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Monday February 1, 2010

Ban lower-welfare imports, say MEPs

A call will go out to the European Commission to ban third country imports that don’t meet European welfare standards.

This isn’t particularly important at present, as third-country pork has to overcome European Union tariffs — but if the principle is accepted it could be crucial to the survival of the European pig industry when import barriers are lowered as part of a future World Trade Organisation agreement.

The Commission should also establish a uniform system of sanctions and penalties in the event of non-compliance with welfare legislation, Swedish Liberal MEP Marit Paulsen told the European Parliament Agriculture and Rural Development Committee.

And the administration of antibiotics should be curtailed, because — she claimed — a growing number of animal and human diseases are growing immune and resistant to such medication.

In broad terms, MEPs at the meeting supported her call for stringent enforcement of current welfare legislation.

They insist that suitable mechanisms are already in place to do this, and therefore a European Centre for Animal Welfare (currently under consideration by the European Commission) is unnecessary.

Amendments on Paulsen’s report must be tabled by February 9. The committee will take a vote on the report in March.

Email updates reduce the frustration

“Improving the environmental performance of the farm is a priority for us but we get frustrated when we’re told we have to comply with waste regulations but are not given guidance on how we can achieve this,” says John Hutchinson, farm manager at 2,000-acre arable and pig Needwood House Farm, in Staffordshire.

He says he finds the environmental guidance website www.NetRegs.gov.uk a help, particularly the email updates which help in keep him up-to-date with what the farm needs to do to comply with current waste legislation.

“The new Learning about Agricultural Waste tool is in a farmer-friendly format, which makes environmental compliance seem much less daunting. Rather than having to sift through pages of information you can find what you need at the click of a button.”

Needwood House Farm produces over 17 tonnes of waste a year, mainly from fertiliser bags, spray containers and plastic wrapping. The farm uses external waste contractors to recycle the majority of the waste produced by the farm but it has to ensure that the refuse is sorted and bagged up in the correct way before it can be removed.

Pig farm incomes up again

Average farm business income is forecast to have increased over 140 percent on United Kingdom specialist pig farms last year, reports Defra.

This reflects higher prices seen during the course of the year for finished pigs, cull sows, weaners and store pigs and the lower prices for some key inputs, particularly feed.

The value of United Kingdom pig production increased 17 percent to £1 billion, the highest value seen since 1997.

Polish pig herd starts to recover

The Polish pig herd, which plummeted to a 40-year low in recent years as a result of increased competition from other European Union countries, showed significant growth last year, with the sow herd up over six percent. From being 100 percent self-sufficient in pork until 2007, Poland has moved to being only 83 percent self-sufficient. Although the sow herd has increased in size, this has yet to show through in total pigs which remain almost the same as in 2008 at 14.2m.

Fresh pork sales up 70 percent

Cranswick’s organic growth — that's from the underlying business — in the three months to December was 17 percent, with 14 percent growth from Cranswick Country Foods Norfolk, which the company bought in June last year.

If Cranswick Country Foods Norfolk’s business is taken into account, sales of fresh pork jumped 70 percent. Bacon sales were up by 61 percent and sausages, cooked meats and continental products increased by 21 percent, 17 percent and 9 percent respectively.

A good Christmas for pork

The volume of pork bought in the four weeks to December 27 was up 14 percent compared with the same period a year earlier. Over Christmas, purchases of all pork roasting joints increased an average 25 percent, accounting for 58 percent of all fresh and frozen pork purchases — that’s an increase from 54 percent during the same four-week period in 2008. As a result of increased purchases and higher prices last year, spending on pork rose by almost six percent compared with 2008 to £843m. The multiples increased their share of total pork purchases last year to 86 percent, mainly at the expense of butchers.

Danish Crown throughout and turnover down

Two of Europe’s biggest pork exporters saw big falls in their export business in the first nine months of last year.

Danish pork exports were down around 12 percent and Dutch exports were down 10 percent. Falls like this are unprecedented in recent years.

One of the reasons for the decline in Danish and Dutch export business is that producers in both countries are now sending huge volumes of weaners and finishers to Germany, where they attract better prices. But also the stronger euro has not helped their export business with non-euro countries.

The decline in net production in Denmark is putting pressure on Danish Crown. It has been forced to restructure its processing facilities and suspend new investment in its Danish plants.

