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June 10
GMO approval overhaul
Following a proposal from France, European Union environment ministers have agreed to review the approval process for GMOs. They are particularly keen to look at the environment risk assessment procedures. Detailed proposals will be drawn up by the end of the year.
Last week the European Commission’s health department stated that its promised ‘technical solution’ to the issue of low level presence of GMOs in imports will merely be a clarification of definition rather than of substance. As a result it is unlikely we will see any sort of workable level called for by the animal feed sector. — NFU.
Can we serve two masters?
By David Turton
In my opinion British pig farmers have been trying to serve two masters: 1. The welfare lobby, the chattering middle class. These people tend to be on the socialist side of life, high on idealism and moral indignation. 2. Supermarkets and the catering trade - vulgar capitalists.
It is impossible to economically serve these two masters at the same time. That is why there has been such huge shrinkage in “Pigs GB”. See David's Blog.
Strike action will hit filling stations
Strike action by tanker drivers at Hoyer and Suckling from Friday to next Tuesday will mean Shell-supplied filling stations will run dry.
Russian fertiliser soon to be available
Last week the European Union's anti-dumping trade committee supported the Commission on allowing limited European Union market access (limited in volume and at a minimum price) for Russian fertilisers. Currently they are excluded under anti-dumping legislation.
Meat and bonemeal in pig diets
Brussels has today proposed an updating of the rules that cover animal by-products.
Currently the rules ban the feeding of meat and bonemeal to animals, as a result of health fears following the BSE crisis in Britain in the 80s. But scientific research commissioned by Brussels has since shown poultry meat and bonemeal could be fed to pigs and vice versa without risk.
Details are not available yet, but today’s proposal should allow a resumption of meat and bonemeal in animal diets as long as appropriate safeguards can be met.
Retailers may be minded to discourage such a practice on the farms they buy pigs from — but the new world order means Europe's pig producers cannot ignore valuable new sources of animal feed proteins.
According to the European Commission, the proposal will mean farmers and other sectors producing and using animal by-products will benefit from a more coherent legal framework for the collection, use and disposal of animal by-products.
The Commission's proposal will now go before the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament. It will be about 18 months before the new rules come into force.
The proposal maintains the principle that only materials from healthy animals, which have been subject to veterinary inspection before being slaughtered may be used for the production of feed for farmed animals.
It will maintain the current ban on feeding of (treated or untreated) catering waste to pigs.
Brussels says the potential risks, especially to animal health, largely outweigh the benefits from such practice and such waste would better be used in biogas plants or for the production of biofuels.
The Brussels proposal will maintain the exclusion of products which are unfit for human consumption from the feed chain for farmed animals. It will also maintain the ban on feeding meat and bonemeal cannibalistically.
Slaughterhouses and other food producing establishments may find the proposed new rules improve coherence with other legislation.
The proposal also clarifies when and how environmental legislation applies to operations involving animal by-products. For example, if the application of manure to land as fertiliser affects soil and groundwater, environmental legislation will apply.
The proposal will also clarify when animal by-products can be burned as a fuel, thus allowing more energy to be generated sustainably.
Why British producers must monetise farm assurance
By Digby Scott
Farm assurance is becoming globalised. In the future there may be a single set of standards, recognised by everybody, and policed by a only handful of international assurance companies.
This is the prediction of Martin Barker, managing director of British company Genesis Quality Assurance, which is now providing assurance services to more than half the world’s leading pig and poultry producers.
He sees this development as a major challenge to British producers but believes they can stay ahead of the game if they start planning now.
“The rest of the world is catching up with the British standard,” he said. “We can sit back and let it happen or we can keep moving forward.”
Rather than push British pig-keepers into ever more complex and demanding assurance standards, he proposes that assurance schemes become more interactive, so that specific areas, such as environment and welfare, can be measured and scored.
"My belief is that what we need to do is differentiate farms so that those that are far exceeding the standard can actually get a commercial benefit for doing so,” he said.
He warned that the British pig industry needs to start thinking seriously about how it is going to stay ahead as global welfare standards start to improve.
