However, the tax hike did not do enough to prevent the influx of imported meat and poultry.

To provide better protection for the domestic husbandry industry, in response to a Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development proposal, the MoF instituted a second tax surge early last month, with a sharp rise from 17 to 33 per cent on fresh and frozen beef.

Import duties on fresh and frozen pork were also raised to 28 and 24 per cent, respectively.

Pork, beef, lamb, mutton, goat and horse by-products also have higher rates than previously, ranging from between 10 and 15 per cent depending on type.

The Agricultural Information Centre admitted that although the increased taxes have indeed resulted in higher prices, the surge in most cities and provinces, exclusive of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, has been insignificant.

[mikey]

Tuesday, April 07, 2009Print This Page
Provisional Import Health Standards for Pig Meat
NEW ZEALAND - MAF Biosecurity New Zealand (MAFBNZ) today issued provisional Import Heath Standards (IHSs) for pig meat, pig meat products and by-products from Canada, the EU, Mexico and the USA.



The four provisional IHSs include risk management measures based on a risk analysis on porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus in pig meat. PRRS is a viral disease of pigs found in many pig-producing countries, but which is not found in New Zealand or Australia. The 2006 risk analysis concluded that the risk of PRRS in imported meat is non-negligible, and the following measures were recommended to manage the identified risk:

Pig meat must be either from a country free from PRRS;
or treated prior to import by approved cooking or pH change;
or in the form of consumer-ready cuts.
The addition of consumer-ready cuts of fresh meat was added as a risk mitigation option in the draft IHSs that were issued for public consultation in November 2007.

A full assessment of all submissions to the draft IHSs was made at the completion of the public consultation period. As a result, the provisional IHSs have been modified as follows:

Curing – the lower end of the pH treatment range has been changed from 5 or lower to 6 or lower. Research shows that infectivity is rapidly lost at pH 6 or lower.
The definition of cuts has been revised so it is internationally verifiable and certifiable and limited to consumer-ready cuts.
Consumer-ready cuts for direct retail sale must have all major lymph nodes removed, and be sold in packages that cannot exceed 3kg.
“Having considered the public submissions, all relevant science and a wide range of expert opinion, MAF considers the PRRS risk associated with consumer-ready pork imports to be effectively managed by the measures proposed in the IHSs,” said Barry O’Neil, Deputy Director General, MAF Biosecurity New Zealand.

Until 2001 pig meat was imported into New Zealand without sanitary measures for PRRS virus. A study in 1999 provided experimental evidence that it was possible to transmit the virus to healthy pigs by feeding them fresh meat taken from infected pigs. Subsequently, MAF introduced provisional measures requiring that all pig meat imported from countries with PRRS be either cooked or cured to certain specifications until a full risk analysis could be completed.

The primary means by which PRRS could enter New Zealand – via the import of live pigs or pig semen – is already strictly controlled. The 2006 risk analysis looked at the risks associated with PRRS in pig meat. MAF considers the likelihood of the PRRS virus entering New Zealand via pig meat and infecting pigs is very low, and the measures being proposed will effectively manage the risks.

The four draft IHSs stipulate that consumer-ready cuts are the only form of pork that can be imported from countries with PRRS without further treatment. These cuts would weigh less than 3kg, be packaged for direct retail sale and have all major lymph nodes removed.

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Tuesday, April 07, 2009Print This Page
Pig of the Future Might Be Disease-free
NORWAY - Pigs are known carriers of the bacterium Yersinia enterocolitica, and they can infect both other pigs and people. Human infection occurs through eating improperly-cooked pork. Professor Truls Nesbakken of the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science is trying to rid pigs of the bacterium.



The professor, who already has two Norwegian doctorates (Dr. scient and Dr. med. vet.), recently defended his thesis for the degree of Dr. philos., entitled Control of human pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica in the meat chain. It will make him the first scientist with three Norwegian doctorates.

One of the scientific articles supporting the thesis shows that it is possible to keep swine herds in closed breeding pyramids free of Yersinia enterocolitica. This indicates that it is possible to keep Yersinia enterocolitica, which is presently extremely wide-spread in the pig population at large, under control. In man, the bacterium can cause serious arthritis, among other illnesses. The pig is the primary host of the bacterium, and the most common path of infection from pig to man is assumed to be direct infection from eating pork.