Labour costs in its Danish plants are much higher than those in Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom. Total throughput (essentially pork) of Danish Crown in the year ended September 2009 was down 10 percent and total turnover by five percent.

The trouble with large constellations...

Farmers cannot stand up against large constellations along the food supply chain, Swedish farm minister Eskil Erlandsson told the European Parliament Agriculture and Rural Development Committee. He praised member countries that tackle competition issues at national level.

French producers heavily in debt

Two-thirds of French pig producers are in debt by over 80 percent, according to the pig section of the French Farmers Union.

It claims that at a time when pigmeat stocks are at zero, processors and retailers are continuing to squeeze producer margins, whilst maintaining their own.

Retailers’ special offers in January had a disruptive impact on pig-keepers, with half their pigs selling at only 122p a kilo.

The union also complains of a specifically French measure which penalises farmers who send pigs showing abnormalities to the abattoir. This can cost the average producer up to £1,300 a year.

Wages scandal at Danish Crown plant

German trades unions have been shocked to discover 32 Romanian workers did not get properly paid by Danish Crown for working at its Oldenburg in north Germany.

Danish Crown sends large quantities of Danish pigmeat to its German plant for further processing because labour is considerably cheaper in Germany, where the slaughterhouse industry employs thousands of people from eastern Europe under contract with sub-suppliers, who pay the workers only what they would get in their own country.

The Danish Crown case has made headlines because it is considered to be a particularly serious case of exploitation.

A Cypriot company, through an intermediary in Ireland, supplied 32 Romanian workers which it found by advertising on the internet, and which subsequently it did not pay the workers what it had promised.

According to a German newspaper the workers were promised £6.50 an hour but some got only £2.60 an hour, and some have not been paid at all.

The scandal has broken at a time when Danish Crown is demanding wage cuts at its Danish slaughterhouses.

'Local better than organic'

German shoppers are choosing regional food in preference to organic certification, according to a survey.

The reason may be the confusing number of labels to be found on supermarket shelves. Over 80 percent of people interviewed complained they had lost track of the countless different organic labels, and doubted the credibility of the labels.

They also said that in any case price was the most important factor when they were buying meat and meat products.

Dutch eat more pork (despite the antis)

Despite sometimes vitriolic anti-meat propaganda by government and lobbying groups, meat consumption in Holland rose from 84.9kg per head in 2008 to 86.6kg in 2009. Pork consumption increased from 40.7kg to 41.8kg.

China feeds its own

China was the world’s fifth largest importer of chilled and frozen pork in 2008 but its world ranking is expected to have dropped to around tenth last year. Imports from the States were down nearly 90 percent. There will probably be another drop in imports this year as China increases pork production around four percent to 50m tonnes.

Weaner exports grow, and grow

Weaner exports from Denmark passed the 7m mark by the turn of the year, indicating a 35 percent increase on 2008. The number of finishers exported has increased by a similar amount to, 1.1m pigs.

Same line as his predecessor...

Henrik Mortensen (46) is the new president of Danish Pig Producers, replacing Torben Poulsen, who was president for six years. Henrik Mortensen, who has a breed-to-finish pig farm in Jutland, is expected to continue the same political line as Torben Poulsen, who has been outspoken in his criticism of Danish Crown. His last action as president was to describe the management team at Danish Crown as incompetent and to call for its removal.

The fight is on

The fight is on between Danish Crown and its slaughterhouse workers. Danish Crown wanted to decrease wages but in the face of worker opposition has modified its position and is now calling for a pay freeze for three years. Workers;’ unions have turned this down also. Danish Crown says jobs will be lost if it cannot cut costs. The current 2007-2010 wages agreement expires in March.

Fire at Vion Haverhill plant

Firefighters have been tackling a blaze at Vion's Haverhill plant today. At the height of the blaze, six fire crews were in attendance.

Christmas kill up ten percent

United Kingdom finished pig slaughterings in December were up ten percent on a year ago —that's 70,000 head. Abattoirs in England and Wales (which account for 80 percent of the total) found their throughputs up nine percent higher, and slaughterings in Northern Ireland were up 22 percent. But slaughterings in Scotland were down three percent.

Less than balanced

By Hugh Crabtree

I attended the event at Portcullis House last week — "Pig Business - Time For A Change". Whilst I applaud Tracy Worcester's efforts to maintain the pressure for honest food labelling and to persuade British consumers to choose pork products sourced locally, like Ian Campbell (see report below), I too found some of the experts to be less than balanced in their expertise. Continued.

