UNITED KINGDOM PIG INDUSTRY NEWS PAGE
• NPA Trade Directory • Diary dates • 
Safari
July 14
UPB insolvent
The directors of UPB have declared the firm insolvent and have placed it in voluntary liquidation. Anyone interested in buying any of the company's assets should contact M. R. Howard at Larking Gowen (01473) 259984. A meeting of creditors will take place at Ipswich on July 23.
The mother of all price battles
As cash-strapped middle-class shoppers head for the discounters in droves, expect the grocery sector to be dragged into the mother of all price battles over the next two years, says Clive Beddall. "There will, in the words of one supermarket guru to me recently, be blood in the boardrooms, and perhaps even a few high profile executive casualties." Read his report in August Pig World.
Hog roast DVD
BPEX Foodservice is launching a DVD called Running a Successful Hog Roast. It takes hog roasters through some of the tricks of the trade that ensure that every element of a hog roast is a success, except of course, the weather. The DVD was shot on a rainy day but more than 70 villagers from Great Oxenden in Leicestershire turned out for the filming. To reserve your copy contact foodservice@bpex.org.uk or Karen Eaton on 01908 844114.
Wynne Jones to retire
Professor Wynne Jones, principal of Harper Adams University College, will retire in September 2009. “It has been an honour and privilege to be at the helm at Harper Adams and with the support of a highly motivated and creative staff to steer the University College to such a successful position," he said today. A search committee has been set up to manage the selection of a new principal.
BPEX's Old Spot recipe wows the punters
It's nice to be appreciated. The people at BPEX Foodservice have just received this note from a prominent restaurateur...
"I'd just like to tell you guys that after the promotional material that you sent me and spending some time on your website I decided to put Braised Collar of Old Spot Pork on to my dinner menu, selling at £14.50, and in the two weeks that its been on has proved to be a best-seller. I'm cutting the portion sizes quite generous (in fact one gentleman complained that the portion was "rather too large") but am still able to generate an approximate gross profit of 68 percent. My customers are responding well to the fact that its local pork and that it's Old Spot, and I'll be keeping a similar cut/dish on my menu for a good while to come. Thanks again for the advice - the website is a treasure trove of ideas and helpful tips."
Ladies in Pigs help Derbyshire WI celebrate 90th birthday
By Simon Davies
Nottinghamshire Ladies in Pigs gave a demonstration on Saturday to over a hundred Derbyshire WI ladies, who were celebrating their 90th birthday. They were very receptive to the message "Buy British" and look for the Quality Standard Mark. They all agreed the marketing of truly British meat is still confusing — but LIPS set them straight! The cooked sample recipes were all thoroughly enjoyed and needless to say all the Recipe Books were sold out. The LIPS ladies involved were Julia Blant, Mary Ibbotson, Vicky Smith and Claire Davies.
July 13
Zero tolerance will cost pig-keepers £23m a year
A GM tolerance level of only 0.1 percent would be wholly impractical for soyabean imports, according to the American Soybean Association. It says a tolerance of five percent should be the minimum starting point.
An internal Brussels working paper has proposed a 0.1 percent “level of detection” as the best way to address the problem of traces of unapproved GM varieties in imported food and feeds.
But even if member countries were allowed to double or even triple this tolerance level, it would still be insufficient to head off the pending soya crisis facing European compounders and livestock farmers.
It has been estimated the cost to the United Kingdom pig industry of Europe’s existing zero tolerance policy will be £23m a year — or £8 a tonne of feed.
In the near future, United States soya exports to Europe are expected to contain significant levels of unapproved GM material.
However, if Brussels were to follow America’s advice and introduce a five percent tolerance, a major overhaul of existing European legislation would be needed.
The impasse places the livestock industry in a precarious position, a fact that has been acknowledged by agriculture commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel, who is urging European countries to speed up approval of new GM varieties.
It is feared the presence in the United States soya crop of GMs not yet authorised in Europe will cause disruption before the end of the year.
As a result, shipments of soya from the States containing traces of the variety Round-Up Ready 2 will be refused and North American suppliers may turn away from the European market.
If crushers have to look for alternative sources of oil, probably from Argentina and Brazil, it could add £120m to their raw material costs.
The European Union is the fourth largest export market for United States soyabeans, representing sales of more than £0.5 billion last year.
To avoid disruption of trade and resulting negative impacts on European Union livestock production, the American Soybean Association is advocating “practical and sensible” tolerance levels to ensure there are no “unwarranted barriers” to trade.