There has been a misconception in many countries, he said, that the British standard is so high, it is anti-commercial and therefore not worth aspiring to.
“In the States, for example, they thought all our pigs were kept outdoors permanently or in deep straw. They thought they were two million miles away from our standards.”
The same had applied in Europe, he said, but now continental pig producers are facing the stalls ban in 2013, and increasingly they are coming under pressure to stop castrating without anaesthetic.
“They are beginning to realise that if they put in loose-housing and stop castration, they will comply with British standards and will be able to tap into Britain’s higher pig price.”
Furthermore, he said, those producers on the continent who are eying up the British market are not minded to fudge the welfare issue.
“They are aiming to comply fully with Britain’s no-stalls requirement and that means they won’t be putting in free-access stalls and they won’t be holding sows in stalls for the first week after service.”
He hopes if the British pig industry updates its standards in order to stay one step ahead, it will prove possible to monetise environmental standards.
“The environment is going to be one of the areas we have to look at. The challenge is not to introduce anything that is anti-commercial. We must be able to get a benefit from the market.”
Quality Standard Mark's future in doubt
Significant changes to farm assurance are taking place at a local as well as global level. Key among these as far as the pig industry is concerned is that the Quality Standard Mark is likely to be phased out in favour of the Red Tractor - although conceivably it could be saved if pig producers feel strongly enough about it.
Assured Food Standards wants to see greater consistency in the assurance schemes that come under the Red Tractor umbrella. These include the pig assurance scheme, which uses the Quality Standard Mark logo.
Assured Food Standards’ view is that improved consistency will help consumers, and will also lead to more efficient certification of mixed farms.
NPA Producer Group does not oppose, in principle, the replacement of the Quality Standard Mark with the Red Tractor. But members have stipulated that the other Red Tractor schemes must first meet Quality Standard Mark standards, rather than the Red Tractor standard being the lowest common denominator.
One of the pig assurance scheme’s biggest advantages at present, compared to some Red Tractor schemes, is that BPEX applied for, and was granted, state aid clearance from Brussels, which allows the levy to be used to promote the Mark.
State aid clearance will now be sought for all Red Tractor schemes. If the applications are successful it would allow the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board to spend levypayers’ money promoting the Red Tractor, although no decision have been taken yet.
Early hours decision on Working Time Directive
Early this morning, Europe reached political agreement on working time conditions for temporary agency workers.
The main points of agreement are:
• On-call time to be split into active and inactive on-call time. Active on-call time to be counted as working time.
• Inactive on-call time may not be counted as rest time and can be counted as working time if national laws or social partners agree.
• Standard maximum limit remains at 48 working hours per week unless an individual worker chooses otherwise (opt-out).
• New protective limit (cap) for workers who opt out: maximum working week of 60 hours unless social partners agree otherwise.
• New cap for workers who opt-out if inactive on-call time is counted as working time: maximum working week of 65 hours.
• The cap protects all workers employed for longer than 10 weeks with one employer.
• Opt-out only under certain conditions, such as: no signature during first month of employment, no victimisation for not signing or withdrawing opt-out, employers must keep records on working hours of opted-out workers.
Temporary agency workers:
• Equal treatment as of day one for temporary agency workers as well as regular workers in terms of pay, maternity leave and leave.
• Possibility to derogate from this through collective agreements and through agreements between social partners at national level.
• Temporary agency workers to be informed about permanent employment opportunities in the user enterprise.
• Equal access to collective facilities (canteen, child care facilities, transport service).
• Member countries have to improve temporary agency worker access to training and child care facilities in periods between their assignments so to increase their employability.
• Member countries have to ensure penalties for non-compliance by temporary agencies and enterprises.
The directive amending the existing directive on working time has been on the table since 2005. Many member countries are in breach of the legislation as interpreted by a European Court of Justice ruling.
According to these rulings, active and in-active on-call time must be counted as working time. Also, the new text improves the protection for workers who sign an opt-out.