Sunday January 31 2010

'Hat's off to glass-half-full Tracy'

By Ian Campbell

Those who saw Tracy Worcester’s film “Pig Business” on More TV last year will have struggled to separate out the thrust of the programme in support of better labelling that will assist British producers, and some of the negative images of “factory” farming in Eastern Europe, capable of turning consumers off eating pork wherever it is farmed.

On Wednesday night at a meeting “Pig Business - time for a change”, Tracy and her friend Zac Goldsmith spoke passionately in front of a good attendance of MPs on the importance of supporting local produce with better labelling.

The division bells rang part way through the proceedings which rapidly emptied the room of MPs, leaving a smattering of us pig wallahs and those of a ‘greener’ persuasion to continue the dialogue.

The meeting was chaired by John Callaghan, international director of Compassion in World Farming, and sought to cover animal welfare, the environment, human health and rural livelihoods.

Strangely enough I thought both Kate Parkes, of RSPCA, and Peter Stevenson of Compassion in World Farming, gave sensible papers. That sounds a bit unfair to Kate since the RSPCA has worked closely with the pig industry to look for solutions to some of the more intractable problems, such as tail-biting, whereas the same cannot be said for Compassion in World Farming in recent months.

The thrust of Peter Stevenson’s paper was about European Union enforcement of current legislation on mutilations and manipulable material.

I may thoroughly disagree with the potential outcome of Compassion in World Farming’s campaigns - which in too many cases will result in poorer, not better, animal welfare - but I do have some understanding of the frustration he feels having got legislation passed and seeing it largely ignored by member countries.

I was less enthusiastic about the environment/health papers where the speakers mirrored our last prime minister in deciding an answer to a problem and then applying selected facts to fit that argument.

I was unable to suppress calling out “Not true” when the link was made between the pig as a mixing vessel, intensive farms and the outbreak of H1N1 novel A virus in Mexico.

I also took issue with the Soil Association’s use of the MRSA type 398 in Holland to smear intensive pig production via use of antibiotics. To talk about the high level of antibiotic use in pig production both here and elsewhere in Europe and then not explain why the United Kingdom came out with a clean bill of health for this strain of staphylococci is less than honest.

Stewart Houston’s paper was thoughtful and constructive, making the primary point that support for welfare measures already in place by buying British can only lead to a profitable industry that is both willing and capable of finding solutions to the more intractable animal welfare issues.

Organisations such as Compassion in World Farming can do a huge amount of good for our industry by influencing the buyers of meat to source raw material only from production that meets certain criteria.

In return we have to accept the need to work with them to find solutions to those areas where the common objective of better animal welfare can be achieved.

All in all – hats off to Tracy Worcester for seeing the glass as half full and backing British pig producers!

National meeting for allied industry people

NPA is to hold a national allied industry meeting on Wednesday March 24 at the Haycock Hotel, which is on the A1 near Peterborough.

We want to update allied industry people on all the issues facing pig producers, which in turn will help them make the right choices to shape their businesses so they can continue offering pig producers an excellent and essential service, says Peter Rollings, chairman of NPA’s Allied Industry Group.

Speakers will include producer Mike Sheldon and BPEX director Mick Sloyan.

The meeting will discuss NPA’s work on behalf of its allied industry members and seek views on what allied industry members want for their representative organisation.

It event is free and open to both members and non-members. It starts 10am and ends 2.30pm.

AGENDA

• 10am–10.30am: Registration and tea/coffee.
  
  
• Welcome and introduction (Peter Rollings).
  
  
• Challenges and opportunities for pig producers through the next decade (Mike Sheldon).
  
  
• Market signals – do the trends back up the predictions? (Mick Sloyan, BPEX).
  
  
• The NPA Allied Industry Group – what does it do for you? (Peter Rollings).
  
  
• Break-out groups. Attendees will split into four groups to discuss a range of issues including how they can align business to the needs of the customer and what the NPA Allied Industry Group can do for its members.
  
  
• Feedback to the main group and discussion.
  
  
• 13.30pm–14.30 Lunch and depart.

Invite and faxback form.

Pig units going cheap in Canada

Covering Banff Pork Conference as part of his Nuffield Scholarship, south-west producer Andrew Freemantle noted the availability of some very cheap pig units which the banks own as a result of foreclosures, and would like to get rid of.