European biotech approvals take over twice as long as approvals in the rest of the world. The European Commission would like to see approval times speeded up but it cannot act unless there is a political will among all member countries.
Danes will average 138p
Danish pig producers will earn an average 138p a kilo next year, after several years of low prices and losses, according to Finn Knudsen, of Danish Pig Production. If his forecast is correct, it will be the highest prices Danish producers have received for 20 years. It would also suggest an average price of over 160p for British producers.
Payment change
A change in meat percentage and transport payments has increased the Danish Crown price to producers by 30p, which means it is currently paying slightly more than competitor Tican.
NPA will urge Brussels to adopt country-of-origin labelling
Producers Jimmy Butler, Philip Richardson and Stewart Houston will be travelling to Brussels next week to present NPA's case for country of origin labelling, and to explain why consumers are misled when imported meat is processed and labelling "Produce of United Kingdom".
Germany resumes pigmeat exports to Japan
After an absence of eight years, Germany is once more allowed to export pigmeat to Japan. The Japanese ministry of agriculture has approved the necessary veterinary documents. Before exports were banned — because of classical swine fever — Germany sent 8,000 tonnes of pork to Japan a year. The Japanese market is mainly interested in pig bellies, ribs and bacon cuts.
BPEX will live on
A meeting last week upheld the Rosemary Radcliffe vision for levy board reform. This means BPEX will be able to continue as a company limited by guarantee, with scope to operate in the best interests of pig sector levypayers. Had the sector companies voted otherwise, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board would have appointed a new tier of senior management with executive control over BPEX and BPEX policy policy. Although there will still be some central appointments, the talk at this week’s Westminster barbecue was that Agriculture and Horticultural Development Board had reached a workable compromise at its Monday meeting.
Denmark limbers up for castration ban
The Council for Protection against Cruelty to Animals in Denmark has recommended a ban on castration without anesthetic, to take effect January 2010. The proposal is supported by a majority in the Danish Parliament. Longer term, the council wants to see a total ban on castration.
Pork's new image finds favour with consumers
A survey by Quality Meat Scotland shows pork is gaining in popularity with Scottish consumers as a result of its historically "boring and uninspiring" reputation being replaced by a more positive image. Pork’s versatility and health benefits were key points highlighted by consumers surveyed.
July 12
Hole in continental pig supplies will be chasmic
It looks as if British pig producers who have survived the cost crisis so far should hang onto their hats and prepare for a rollercoaster ride over the next 12 months, as prices climb to record highs.
In March 1996, when BSE struck, prices shot up 20p overnight, to the heady heights of 160p.
The increases then were driven by shortages as shoppers switched from beef to pork... but it was nothing compared to what producers are going to see soon, if the latest figures are anything to go by.
The Dutch and Spanish herds are both tumbling now, and the German herd will follow as producers talk about “deep red figures”.
This news follows on from the unexpected ten percent slump in the Danish herd and big falls in Poland and neighbouring countries.
The latest figures show yet again that some of the continental economists who report national pig herd trends to Brussels have consistently misread the depth and intensity of this crisis.
The Danes and Dutch thought their herds would ride out the storm, give or take a few percentage points. The scale of their forecasting errors means continental pig buyers will soon be looking at a large black hole.
“Experts” believed specialised and highly-borrowed producers would not quit pigs - but the evidence now points to a fallout among even the most committed of producers.
| Dutch pig numbers, April Source: Eurostat |
||||
| (000 head) | 2007 | 2008 | % change | |
| Total sows | 1,145 | 1,070 | -6.6 | |
| Of which: |
||||
| In-pig sows | 610 | 565 | -7.4 | |
| In-pig gilts | 130 | 125 | -3.8 | |
| Maiden gilts | 180 | 170 | -5.6 | |
| Young pigs <50kg | 7,045 | 7,305 | 3.7 | |
| Slaughter pigs >50kg | 3,395 | 3,460 | 1.9 | |
| Total pigs | 11,665 | 11,845 | 1.5 | |
Dutch slaughterings are up April this year, compared to April 2007 — probably because fewer weaners are being exported — but the breeding herd is down 6.6 percent and the figures suggest a continuing downward trend: in-pig gilts were down 3.8 percent in April compared with April 2007.