Eight million workers in the European Union are temporary agency workers and numbers are increasing. In March 2002 the European Commission adopted a proposal to create a level playing field for temporary agency workers.
Several presidencies have sought to find a solution. Following a recent agreement between social partners in the United Kingdom, the Slovenian presidency decided to put forward a new compromise text which has achieved political agreement.
The Council Common Positions now have to be sent to the European Parliament for a second opinion, as foreseen by the co-decision procedure.
Nitrates Directive is flawed — but we're stuck with it, say MPs
Brussels’ Nitrates Directive is flawed — but for the time being we’re stuck with it, says the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, in a report published today.
The scientific justification for the 50 mg/litre limit for nitrates in surface and ground waters and the 170 kg N/ha whole-farm limit for livestock manures is at best unclear, says the committee after investigating Defra’s recent consultation on how to apply the directive.
Defra, says the committee, has the difficult task of convincing Brussels it is implementing the Nitrates Directive, whilst at the same time convincing farmers that its proposed new measures are fair and proportionate.
Unlike the Water Framework Directive, which provides a framework to achieve a common goal, but leaves much of the detail of implementation to member states, the Nitrates Directive imposes prescriptive rules in an attempt to achieve its aim of reducing water pollution by nitrates from agricultural sources, says the House of Commons committee.
In a few weeks Defra will announce legislation that translates the Nitrates Directive into national law. Some livestock producers fear the restrictions it will impose — particularly tight application windows and the requirement for six months’ storage — will make livestock farming untenable.
The House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee says the European Commission should carry out post-legislative scrutiny of the directive to learn lessons about the way in which it was designed in the first place, the effectiveness of its results, and the difficulties member states have had in implementing it.
“However, for the time being at least, Defra must find a way of satisfying the Commission that it is complying with the directive.
“Defra’s plan to implement the 170 kg N/ha whole-farm limit is a sensible first step, given that this is one area where England is incontrovertibly in breach of the directive.
“Some of the proposals, such as the closed periods for organic manure and the storage provisions, need refinement, and the cover crops requirement should be dropped altogether.
“Defra must convince the Commission that it is implementing the Nitrates Directive while convincing farmers that the changes to the Action Programme are fair and proportionate. It is a difficult task but, as other member states have proved, not an impossible one.”
Feed taskforce
A taskforce has been set up by the National Pork Producers Council to look at new feed alternatives to help United States pig producers deal with the rising cost of corn and soybean meal. The council says it recognises that rising feed costs are not specifically an ethanol problem.
Salmonella surveySalmonella is present in one in ten slaughter pigs, according to a survey by the European Food Standards Agency.
The Agency looked at infection levels across the European Union in 2006-2007. Only one country reported no cases at all in its slaughtered pig populations for all salmonella types while others detected levels as high as 29pc.
The two salmonella types commonly found in infection cases in humans — typhimuriumand and derby — were detected in 4.7pc and 2.1pc of pigs slaughtered for human consumption, respectively.
Salmonella is the second most reported cause of food-borne diseases in humans in Europe with 160,649 people suffering from infections in 2006 — about 35 people in every 100,000.
The survey results will help the European Commission set salmonella-reduction targets.
Some hurt out there
“Ethanol is a new demand factor in the corn market, to the tune of about a third of our production going forward,” United States deputy agriculture secretary Chuck Conner told pig producers.
“Fortunately, we did produce 13 billion bushels of corn and so despite large quantities going to ethanol, we actually did feed more corn to livestock than in previous years, so we managed to grow that market for both feed and ethanol.
“We do recognise there is some hurt out there in the livestock sector and with 70 percent of the cost of pork production going to feed, we know that you are first in line to get clipped.
“That is why the United States Department of Agriculture is buying pork for food assistance programs, which is helping the pork industry while at the same time helping the needy.”
No MRSA in British pigs
A European Union survey of breeding pigs is in progress in Britain, to assess the prevalence of MRSA and salmonella. So far MRSA has not been found in pigs. The survey started January 2008 and will end in December, after which Defra will provide a representative picture of the situation across the British breeding pig population.