Norwegian abattoirs have already introduced several important measures to improve slaughter hygiene, which is also a subject of the doctorate. However, more remains to be done, indicated by the fact that two people who ate pickled pork for Christmas in 2006 died of yersiniosis. Only rarely does yersiniosis lead to such a tragic outcome, and most cases cause nothing more than intestinal infection or at worst a drawn-out arthritis.

Exciting research with consequences for public health
A pig herd free of infectious disease is referred to as SPF, meaning "specific pathogen-free". In a broader context, it is very likely that we can also produce pork free of Yersinia enterocolitica, Toxoplasma and Salmonella. In that case we are no longer talking of SPF-herds, but of a development towards HPF (human pathogen-free) herds. Such a development would depend, however, on its cost-effectiveness.

The development of SPF-herds, and ultimately HPF-herds, is part of a field of veterinary medicine called Veterinary Public Health (VPH), defined as the science and practice of veterinary medicine science concerned with the maintenance of human health. Central to VPH is the understanding, prevention and control of zoonoses, or diseases spread between animals and man.

[mikey]

Tuesday, April 07, 2009Print This Page
Salmonella Detection Methods in Feeds Compared
SWEDEN - Koyuncu and Haggblom at the National Veterinary Institute in Uppsala found that the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of the three cultural methods they compared were similar although the the detection levels for different feed and feed ingredients varied considerably.



Animal feed as a source of infection to food producing animals is much debated. In order to increase our present knowledge about possible feed transmission it is important to know that the present isolation methods for Salmonella are reliable also for feed materials.

In a comparative study the ability of the standard method used for isolation of Salmonella in feed in the Nordic countries, the NMKL71 method (Nordic Committee on Food Analysis) was compared to the Modified Semisolid Rappaport Vassiliadis method (MSRV) and the international standard method (EN ISO 6579:2002).

Five different feed materials were investigated, namely wheat grain, soybean meal, rapeseed meal, palm kernel meal, pellets of pig feed and also scrapings from a feed mill elevator.

Four different levels of the Salmonella serotypes – S. Typhimurium, S. Cubana and S. Yoruba – were added to each feed material.

For all methods, pre-enrichment in Buffered Peptone Water (BPW) were carried out followed by enrichments in the different selective media and finally plating on selective agar media.

The results obtained with all three methods showed no differences in detection levels, with an accuracy and sensitivity of 65 per cent and 56 per cent, respectively. However, Müller-Kauffmann tetrathionate-novobiocin broth (MKTTn), performed less well due to many false negative results on Brilliant Green agar (BGA) plates. Compared to other feed materials, palm kernel meal showed a higher detection level with all serotypes and methods tested.

The results of this study showed that the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of the investigated cultural methods were equivalent. However, the detection levels for different feed and feed ingredients varied considerably.

Reference
Koyuncu S. and P. Haggblom, 2009. A comparative study of cultural methods for the detection of Salmonella in feed and feed ingredients. BMC Veterinary Research 2009, 5:6doi:10.1186/1746-6148-5-6

[mikey]

Tuesday, April 07, 2009Print This Page
EU Pig Prices: Easter Business Propels Prices
EU - As a result of the booming Easter Business, the European slaughter pig market continues to develop in a positive way this week.

 

Many quotations went on increasing at various levels. With Easter ahead, the consumers’ propensity to buy is booming. On top of that, first invitations for barbecues are extended – and above all in the Dutch camping grounds. Belgium reports on a clear price increase to take place, with the corrected quotation going up by approximately 4 cents after last week’s stagnation and need to catch up. In Great Britain, the corrected quotation’s increase must be attributed to no more than the exchange rate development.

The German quotation went up moderately by 2 cents, being followed closely by the Netherlands. Thus, the French, German and Dutch quotations are at close quarters again. Denmark continues to catch up, quoting plus 2.7 corrected cents. In Spain, the current four-week top level could be maintained. Pressure is exerted on the Polish quotation through the change in currency exchange rates.

Trend: Over Easter, a few days of slaughter will be lacking. However, part of the live animals on offer has been brought forward, so that no adverse effect must be expected if demand continues to be brisk. All in all, the prices are anticipated to remain steady over Easter.