There may be opportunities for British producers, he says, “but remember, the cold is unbelievable.

“One of the welfare meetings at the conference dealt with transportation and the problems caused by pigs getting frozen circles on their skin. These were the ones against the side of the lorry near the ventilation holes and this happens at -30c!”

KEY POINTS FROM THE CONFERENCE

By Andrew Freemantle

On pork marketing models...

Pork is always a commodity. Every business should differentiate. Target customers to maximise revenue. Value equation – quality and price (price being the most important). There are no untapped markets out there. The only thing that flows along the Canadian supply chain is pigs.

On pork advertising...

Ellen Goddard reported young people across the world are not eating pork like their parents do and this is a big challenge for the worldwide pork industry. In Canada both price and demand declined - a very bad combination.

Since October 2007 the United States and Canadian herds have declined by 500,000 sows. But productivity is up. Country of origin labelling helps net importers (like Britain) not net exporters (like Denmark). Something for us to look forward to?

On how China affects us all...

China is the largest importer of soya in the world. Pork is the most important thing in its consumer price index basket. Over the last 14 years Chinese consumers have increased meat consumption by 30 percent.

China has 22 percent of the world’s population but only 7 percent of its arable land. Each person eats 38kg of pork a year. It is a government priority to achieve a stable pork supply. 48m tons of pork are eaten this year and this will have grown to 91m tonnes by 2015.

To meet demand China will import feed to grow more pigs, rather than import pigmeat. There are opportunities for safe, fresh, processed pork in the wealthier areas. It might only be a tiny amount of total pork eaten but due to the size of market it could still be huge business. Much emphasis is placed on safe food after the recent problems China has had. Sausages have potential... British sausages?

On world recession...

United Kingdom consumer spending is 65 percent of gross domestic product, second only to the United States, hence we are lowest in the G20 tables.

Rising oil is always a risk, because of the effect on grain markets. It’s the best thing to use as a barometer of the world economy.

If unemployment rates in the United States are high, United States consumers are careful. If they are low, they spend and that drives the world economy. At the moment unemployment rates are dropping from historical highs. Hence the world is starting to come out of recession.

On contributions by the Brits...

East Anglia vet John Mackinnon give a good talk on immunocastration and Mick Hazzledine likewise on nutrition.

Whilst in Canada I met up with two well-known ex-pats, consultant Bernard Peet consultant, and Steve Thomas, of Elanco. Both are loving the opportunities Canada offers.

Soya dependence 'will export our pig industry'

Dependence on imported soya could lead to the British pig industry being exported to other countries, warns Hugh Burton, raw materials manager for pig and poultry feed processor ABN.

The European Union currently produces about one million tonnes of soya a year, but imports over 30m tonnes of the crop or its products.

This leaves us extremely vulnerable in a world market where demand for soya is continually increasing, he told delegates at a joint Home Grown Cereals Authority and Processors and Growers Research Organisation conference.

Imports from Brazil are falling because pig and poultry producers there are absorbing more of the local production, and the situation in Argentina is likely to follow suit, he suggested.

The situation is currently being exacerbated by the reluctance of the European Union to approve more GM soya varieties, he said. But this was not the main problem.

"GM is clearly a complication, but I see that as more a short-term issue. What I am really thinking is in the longer term, whether the European Union will get any soya, whether it is GM or not."

Soya was currently the preferred feed inclusion because it offered a better balance of energy, fibre and protein, particularly certain key amino acids, than locally grown alternatives such as pulses or rape meal, he said.

Such crops were valuable constituents of current feeds, but interest in them fell off rapidly with price.

He expects Dried Distillers Grains and Solubles - DDGS - from biofuel plants to become an important element in diets, with inclusions of up to 20 percent being reported from Canada.

Another speaker at the conference, HGCA senior economist Michael Archer, predicted they would be 'a bit of a challenge' to rapemeal, but Mr Burton felt that that was more an issue in cattle feeds than in pig or poultry.

Longer term, he hoped better alternatives to imported soya would be developed here in the European Union and Britain. Growing suitable varieties of the crop locally would help, but he also urged seed companies to develop varieties of pulses and oilseeds that offered a better nutritional balance, with fewer problem ingredients, such as tannins, trypsin inhibitors and glucosinolates.

"I think we need better varieties, so that they can be more widely used, and we should also consider changes in processing technology, which should not be ruled out," he added. "That way we could substitute more of the imported soya in our rations with these potentially valuable alternatives."