June 9
Minister to broker meeting on competition law
Hilary Benn and Lord Rooker are to broker a meeting between the pig industry and the Office of Fair Trading.
This is in response to a letter from BPEX chairman Stewart Houston, who is concerned that Office of Fair Trading rules (or rather their interpretation by some retailers) are not in consumers’ interests.
In response to the letter, farming minister Lord Rooker says he and secretary of state Hilary Benn are "very conscious" of the difficulties facing the pig sector as a result of the global increase in feed prices.
“Competition policy and the law is the remit of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Office of Fair Trading and your comments on whether it is adequately protecting the interests of consumers is really a matter for them.
“But I would be very happy to facilitate an opportunity for you to discuss the working of competition policy with officials from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and Office of Fair Trading subject to their availability.”
The pig industry’s concern is that retailers such as Sainsbury’s, who may feel they have received unfair treatment at the hands of the Office of Fair Trading, are being too cautious in the subjects they are prepared to discuss with pig sector representatives.
Exports up, imports down
In the first quarter of this year United Kingdom red meat exports were up 22 percent compared to the same period last year. The strength of the euro versus sterling has been an important factor, but so too has the pig industry’s continuing decline. High sow cullings have been the key driver behind a 47pc rise in chilled carcase exports to Germany. Likewise trade with the Netherlands has also shown a significant uplift, driven by exports of chilled bone-in hams and shoulders. Pork imports were down by seven percent in the first quarter, compared to the same period last year. Imports from, Denmark were down three percent.
Will rising DAPP defy the seasons?
DAPP has moved nearly 15p since early August last year and the expectation is that it will continue its upward trajectory as pig supplies tighten here and on the continent.
Traditionally the pig price drops in autumn as slaughter numbers increase, and retailers and processors tighten their purse-strings in preparation for Christmas. This year, however, producers — who have huge losses to claw back — are hoping tight supplies will prevent the dip.
Meanwhile the average European price is again nudging DAPP and British producers will be looking for a restoration of the ten percent British premium in the weeks ahead.
Even allowing for the fact that Danish producers are paid differently, the Danish price continues to lag behind.
Nuffield Award for pig sector
From this year, the pig industry will have its very own Nuffield Scholarship Award, reports producer Richard Longthorp, who has been progressing the project.
The new award will be underwritten by BPEX. A commercial sponsor may also be found.
The new award will sit harmoniously with the industry's Trainee of the Year Award, providing a next step for bright young people who want to grow their knowledge and experience in the industry.
The Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust awards study grants to enthusiastic people to further the practice of agriculture, horticulture, forestry and countryside management through travel. On their return, scholars impart their newly gathered knowledge widely and provide leadership for their industries.
More about Nuffield Awards: www.nuffieldscholar.org.uk
Slaughter pigs down five percent
At 132,000 head, clean pig slaughterings in Great Britain were down five percent in the week ending May 31, when compared with the equivalent bank holiday week last year.
French abattoirs don't meet hygiene requirements
According to an internal European Union report, over 40 percent of France’s cattle and pig abattoirs do not meet European hygiene requirements. The problem is mainly with the smaller abattoirs.
British retailers can learn from Japanese car makers
To take the tension out of the pigmeat supply chain, British producers need meaningful back-to-back contracts between producers, retailers, and their supplying processors, NPA and BPEX chairman Stewart Houston told European Pig Producers’ congress.
“I cannot speak for every producer, but as family, we want to be proud to see happy customers moving our product off the retailers’ shelves having left everyone in the supply chain with a fair margin,” he told an audience of producers, processors and retailers at Norwich.
“I think most producers now are equally focused on risk, and not fundamentally on price as we used to be. It is supply chains that put meat on the table, not individual businesses.”
Toyota and Honda worked in an environment that was as competitive as supermarket retailing and they had taken Europe by storm… “not because they’ve got great cars, but through superb supply chain co-ordination and communication”.
They had achieved this with great leadership and communication and — importantly — through supply chain trust.