The hole opening up in the huge Spanish herd is larger. Total herd size is down 8 percent April this year compared with April 2007. The breeding herd is down 8.6 percent, with in-pig gilts down nearly 14 percent indicatingthe inevitability of more cuts.
| Spanish pig numbers, April Source: Eurostat |
||||
| (000 head) | 2007 | 2008 | % change | |
| Total sows | 2,770 | 2,532 | -8.6 | |
| Of which: | ||||
| In-pig sows | 1,662 | 1,461 | -12.1 | |
| In-pig gilts | 255 | 220 | -13.7 | |
| Maiden gilts | 240 | 226 | -5.8 | |
| Young pigs <50kg | 13,170 | 12,177 | -7.5 | |
| Slaughter pigs >50kg | 10,799 | 9,884 | -8.5 | |
| Total pigs | 26,804 | 24,656 | -8.0 | |
“Pig price misery” and “deep-red figures” were the gloomy phrases on the lips of German producers this week. Prices paid for pigs and weaners are nowhere near break-even, and producers throughout central Europe are suffering, said Franz Meyer zu Holte, chairman of the German Pig Producers’ Association (ISN).
Those producers on the continent who are still in business will, like their British counterparts, be observing the recent increases in the pig price, and falls in feed wheat costs, and try to hang on in the expectation of recouping their losses over the next 12 months.
But for the forecasters who thought a year ago that the European pig herd was going to drop only a few points, it is too late: the cutbacks have taken place; the supply shortages will follow.
Bernard Bedingfield retires
Bernard Bedingfield, a well-known figure throughout the British pig industry, has retired after more than 40 years involvement with the engineering and building side of the trade. A key figure in the development of Suffolk-based Quality Equipment (G E Baker Ltd), he has helped farmers with both major and minor projects as far apart as Scotland and Cornwall. Suffolk born and bred he was the son of a master butcher, but developed his interest in farming by spending much of his time on his grandfather’s mixed farm. A qualified agricultural engineer, he joined Quality Equipment in 1968 and, with managing director Glyn Baker, helped develop the business from a small, two-man local enterprise into an international award-winning company.
July 11
They supply only British — and they are officially the best
Last night UK Foodhall was chosen School Meals Supplier of the Year by the Local Authorities Caterers Association.
This young company supplies only quality assured British meat for school meals. Its biggest seller is its healthy pork sausage, made specially for schools.
"This award is massively important for us," said an ecstatic Karen McQuade this morning.
"There are around 400 companies in the sector and they gave it to us. We set up only 13 months ago and now we are officially the best — it's brilliant!"
Karen McQuade and Robert Clark of UK Foodhall were featured in May Pig World — read the article here.
They have had considerable support from Tony Goodger, of BPEX, who this morning was equally cock-a-hoop at their success.
Young NPA dinner at York
By Zoe Davies
Young NPA's dinner in York went well last night. Twenty-seven people turned up — producers, vets and feed industry and breeding company representatives.
Rick Sanderson gave an excellent talk on quality, with his information about consumer buying preferences generating the most discussion.
Feedback from attendees has been really positive and we are keen to look at doing something similar in the eastern region if people are interested.
Lis Ravn did an excellent job with all the arrangements at the hotel. It all went very smoothly.
Around the NPA regions
There was a good attendance at the recent NPA regional meeting at Newbury. Photo: Zoe Davies.
Jimmy Butler says nice things about Ian Campbell at the NPA regional meeting at Diss, whilst Dan Day rests his eyes and hopes there's no one there with a camera. Photo: Zoe Davies.
NPA's recently retired Ian Campbell displays the gifts presented to him by East Anglia members in recompense for the insults he has had to endure from them over the years. They also gave him £200 in Moss Bros vouchers. You probably know why. Photo: Zoe Davies.
Liquid gold now worth £20 a pig, per year
Pig producers need to start reaping a fair reward for the muck and slurry they export to other farms.
The chart below by Nigel Penlington provides the necessary data to show how the NPK value of pig muck has increased dramatically over the past few months.
And Nigel is the first to admit that his figures don’t take into account other benefits from pig muck - organic matter, trace elements and the reputed synergistic affect that can increase wheat yields by an average half tonne an acre.
Some arable farmers are ahead of the curve on the the value of slurry. At this year’s Muck event manufacturers filled their order books with requests for 24m dribble-bars and shallow-injectors.
Some farmers are looking at having large tanks in the field, with a nurse tanker to keep it filled. Others will be delivering slurry in square tanks on a low-loader.