New sausages bring in extra donations for Britain's heroes

The Help for Heroes charity is to benefit from to two new varieties of pork sausages that are now being sold in Tesco stores across southern England.

The sausages, made from farm assured pork from British pigs, and called, respectively Hair of the Hog, and Pickled Pig, use award-winning recipes created by Aldershot family butchers A. Turner and Sons.

They will be sold at 25 Tesco stores to help raise funds for soldiers injured in battle. “Our family has a strong connection with the military and I wanted to give something back to them and Tesco really loved the idea,” said Paul Turner, third generation butcher and joint owner of A. Turner and Sons.

Promotion for Paul

Paul Anderson has been appointed international sales director at JSR. Previously he was European sales director. He joined JSR in 1988, when he looked after the Midlands, Shropshire and the home counties. “I look forward to further developing JSR in Asia and Latin America whilst retaining a core focus within the European Union,” he said. “With partners in 15 countries and joint ventures in three more we will continue to harness research and development knowledge to ensure the United Kingdom remains at the top of the drive for competitive and profitable pig production.”

Saturday January 30 2010

Pig managers train to
build a better business

The hard work has begun for the 11 pig managers on the BPEX professional managers development course. The 18-month course started last week with the first training session in Peterborough, supported by the NPA and BPEX.

Some of those on the course are new to management and others are looking for new ways to develop their role and their business. All are aiming to manage an effective team and achieve good physical and financial performance in their units.

The group spent two days getting to know each other and focused on skills in team building, problem-solving and managing a workload.

Getting an insight into wider pig industry issues is part of the course – NPA chairman Stewart Houston and BPEX director Mick Sloyan were the first invited speakers and discussed the different roles of the two organisations.

Course leader Alistair Gibb, of Cedar Associates, was pleased with how it went. “The group worked together really well on a challenging range of activities," he said.

"They had some very active discussions on many areas of pig unit management and were keen to share views on how things are done on different farms.”

Employers and line managers have also had training to help them mentor those on the course.

British breakfast at Driffield

At a breakfast at Driffield to raise money for the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution in its 150th year, Anna's Happy Trotters and Grant and Mark Burton supplied the bacon and sausages and Uncle Henry's supplied the black pudding. The breakfast — for over 100 guests — was prepared by Ladies in Pigs. Guest speaker was Howard Petch, former principal of Bishop Burton College.

Confident feel to the contract trade

The trend of the past few weeks has continued again this week, with a clear split between those processors supplying retailers, and those serving the fresh meat wholesale market.

With the DAPP rising slightly by 0.27p to 138.97p/kg, there was a buoyant feel to the contract market place today. With numbers of available pigs on contract still on the tight side, there were still a few gaps left to fill later in the day, and these spaces are generally found at processors who are lagging behind on price. With many of the major outlets keeping their contracts in line with the DAPP, there was a confident feel to the contract trade on Friday.

The spot bacon market kept in touch with contract quotes on the week, with the majority of prices happily landing the right side of the 140p/kg mark. A handful of smaller outlets would clearly have liked to have seen the price come back a touch; however, the basics of supply and demand remain in place with no reductions in prices being reported here at Meadow Quality.

Despite the strength found in sterling, sow quotes have again remained at a good stand-on with the majority of prices in the 95p/kg region, although some quotes are as low as 88p/kg.

Weaner trade continues to be bullish, with buyers looking for all classes of pigs and the AHDB 30 kilo average now stands at £51.02. A rise of £2.50 per pig over the average price paid in December 2009.

As many of you are aware, there has again been an incident of weaners being stolen from a farm in Shropshire. Here at Meadow Quality we constantly review where our pigs are sourced from and verify this through movement information and farm assurance records. We will continue to be vigilant. The NPA has urged anyone who may have any information regarding this theft to contact them immediately. They can be contacted on 02476 858782. — Dan Day, Meadow Quality.

Friday January 29 2010

More African Swine Fever

There has been a new outbreak of African Swine Fever in the south Russian republic North Ossetia-Alania. The virus was found in pigs at a private property. About a hundred animals on surrounding farms have been culled. This is the fourth outbreak in this republic since the middle of 2008. Many more outbreaks have occurred in other parts of south Russia.