“Loyalty in the Toyota chain is not about fear or pressure, it’s about sharing the benefits and problems in the chain. It’s all down to trust and communication, understanding responsibilities in the chain and a clear sharing of the benefits of supply chain efficiency.”
British pig producers were never going to achieve the right efficiency levels if they did not have the confidence in the medium term to invest, he said. “Our top third of producers are still only comparable to the average in countries which export to us.”
Whilst producers had built a better relationship and understanding with both processors and retailers, there was still a disconnect, he told congress.
Nowhere was this better exemplified than in the current price:cost crisis, where recognition of the increase in producers’ costs had been slow, and the lack of an adequate price for pigs had put businesses under extreme financial pressure.
There was a lack of trust, said Stewart Houston. “Each party thinks the other will run if there is a chance to make another penny… a view borne out by history, and producers are as much to blame as anyone.”
There was intense competition between retailers fighting for volume and using the cheapest price to achieve it, he said. Time and energy devoted to finding overseas production would more productively be spent securing supply chains with British producers.
“Processors have to bid on price every month for huge volumes of pigmeat. The obvious effect is downward price pressure which ends up with the producer. Importantly though, it reduces efficiency and investment in the processing sector.”
In his address Stewart Houston made particular mention of meat:fat levels. “We need to be talking about payment for lean meat and not lack of fat, which to my mind is one of the factors that dropped our production levels.”
And he signaled possible new outlets for British pork given the current strength of the euro against sterling.
“At present we are dependant on our home market… quite different to say Holland and Denmark, where they are far more export facing.
“It may be that we are too focused on the home market. Certainly the value of the pound versus the euro might mean that we can put more energy into exports… but we’ll only use them to add value.”
NPA regional meetings
• 30 June:
NPA South Central,
Newbury Rugby Club
• 2 July:
NPA East Anglia,
Park Hotel, Diss.
For the first time in a year...
June issue of Pig World will reach subscribers and NPA members this Wednesday — and for the first time in a year it leads with an uncompromisingly optimistic article about British pig unit profitablility.
Retail prices for pork, bacon and ham
To ensure supplies, retailers will be paying more for their biggest-selling meat category — pork and pork products. When supplies become really tight, some may be tempted to reduce the amount of space they devote to the category.
Although consumers are aware of the pig industry crisis and are supportive, there could, in due course, be some resistance to higher prices.
But BPEX chief executive Mick Sloyan's point is that retail prices do not have to go up much more, even though retailers will be paying more for the product.
They always have the choice, he says, of reducing the percentage margin they take from pork. This would prevent untenable price rises to their customers, but keep the category profitable.
Ladies in Pigs
New Recipe of the Month: British Sausage Tart.
Brussels gets airbrushing
Farmers have frequently warned of the need for investment in agriculture if it is to meet the world's future needs.
But agriculture commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel airbrushed out these warnings when she spoke to the Food and Agriculture Organisation.
“Let us remind ourselves that two years ago nobody had predicted or mentioned even a remote possibility for the type of food price crises that we have been experiencing for the past 18 months,” she claimed.
Whilst noting predictions of higher food prices in the next ten years, she urged against dramatic policy changes based on a scenario of price, supply and demand, “which still is somewhat uncertain”.
When it comes to biofuels the starting point as far as the European Union is concerned is its energy and climate objectives, she said.
“Our policy choice has not been inspired by agricultural policy considerations. We have set ourselves very ambitious aims – 20pc reduction in CO2 emission in 2020 and for the same year a target of 20pc of our energy supply coming from renewable resources.
“For the future of this planet - including the poor in this world - it is essential that we succeed and that others are prepared to work in the same direction. Failure to tackle climate change could have dramatic effects - for agricultural production and for livelihood around the globe.”
To reach its targets Brussels must make huge efforts in energy savings and the promotion of sources such as wind and solar energy.
The development of biomass and biofuels is also important and the car industry must be convinced that, in the future, “there will also be biofuels in the tank”.