What is clear, says Nigel Penlington, of BPEX, is that the pig industry is now well past the point at which the handling and logistics made slurry an unpopular choice with some farmers.
With ammonium nitrate at over £300 a tonne, and shortages in prospect, pig farmers are now the guardians of a black liquid gold worth nearly £20 a tonne per finisher place per year.
“I think things will really pick up next spring when traditionally late buyers of fertiliser find out there is none to be had,” he said today.
The available N in slurry is now worth three times more than in 2000, as the chart below shows.
| Available N | Total P | Total K | Total | ||
| 1 finishing pig place | 6 | 7 | 5.5 | ||
| 2000 | £1.60 | £2 | £1 | £4.60 | |
| 2008 (1) | £4.86 | £6.72 | £2.92 | £14.50 | |
| 2008 (2) | £6 | £9.66 | £4.13 | £19.79 | |
| 1000 laying hens | 315 | 545 | 380 | ||
| 2000 | £81.90 | £152.60 | £68.40 | £302.90 | |
| 2008 (1) | £255.15 | £523.20 | £201.40 | £979.75 | |
| 1 dairy cow (6 months) | 24 | 21 | 52 | ||
| 2000 | £6.20 | £5.90 | £9.40 | £21.50 | |
| 2008 (1) | £19.44 | £20.16 | £27.56 | £67.16 | |
(1) Feb 2008 based on N=81p/kg, P=96p/kg, K=53p/kg
Value of available nutrients (N current growing season, P and K rotation): Pig FYM approx £15.54/t if spread for max N recovery (July 2008). Pig slurry if spread for max N recovery; 2%DM - £4.83/m3 or £21.95/1000 gallons 4%DM - £7.24/m3 or £32.91/1000 gallons. Figures July 2008 based on: ammonium nitrate (34.5N) - £320 TSP (47P) - £650 MOP (60K) - £450. |
|||||
Red diesel and red tape
It was very wet at Yorkshire Show and tractors were needed to tow out cars. Customs and Excise thought this an appropriate time to dip tanks, telling the tractor drivers, "You can't do this with red diesel". Producer Richard Longthorp observed alliteratively this morning, "There's something fundamentally ***ing wrong with this country."
Red diesel article in Yorkshire Post.
BPEX PCV2 project
Total applications to date: 439
Total sows to date: 287720
Vouchers redeemed to date: 417
Total redemption value: £278179.6
United Kingdom pigs have highest welfare
The majority of pigs in the United Kingdom are kept to a higher welfare standard than elsewhere in the European Union and other countries, says a Farm Animal Welfare Council report published this week.
The higher standard arises from differences in legislation and voluntary measures but both will have increased the costs of pig production in the United Kingdom relative to those in exporting countries.
While it is true that importers of pigmeat into the United Kingdom could demand in their purchasing specifications that suppliers meet United Kingdom standards, this can only be voluntary and whether importers insist on such a requirement will be determined, in part, by market forces, says the rport.
“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 pigmeat 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 Farm Animal Welfare Council argues for welfare labelling of animal products and Brussels is currently considering such a scheme.
Two-for-one not good, say ministers
Scottish ministers are reported to be considering placing a ban on supermarket two-for-one deals on perishable goods, in a bid to reduce household waste.
GM tolerance must be realistic, say United States soya growers
The American Soybean Association this week urged the European Commission to find a workable and commercially viable solution to the European Union's zero tolerance for low-level presence of unapproved GM varieties.
President John Hoffman, a soybean producer from Iowa, said, "We have made it very clear that we view low level tolerances of 0.1 percent as wholly impractical for commodity soybean crop production and imports.
"Given the complex nature of commodity production and exportation involving millions of metric tons of soybeans grown by hundreds of thousands of growers on millions of acres/hectares, a tolerance of 5 percent should be a minimum starting point."
Cargill antibiotic-free niche
Cargill Meat Solutions has announced antibiotic-free pork. "Good Nature Pork" will come from animals that are not administered antibiotics, growth stimulants or hormones, the company said. It will be sourced from pigs raised on family farms in the Midwest of the United States.
l NPA Trade Directory l Mechanical data l National Pig Association l Defra l BBC weather l
l Environment Agency l Food Standards Agency l Quality Meat Scotland l Scottish Executive l
Pig World , PO Box 100, Benniworth, Market Rasen LN8 6LE, United Kingdom