Better than Viagra

Pork is better than Viagra, according to Argentina's president Cristina Fernández. Press agency Reuters reports she spent a "satisfying" weekend with her husband after eating barbecued pork.

"I've just been told something I didn't know - that eating pork improves your sex life. I'd say it's a lot nicer to eat a bit of grilled pork than take Viagra," she told leaders of the Argentine pig industry.

The Argentinean government is currently pushing pork as beef prices have been going through the roof.

A further mysterious rise in sterling didn't help us today...

Above: Euro-sterling exchange rate.

TRAFFIC LIGHTS COMMENTARY

As expected demand in the spot market seems to have steadied and some of the smaller fresh meat abattoirs were less keen on pigs than the large mainly contract plants supplying the supermarket trade.

As a result spot bacon quotes tended to be in the 138–140p region, although some opening bids in the 136p region were made to those less fortunate producers who did not have a regular homes for their pigs.

There is currently very little of a premium for lighter weights and it is clear that demand is being led at the bacon end of the trade, which is normal for this time of year. Continued.

Brussels urged to take action over supermarkets

European farmers' organisation Copa-Cogeca warned this week that European Union farmers are increasingly becoming the victims of retailers' price wars. It urged European politicians to take action.

“This is an unacceptable situation. The downward pressure on retail prices squeezes the entire food chain," said Copa-Cogeca secretary-general Pekka Pesonen.

"The drop in farmgate prices, which is not matched by a fall in production costs, puts an unbearable pressure on producers' incomes which plummeted by 12.2 percent on average last year. In some cases, it drives farmers out of business.

"Aggressive price competition has also been found to limit consumer choice and cause a disruption in the production of seasonal products such as fruit and vegetables," he said.

Copa-Cogeca is urging the European Commission, EuroMPs and European Union ministers to rapidly take action.

Later this year Brussels is expected to bring forward concrete legislative proposals designed to improve the functioning of the European food supply chain.

Copa-Cogeca is calling on Brussels to propose measures that rebalance power in the food chain and contribute to its better operation.

Whole-body scanning could save abattoirs a fortune

New technology could save pig processors a fortune, by showing workers exactly where to make each cut in the carcase to get the optimum end product.

For instance it could identify where a pig is too fat for a retailer's particular product range, allowing unsuitable carcasses to be diverted for use elsewhere.

The new device, currently under development for pigs, uses hospital whole-body scanning technology.

Computerised tomography scanning sends several x-ray beams, from different angles, through a body.

Beams that have passed through less dense tissue such as lungs are stronger than beams that have passed through denser tissue, such as bone. Computer software can use this information to build a picture of the whole body (or pig carcase).

The technique was invented in Britain but has now been trialled with pigs in Denmark, showing a potential to save Danish Crown and Tican over £5m a year.

Thursday January 28 2010

IPPC problems? Get in touch

Will all IPPC producers who are struggling to get new permits, or variations to existing permits, or who are locked in discussions on ammonia improvement conditions, please get in touch with NPA no later than the end of next week.

NPA, NFU and BPEX will be meeting with Environment Agency directors during the week beginning February 8 to review key policy areas and look at current producer cases that have run into serious barriers.

‘We want to take your problems to the meeting and see if we can get some of the barriers lifted," said NPA general manager Barney Kay today.

This morning he attended a meeting arranged by NPA and chaired by farms minister Jim Fitzpatrick to discuss problems with the way the Environment Agency is regulating IPPC on pig farms.

“We are grateful to the minister for offering to chair this meeting with senior Environment Agency and Defra staff, to try and resolve our key issues,” he said.

The problem areas for pig producers include the Agency’s inclusion of non-statutory local sites for ammonia modelling and a new Environment Agency ammonia model.

“The new ammonia model has greatly increased the area around a farm that is perceived to be impacting on sensitive habitats, and the length of time being taken to process permits,” said Barney Kay.

He said he was pleased with the serious, senior level engagement by both the Environment Agency and Defra at this morning’s meeting, “...but we have by no means resolved all the issues”.

Producers with IPPC problems are asked to send details to Barney Kay as soon as possible. Tel. 02476 858782 or 07814 448956.

Compassion in World Farming survey conducted in illegal manner — claim

Compassion in World Farming's report (see Most pigs raised illegally - claim, further down this page) is based on a small number of pig farms, is unrepresentative and was conducted in an illegal manner, according to a letter from European farmers' organisation Copa to the Brussels department for health and consumer affairs.