Brussels is convinced, said Fischer Boel, that a realistic biofuels policy need not put pressure on food supplies. “Let there be no doubt: food production will continue to be the all important objective for European agriculture”.
IPPC emissions
IPPC pig units where emission reduction targets were over-estimated by the Environment Agency should next week receive a letter with revised emission reduction targets and some new guidance. Rectification of the Agency's systematic error will mean some IPPC farms will not be required to reduce emissions after all.
Russia lifts ban on Canadian pork
Russia's two-month ban on imports of Canadian pork will be lifted as Canada upgrades the security of its export documents, said agriculture minister Gerry Ritz. Russia banned Canadian pork in April over concerns about fraudulent export documents. Russia is Canada's third largest pork market.
Shortage of pigs caused Oz price spike
A spike in the Australian pig price a few days ago proved to be short lived. It was probably caused by a sudden shortage of pigs in Victoria, as pig-keepers cut back production. QAF Meat Industries (Australia’s biggest pork producer) recently halved production in Victoria.
Eco-village rears its own pigs
Residents of the South Wales village of Grosmont are rearing two Tamworth litters in their drive to become an “eco village”. When the animals are slaughtered and butchered, the meat will be shared out. The project is called PIG - People in Grosmont. Twenty-one families are involved.
Pig muck benefits astonish researchers
A study that suggests animal productivity triples when pig slurry is applied to grazing land has stunned researchers at University of Manitoba. "It wasn't a surprise that the manure would increase productivity, but to see threefold increase in productivity was absolutely amazing," said soil science professor Don Flaten.
New Zealand pig producers fight for survival
Faced with losses of up to £20 a pig, an increasing number of New Zealand pig producers are quitting. Pork is now the cheapest meat in New Zealand - but is also the least consumed. New Zealand Pork has started marketing pork’s affordability as “a saviour for the stretched household food budget”. Pork is the most widely eaten meat globally, but New Zealanders don’t eat their share at just six to seven kilo a year, which is less than half of what we eat in Britain. New labels launched in January push local product, featuring 100pc New Zealand pork, bacon and ham.
Blame lack of investment, not biofuels
Lack of investment in agriculture and the cheap food era – not biofuels – are the reason for rising food prices and global food shortages, said the NFU vice president Paul Temple. “A knee-jerk abandonment of biofuel support by European governments would not significantly reduce food prices or do anything to help get food to those who need it most”, he said.
The Cumberland pig is back
Terry Bowes, from Wetheriggs Animal Rescue and Conservation Centre, near Penrith, has been selectively breeding pigs for five years and claims to have finally recreated a genuine Cumberland pig.
The last Cumberland pig died in 1960. But a DNA sample was taken from a Cumberland pig hide and tests were carried out on pig breeds across the world, which have been crossbred to find the perfect match.
The result is Wendy - a 99.6 percent DNA match. She looks like a Cumberland pig with her white skin, floppy ears, coarse hair and weaving walk. “I met a man who helped look after that last pig and he has been to see Wendy and says she’s a dead-ringer,” said Terry Bowes.
Meat from Cumberland pigs gave the Cumberland sausage its name. Terry Bowes hopes one day genuine Cumberland sausages will be back on the menu because of his project.
He accepts that the Rare Breeds Survival Trust does not recognise recreated breeds, but feels the Cumberland is helping save part of the county’s heritage.
Fire hits Danish Crown abattoir
Another Danish Crown abattoir has been hit by fire - this time at Oldenburg, west of Bremen in Germany. Danish Crown and Tulip will try to move production to other factories.
Canadians bump up loans
The Manitoba Hog Assistance Loan Program has been doubled to £2.5m to help embattled pig producers. The loans - to help pig-keepers with cashflow difficulties - have to be paid back within eight years.
High-rise pigs are "sinister"
A new book by Carolyn Steel - “Hungry City: How Food Shapes Our Lives” - is described by The Guardian as a sinister real-life sequel to Animal Farm with the plot turned upside down by time in ways even George Orwell could not have foreseen.