Week D NL DK B F PL CZ IT ESP AUT GB SWE IR
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 € 1,310 € 1,266 € 1,392 € 1,300 € 1,552 € 1,132 € 1,348 €
10 Week 1,306 € 1,280 € 1,187 € 1,255 € 1,330 € 1,280 € 1,328 € 1,266 € 1,449 € 1,300 € 1,541 € 1,093 € 1,348 €
11 Week 1,306 € 1,280 € 1,187 € 1,255 € 1,331 € 1,304 € 1,393 € 1,266 € 1,449 € 1,300 € 1,552 € 1,085 € 1,348 €
12 Week 1,326 € 1,309 € 1,186 € 1,279 € 1,332 € 1,414 € 1,475 € 1,266 € 1,502 € 1,330 € 1,524 € 1,147 € 1,348 €
13 Week 1,326 € 1,319 € 1,213 € 1,304 € 1,367 € 1,357 € 1,490 € 1,266 € 1,502 € 1,330 € 1,511 € 1,152 € 1,348 €
14 Week 1,346 € 1,338 € 1,241 € 1,304 € 1,369 € 1,325 €   1,266 € 1,502 € 1,330 € 1,554 € 1,169 € 1,367 €
15 Week 1,366 € 1,357 € 1,268 € 1,341 € 1,370 €     1,266 € 1,502 € 1,350 € 1,587 € 1,201 € 1,367 €




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)

[mikey]

Wednesday, April 15, 2009Print This Page
EU Pig Prices: Steady Trend, Positive Prospects
EU - The European slaughter pig market appears to be largely balanced this week. In spite of the Easter holidays and the missing days of slaughter, there has been no surplus production of slaughter pigs.

 

Many slaughter companies raised the number of slaughters noticeably on all other days around Easter. So, the quantities available still may be marketed without problem.

Except for quotations in Denmark and Italy, all quotations prove to remain unchanged. From the positive trend in Denmark and Italy, the export business may be thought to further improve. The Italian quotation went up by a corrected 5 cents, reaching EUR 1.32 per kg slaughter weight. A corrected 3 cents’ plus was reported on from Denmark. The Swedish quotation went down by a corrected 1 cent, for currency rate reasons

Trend: With demand for pork being good presently and as a result of better domestic business and slightly improving exports, the prices are expected to slightly increase by the end of this week.

[mikey]

Friday, April 17, 2009Print This Page
Pork in Halal Products Considered Public Deception
INDONESIA - In what was seen as a blow for the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), several meat products circulating in the market were found to contain pork, despite bearing halal labels.



The council admitted Thursday that it might have granted halal (permitted under Islamic law) certificates for dried beef products (dendeng) actually containing pork.

"We might have been conned," council deputy chairman Amidhan told The Jakarta Post.

The Food and Drugs Monitoring Agency (BPOM) confirmed earlier in the day that pork content was discovered in at least five brands of dried beef products in the market.

"This is a *public* deception," BPOM head Husniah Rubiana Thamrin said at a news conference, while displaying the five products.

The five were Cap Kepala Sapi Dendeng in a 250-gram package, Cap LIMAS Dendeng, Cap ACC Dendeng , Lezaaat Dendeng, and Cap 999 Dendeng.

At least one of these products, Lezaat Beef Jerky, has a halal label stamped on its wrapping.

All the packaging on these products claimed they contained beef.

Husniah said the producer Lezaaat Dendeng might have deceived the MUI by providing halal samples during the examination and certification process.

Amidhan echoed her statement, saying there were a number of other possibilities that might have caused the improper placement of such a label. "The makers of that product might have not gone through the halal testing process at all," he said. "So these halal labels might be bogus."

Amidhan explained that a producer seeking halal certificates must first ask the BPOM to examine whether its product is hazardous to health or not.

If the product obtains BPOM approval, then the MUI will examine its contents, as well as the process in making it.

If deemed halal, the council will issue a certificate. The BPOM will use the numbers on that certificate to make halal labels stamped on that product's packaging.

"Halal labels are valid for two years," Amidhan said. "Thus, there is a chance that a company can change its product ingredients or processing methods during that two-year period to ingredients or methods that are not halal."