The Copa letter highlights the role of the European Food and Veterinary Office in carrying out inspections at farm-level. It says the inspection reports on the health and consumer affairs website do not show any serious failings in the way the pig welfare directive is being applied.

It requests that specific labelling be created to take account of measures relating to animal welfare, the environment, nutrition and the climate.

Wednesday January 27 2010

Completely and fundamentally opposed to animal health tax

The NFU says it remains completely and fundamentally opposed to any costs being transferred to livestock farmers for dealing with animal disease outbreaks.

It is "extremely concerned" about the government's draft Animal Health Bill, whichdoes not give any detail about potential cost-sharing.

“We have lobbied for some time on this issue and consulted our members; we remain completely opposed to any cost burden being passed on to livestock farmers, particularly as we believe there are genuine savings to be made within Defra’s current Animal Health budget," said NFU president Peter Kendall today.

“Livestock farmers are already paying their fair share; they contribute significantly to the overall cost of animal health and welfare and adhere to strict biosecurity on farm.

"Reducing or removing compensation for farms deemed to have failed relative requirements is another major area of concern for us. While this may sound reasonable to some, our fear is that it will be impossible to develop a fair and proportionate system which takes into account individual farming businesses and the variety of livestock kept and different types and strains for diseases.

"Government also needs to be clearer about how it will increase protection to the industry from exotic diseases entering the country.”

The NFU called for an independent body for animal health and believes the proposed body is a positive step forward.

"However, the devil is in the detail and we need to scrutinise the draft Bill very closely to ensure that the proposed body meets the needs of livestock farmers," says Peter Kendall.

"We will also be seeking clarification on why the government now feels that it needs to introduce cost sharing measures through a Finance Bill and will maintain our fundamental opposition to such a move."

Chinese pigs and the soya problem

By Andrew Freemantle

I was lucky enough to be selected for a Nuffield Scholarship. I have just visited the Banff Pork conference in Canada. A few pieces of information I thought were quite interesting...

• China used 48m tonnes of pork this year, expected to be 91m by 2015.

• China has 22 percent of the world's population but only 7 percent of its arable land.

• To achieve this increase in production it will import more feed in order to produce more pigs.

So as it is already the largest buyer of soya in the world, I think we might need some alternative protein supplies in Europe.

Also of interest from the conference...

The Canadian and North American pig herds are down 500,000 sows, but productivity is up. The Canadian pork industry is suffering because of the strength of the Canadian dollar (we know all about that!) also the Unioted States country of origin labelling law which has lead to a lot less pork going to the States, Canada's major market.

I'm trying not to sound too hopefull but when our labels show country of origin, we might - just might - get get a sales boost like the yanks have had.

Finally one of their marketing men said, "The only thing that flows through the Candian pork supply chain is pork!" That sounded familar I thought.

I am in Chicago now and about to visit a free-range pig and poultry farm American-style, then in March, thanks to help from BOCM Pauls, I am spending a week in Japan visting a pig farm that has its own restaurant.

(More from Andrew on this page soon.)

Theft of weaners

Last night 200 weaners were taken from Paul Furniss’s pig farm at Chetwynd near Newport. They were between 5-8 weeks of age ranging from 9-15kgs.

This incident follows the theft of 500 weaners from Rob Mercer’s farm in March last year, also in the Shropshire area.

These events aren’t necessarily linked, but unfortunately with the number of pigs involved it suggests a current pig producer somewhere could be involved.

If you are offered pigs (especially marketing groups and processors) from an unexpected source, please get in touch.

If anyone has any information that could lead to their recovery please contact Barney Kay on 02476 858782 or 07814 448956.

Most pigs raised illegally — claim

Compassion in World Farming has repeated its claim the vast majority of the 250m pigs raised in the European Union are being kept in inhumane and illegal conditions.

In a six-page report it has produced with an organisation called the European Coalition for Farm Animals, it outlines the results of an undercover investigation on 74 pig-farms in Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Holland, Spain and the United Kingdom.

It claims it found inadequate husbandry standards and a high prevalence of routine tail-docking.

It found 100 percent routine tail docking in Denmark, Holland and Spain, with Spain also displaying 100 percent no environmental enrichment, or ineffective environment.

The report draws on a 2008 European Food Safety Authority opinion on tail-biting, which concluded the “absence of straw, the presence of slatted floors and a barren environment can lead to increased prevalence of tail-biting among intensively farmed pigs”.