Its key image is the “Pig Tower”, a 21st-century Dutch invention for producing pork in custom-built city blocks, each 76 floors high, designed to house pigs in comfortable apartments with lavish bedding and ample rootling space on large, open-air balconies.
The towers would be powered by bio-gas digesters run on pig manure, and connected to a central abattoir to which the pigs would be moved by lift.
Carolyn Steel calculates that a thousand huge “vertical farms" in and around central London could feed the entire city with zero food miles, on-site waste disposal and no hidden pollution costs.
She outlines the staggering speed at which food production has changed. Wal-Mart dominates the global grocery trade with profits reckoned by the United Nations at the start of the century to be “bigger than the gross domestic product of three-quarters of the world's economies”.
Five companies control 90 percent of the global grain supply. The world tea market is in the hands of three. Eighty-one per cent of American beef belongs to four giant processing companies.
Smithfield profits plummet
Smithfield Foods’ fourth-quarter profits fell 94pc as a result of higher feed costs and the falling pig price in the States. Revenue was up 20 percent but profit for the quarter was £1.2m, compared with a profit of £1.9m a year ago.
New customer typologies
What people eat is driven by an increasingly complex set of views, attitudes and aesthetic cues. It is possible to identify a number of new consumer typologies through looking at purchasing habits, food diaries, store cupboards:
Zeno Youth
Urbanite, pro-science, see GM as a good thing in ensuring people will have enough food.
Not too bothered about where food comes from.
Today only one in five 5 Britons is concerned about GM food compared to almost 3 in 5 in 2000.
Like foods with added benefits.
Not anti-cloning.
Extreme Connoisseurs
Enjoy extraordinary eating experiences which give kudos and personal fulfillment.
Material wealth.
Enjoy culinary expeditions.
Travel and food are linked.
See food as a way of gaining insight into other cultures.
Food Thrifters
Take food seriously.
Prepared to spend money but shop carefully for quality.
Make food from scratch.
Will only spend the money if they think the product is genuine.
Armchair Explorers
See food as a political issue.
Organic is important, so is local.
Civically minded, socially motivated.
Picks and chooses boycotts.
Healthy.
Shops at major supermarkets but looks for ethical products.
Has crossed over into 'yummy mummy' culture.
Even as prices rise, ethical food is still important.
Cultural chasers
Second generation of immigrants - Indian, Chinese, African etc.
Two sets of cultural traditions.
Reflected in increasing diversity of United Kingdom cuisine.
2006 Tesco and Sainsbury introduced ranges of Polish food.
Quest for authenticity and convenience.
Pfizer Trainee of the Year Award
In association with Pig World
By Digby Scott
Particularly bearing in mind the problems and uncertainties in the pig industry over the past 11 months, the organisers of the pig industry's prestigious training award (with prizes worth over £2.500 for the winner) have been delighted with the response so far.
This is a reminder to all employers and employees that the deadline — the end of this month — will be with us sooner than you know. So please download the entry form here and let us have your entry as soon as possible.
Neither age, nor experience to date, are barriers to winning. The judges who, are skilled at helping candidates give the best possible account of themselves, will be looking for the industry's best ambassador for training — someone who has made best use of the training he or she has received so far, and who is keen to pursue further career improvement.
And here's the good news — apart from a few notes on the application form no writing is involved. Yippee!
Biofuel co-products for pigs
Distillers Dried Grains and Solubles (DDGS) will be available late spring 2009 from the Ensus plant on Teeside. This plant, which is currently being built, will ferment up to 1m tonnes of wheat producing some 350,000 tonnes of DDGS. Whilst this material could be co-fired, or exported, both economics and politics strongly suggest that feeding is the most appropriate outlet.
The initial reaction by many is that this material would largely be destined for dairy and beef feeds and indeed this is a market for the material. However the cattle market is seasonal, largely based on the west of the country, and for feeder wagons pelleted material is preferred. There is a ready market for wheat DDGS on the doorstep for pig feeding.
See report by Mick Hazzledine and Phil Boyd.
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
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