He went on to say the MUI will seek to clarify this matter. "However, the first thing to do is to withdraw all these products containing pork that are masquerading as halal or beef, and to find the ones responsible for the fraud."

Husniah further said two of the brands: Lezaaat and Cap 999, were local products made respectively in Surabaya and Malang - both in East Java. "Thus, local authorities are in charge of granting permits for these products, as well as withdrawing them from the market and destroying them."

She added that the other three brands: Cap Kepala Sapi, Cap A.C.C and Cap LIMAS, have bogus permit numbers that belonged to other companies. "We are yet to find out the actual makers of those products," she said.

There is high possibility that those products contain wild boar meat rather than pork derived from farm-bred pigs, Husniah said.

"Wild boar meat costs only Rp 18,000 *around US$1.95* per kilogram, while beef is priced almost three times higher," she explained

[mikey]

Friday, April 17, 2009Print This Page
Disease Management Key to High Corn Demand
CHINA - The US Grains Council has been actively engaged in China's swine industry for several years. A primary focus for the last three years has been working directly with hog producers on disease prevention and management.



Most recently, the Council invited Dr. Rodney Baker, veterinarian and senior diagnostician at Iowa State University, to conduct seminars in Beijing, Nanchang and Guangzhou to provide services to discuss control and elimination of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS).

The syndrome commonly referred to as blue ear disease, caused China's corn demand to weaken in the past couple of years due to a PRRS outbreak that forced Chinese swine producers to halt significant herd expansion. The Council's partner farms in China took measures early in 2006 to control the high pathogenic strain of PRRS, according to Jason Yan, USGC technical program director in China.

Disease management and prevention efforts such as the recent educational seminars have continued to be a Council priority, according to Yan, in order to keep pork prices low for Chinese consumers and to keep corn demand strong. "The science behind new biosecurity procedures that prevent PRRS introduction into farms was a topic of interest," he said. "The use of vaccines and the difficulties resulting from poor cross protection between different PRRS isolates is a significant issue preventing successful PRRS control."

Numerous examples of farm strategies which have successfully eliminated the virus from individual farms were demonstrated and discussed with Chinese producers. Dr. Baker has successfully eliminated the virus through a variety of methods avoiding depopulations of farms, Yan said. "Chinese producers asked many questions on how to apply Dr. Baker's methods into the Chinese situation, which indicated good acceptance of the seminar."

[mikey]

Monday, April 20, 2009Print This Page
Scientists Find Key to Combating Odour Issues
DENMARK - Sulphurous compounds are the main source of the obnoxious smells from pig farms. Scientists from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences are focusing on these substances in an attempt to remove them and thus probably much of the odour currently emitted from pig houses.



Neighbours to pig farms may breathe fresher air in the future. Scientists from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and their collaborators have been given a sum of money from the Strategic Research Council to look into the cleansing of sulphurous compounds from vented air. The scientists are convinced that these compounds are the main source of the unpleasant smells from pig houses.



Scientists from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences will make biofilters more efficient to minimise obnoxious smells from pig production. (Photo: DJF)Optimising biofilter design
Biofilters have turned out to be one of the few odour-abating technologies suited to pig production. The vented air from the pig house is sent through a moist biofilm in a biofilter where the odour compounds are dissolved and subsequently decomposed by microorganisms. The sulphurous compounds are, however, only weakly soluble in water and therefore difficult to remove. Scientists would therefore like to develop new or improve existing biofilters by investigating how the physical and chemical properties of the current filter materials affect the processes and mechanisms that are crucial to the removal of persistent compounds.

"One of the aims of the project is to develop a model that enables us to optimise the biofilters. With a model it is possible to simulate a certain air flow or regulate the decomposition rate of bacteria in order to find the solutions that work best," explains PhD student Anders Michael Nielsen, Department of Agricultural Engineering.

Dust and ammonia cause problems
Part of the project focuses on removing dust and ammonia from the air before it comes into contact with the biofilters.

"Ammonia and dust cause problems for the biofilters. There is a lot of dust in the pig houses and it clogs up the filters, while the ammonia is converted to nitrite and destroys the biological effect of the biofilters on the odour compounds," explains senior scientist Anders Peter Adamsen.