Compassion in World Farming also calls for an outright European ban on stalls for breeding sows, instead of the partial ban due to take effect from January 2013.

It has lodged formal complaints on the six member countries cited in its report.

In response, the European department for health and consumer affairs agrees better enforcement of European legislation on pig welfare is needed.

It encourages a partnership between producers, retailers and society at large, “to provide awareness of the importance of animal welfare and therefore improved enforcement”.

Department officials have confirmed the Commission intends to organise a workshop on the welfare of pigs in July, as a follow-up to the one held in November (which was reported here and in Pig World).

The Commission says it is currently evaluating its policies on animal welfare, including an evaluation of the proper enforcement of European Union law.

This evaluation is expected to be completed at the end of this year. Brussels says the development of “animal-based welfare indicators" should contribute to a better assessment of animal welfare on farms.

A rotten year

2009 was a rotten year for Europe’s six biggest pig-producing countries, with prices down 4-11 percent on 2008.

Spain, Germany, Poland, Holland, France and Denmark keep nearly 70 percent of Europe’s pigs.

Although feed prices fell in these countries last year, they did not fall enough to compensate for lower pig prices.

Denmark comes bottom of a price list drawn up by a German pig association, with an average price of 112p, down 5 percent on the year before.

1. Spain 127p, down 4 percent on 2008.
2. Germany 119p, down 10 percent.
3. Poland 119p, down 11 percent.
4. Holland 117p, down 11 percent.
5. France 114p, down 8 percent.
6. Denmark 112p, down 5 percent.

Tuesday January 26 2010

Sack management team

The Association of Danish Pig Producers has called for the dismissal of the management team and the board of directors at Danish Crown.

Danish producers are fed up with the incompetence of Danish Crown and its management team, according to Danish Pig Producers' outgoing chairman Torben Poulsen.

He wants to see Danish Crown’s board of directors and management team replaced by experienced professionals. "The current board of directors has run the company for many years and has brought us to where we are now," he said.

He cites Danish Crown prices which have been lowest in Europe for years, with Danish pig-keepers losing around £7 a pig last year.

But the Danish pig industry is unabashed by criticisms of the way it sells Danish pigmeat at loss-making levels.

Bacon exports to the United Kingdom have remained unchanged despite the lower value of sterling, proclaimed the Danish Agriculture and Food Council recently.

Despite the losses made by Danish pig producers, the council cites - as a success story - the fact that Denmark has maintained its level of bacon exports to Britain whilst other exporting countries have seen a falling off of trade.

Monday January 25 2010

Bacon Connoisseurs' Week

Pig-keepers who sell their own bacon will want to enter their products for Bacon Connoisseurs' Week, which is run by BPEX, March 22-28.

It’s an excellent way to win publicity for your product.

• Explanatory leaflet
• Entry form

Closing date for entries February 3.

Bacon Connoisseurs’ Week raises awareness of the quality and variety of British bacon. A key element is the product competition which provides entrants with an opportunity to be awarded best-in-class.

The competition provides entrants with a platform to generate publicity and increase sales of British bacon.

Entering your product into the Bacon Connoisseurs’ Week competition is just one way of getting involved, says Tina Mulholland, of BPEX. See Making the most of Bacon Connoisseurs’ Week for more ideas.

Friday January 22 2010

Falling euro causes concern

Above: How the euro has fallen against sterling since October.

The fall of the euro against sterling threatens to take the shine off a promising year for British pig producers. It is making imported pigmeat more attractive to processors and retailers.

This highlights the importance of persuading retailers to commit to British Quality, as the Co-op has done this week by promising all its Somerfield stores will convert to 100 percent British fresh pork.

"This could be as important as the 'Morrison's Penny'," said NPA chairman Stewart Houston last night.

Yesterday evening's Traffic Lights text notes that a weaker euro makes cheaper imports more of a threat, but says British numbers are still tight so today's spot base price is a firm 142p, more in places.

Thursday January 21 2010

Stolen animal health products

Animal health products — largely pig-specific — were stolen from Jimmy Butler's farm in Suffolk on Tuesday.

If you are offered any antibiotics or other animal health products, please extract as much information as you can about the seller, and then contact Jimmy at 01986 875272. Let's see if we can get an arrest.

No started bottles were taken. So all product is unopened and with its correct label. Other items (tools etc) were taken during the raid.