New equipment
For this project scientists have bought a so-called PTR-MS (Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass Spectrometer), which is a very sensitive instrument that has previously been used for measuring chemical atmospheric processes.

"With the new equipment we can perform more precise online measurements of odour compounds than we have been able to before, which is important for generating the required data for the modelling part," says Anders Peter Adamsen.

The PTR-MS is used to measure the air from the pig house before and after it has been cleansed in a biofilter. This enables scientists to see the effect of the biofilter used on individual compounds.

As part of the project scientists had to optimise the use of different filter materials and designs that are subsequently tested on the vented air from a pig house.

Culprit caught!
In four years’ time, when the project is finished, the scientists are convinced that the fight against odours from pig houses will be easier to win.

"We will certainly have come a lot further than we are today and will have a lot more knowledge about the sulphurous odour compounds. We may not have removed all odour from the pig houses, but we will certainly have come a lot closer," says Anders Peter Adamsen and continues:

"There is no doubt that with our focus on the sulphurous compounds we have the culprit by the scruff of the neck."

The project, titled Cost-effective biofilters for odour nuisance abatement in pig production is financially supported by the Strategic Research Council to the sum of DKK 11.5 million. The total budget for the project, which runs for four years from 1 January 2009, is DKK 18.1 million. Other project participants are University of Aalborg, Department of Biology at Aarhus University, Skov A/S, Danish Pig Production, and Saint-Gobain Weber A/S.

[mikey]

Monday, April 20, 2009Print This Page
Japan Lifts Restrictions on Chilean Pork Export
CHILE - Chilean pork has been allowed to be exported to Japan without restrictions starting Friday, the Agriculture Ministry said.



"This measure reveals the professionalism reached by the services of this ministry, and it is about to reach Chile's goal of becoming a food power," Agriculture Minister Marigen Hornkohl said.

Japan imposed a ban on the import of pork from 18 places in Chile after detecting dioxin in the pork last year. Thanks to the measures taken by the Agriculture Live Stock Service, it is verified that these places are not polluted anymore.

The Association of Pork Producers of Chile has proposed to improve the image of Chilean pork in Japan through the trade mark "ChilePork" as part of its international exporting strategy.

[mikey]

Monday, April 20, 2009Print This Page
Ban Lifted on Five Out of Eight US Pork Plants
RUSSIA - Russia has lifted a ban from five US pork processing plants and cold storages and suspended imports from three others, the country's animal and plant health watchdog said Friday.



According to The Moscow Times.com, the Federal Service for Veterinarian and Vegetation Sanitary Supervision said in a statement that the ban on the plants imposed from 10 February for "serious violations of the Russian law," was lifted Wednesday after safety guarantees were received from the US Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

In January, the US Agriculture Department said the ban had been imposed because of clerical errors, although hog farmers suspected political reasons.

The watchdog said it had imposed a temporary ban on two US cold storages and a slaughterhouse effective Monday (today). By 2012, Russia aims to reach self-sufficiency in the production of pork and poultry meat, of which the United States is the major supplier.

[mikey]

Wednesday, April 22, 2009Print This Page
Experts to Meet in China to Discuss Pig Production
CHINA - The Global Pig Forum is the first industry-wide conference for pig production. The forum brings together international experts the entire pig industry.



The forum brings together international experts the entire pig industry. The two-day forum, which is organised by China Animal Agricultural Association (CAAA), includes representatives from the processing sector, breeding companies and feed industry specialists, along with key personnel employed in research, finance and marketing.

The forum, which takes place 14-15 May in Chengdu in China, precedes the Animal Husbandry Exhibition also in Chengdu.

Coupled with drastic feed cost increases and disease outbreaks, the world-wide financial crisis has affected pig meat production and profitability on a global scale. This key issue will be a hot topic for the event, as will the issues of increasing demand for pork and pork products and growing consumer awareness of quality, traceability, food safety and animal welfare issues.

The Global Pig Forum addresses the current global situation and aims to help attendees identify sustainable business strategies for the future.

Among the presentations are:

The impact of the financial crisis on global pig industry – developing a strategy - Wim Thus, Rabobank

Regulations on pig production operations in the EU - Knud Buhl, Danish Meat Association

A profile of China’s pig industry and development - Yao Pinpu, CHA TAI Group Agro-Industry Business China area

Latest developments in global pig genetics and China’s breeding pig market - Peter Simedra, Simtech Swine Systems and Canadian Swine Exporter’s Association

Pig production and management on China’s intensive pig farms - Qin Yinglin, Henan Neixiang Muyuan Animal Husbandry Co.

Control and measures to feed safety in EU - Nutreco Holding N.V. (requested)

China’s pig meat processing and safety control - Wang Yufen, Shineway Group

Food safety crisis management and consumer communication - Cemlyn Martin, Alltech

Environmentally-friendly technology and its application in Chinese pig production - Liao Xinti, South China Agriculture University

Innovation to boost sustainable development - Feng Guangde, Tie Qi Li Shi Group

Pig Disease prevention and control technology in China - Pfizer (requested)

Animal health strategies - Matthias Adam, Boehringer-Ingelheim

The Global Pig Forum follows the world’s first European Pig Summit which premiered at EuroTier, the world’s largest exhibition of animal production technology, in Hanover, Germany, last year. The Summit addressed key pig production issues globally, in China and in Europe. More information on the event can be found at www.eutotier.de

The Global Pig Forum is expected to attract some 500 experts from the breeding, nutrition, processing, production and veterinary sectors in both China and other pig producing countries.

The DLG is co-organising the Global Pig Forum along with other partners including the European Pig Producers Club (EPP).

The German Agricultural Society (DLG) last year established a collaboration with the CAAA to work closer together on animal production events. The DLG’s office in China DLG (Beijing) Agricultural Technology Service co. Ltd was established in 2007 and covers the entire agricultural industry. The DLG hosts the European Pig Producers Club (EPP), a members’ organisation bringing together over 450 pig producers in Europe.

[mikey]

Wednesday, April 22, 2009Print This Page
Breakthrough Helps Aussie Pork Producers
AUSTRALIA - A major technological breakthrough will help pork producers use canola meal more efficiently and give them the potential to use more of it in pig feeding rations.



The breakthrough came in a joint research project conducted by Pork CRC and the Australian Oilseeds Federation and could save the industry more than $450,000 annually through using canola meal more efficiently, reports FOODweek Online.

Using near infrared (NIR) technology, the research developed rapid analysis technology to assess how well pigs digest canola meal, allowing the industry to rapidly and cheaply assess meal quality and value.

“This allows canola crushing plants to use on-site analysis to assess the effects of oil seed crushing conditions on canola meal protein digestibility,” project coordinator, John Spragg, said.

“It means suppliers of canola meal will be able to provide higher quality, more consistent meals.

“The technology lets feed manufacturers and pig producers assess canola meal quality and adjust feed formulations to account for lysine availability,” he said.

The project has already paid off, through supplying meal quality data to oilseed processors and Pork CRC is initiating a commercialisation plan for the technology with NIR calibrations for reactive lysine being made available to industry.

[mikey]

Wednesday, April 22, 2009Print This Page
Price of Domestic Pork Boned Ribs Rises
SOUTH KOREA - The price of domestic pork boned ribs has exceeded that of Los Angeles galbi beef ribs imported from the United States, discount retail chains said yesterday.



The price of boned ribs sold at the discount chain E-Mart nationwide was 2,260 won (1.67 US dollars) per 100 grams, 14.1 percent higher than that of bone LA ribs, which went for 1,980 won (1.47 dollars).

The price of boned ribs was 2,180 won (1.62 dollars), 10.1 per cent higher than that of LA ribs, at Lotte Mart. The price of chuck eye roll, the cheapest cut in beef, were 1,380 won (1.02 dollars) per 100 grams, half the price of pork boned ribs.
,br> According to the Agro-Fisheries Trade Corp., the price of boned ribs per 500 grams increased from 8,503 won (6.30 dollars) in February to 9,041 won (6.70 dollars) last month and to 10,078 won (7.47 dollars) this month. This is because boned rib imports have dropped as much as 30 per cent due to the won’s appreciation.

According to The Dong-A Ilbo, the retail industry predicts the price of boned ribs will continue rising since pork demand has soared relative to Korean beef amid the economic recession.

An E-Mart source said, “Demand for boned ribs has declined due to inflation but demand will rise again next month, when the spring picnic season will begin, and this will raise prices.”