Stand by Your Ham – Get Texting!
Every radio station in the UK has been sent a copy of Stand by Your Ham. We now want to launch a concerted campaign to get as many people as possible to request the song. To create the greatest impact we want people to send text messages to request their local radio stations play the song on Sunday 4th May. The message we want to get across is that if producers don’t get a fair price soon the traditional Sunday pork roast may become a thing of the past. Full details including text request number for UK radio stations to follow next week.

Petition

This has now reached more than 18,600 registered supporters earlier this week, and the pigometer stand at over £122m.
 

Pig Farmers Fury

Pig farmers have reacted angrily to the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) dismissal of the severe economic problems facing their industry and claims that it is supermarkets who are absorbing costs to help beat food inflation. 

BRC spokesperson Richard Dodd has been widely quoted in the media claiming: “Some prices are going up but it is important to remember that supermarkets are absorbing an awful lot of increases.”

Meanwhile, writing on food inflation in The Grocer (18 April), Kevin Hawkins speaking on behalf of BRC said. “As for the farmers, with a few exceptions, they are doing quite nicely thank you.” Yorkshire farmer Richard Longthorp replied:

“These comments really are a slap in the face for pig farmers. BPEX figures show the price of pork in supermarkets has risen by an average of 57.89p/kg since last July. At farm level it rose by the princely sum of 7.49p/kg. At the same time production costs for farmers have risen by 35p/kg. So when it comes to pork and bacon it is the pig farmers who are absorbing costs and making a loss, not the supermarkets”
 

Procurement Policy

Mr. Spellar: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission whether the Refreshment Department purchases its (a) pork and (b) bacon from British sources. Nick Harvey: In purchasing meat for use by its catering service, the House of Commons places high importance on animal welfare standards and requires full traceability, generally by ensuring that sources are approved under a recognised farm assurance scheme. All fresh pork, bacon and pork sausages are purchased from British sources. Currently, all fresh pork meat is supplied from free-range pigs reared and slaughtered in West Sussex; bacon is cured in East Anglia from animals reared and slaughtered in Norfolk; sausages are made from free range pork reared and slaughtered in North Yorkshire.
 

Lord Hoyle asked the Chairman of Committees: Further to his Written Answer on 3 April (WA 188), why the bacon served in the River Restaurant and the cafeteria in 2 Millbank is not British. The Chairman of Committees (Lord Brabazon of Tara): The River Restaurant and 2 Millbank Cafeteria cater predominately for staff and operate with the objective of using ingredients of quality and keen purchase price in order to keep the menu pricing at an affordable level for staff. As the purchase price of English back bacon is 76 per cent higher per kilogram than the Dutch equivalent, purchase of English back bacon would not meet the objective of keeping the menu pricing at an affordable level for staff.

So it’s one rule for MPs another for the staff!
 

Ask the Nutritionist Online

Ever wanted advice about which meats have the lowest fat content?  Or to know why red meat is naturally low in salt?  If so, a new dedicated advisory service from meatandhealth.com called Ask the Nutritionist could be the answer.  For the first time one of the country’s top nutritionists, Juliette Kellow, is on hand to answer online questions about red meat and its role in a balanced diet.  To access the service log on to: www.meatandhealth.com or email askthenutritionist@goodrelations.co.uk 
 

Knowledge Transfer
 

BPEX at Pig Fair

BPEX has a major presence at the Stoneleigh Pig and Poultry Fair on May 13 and 14.
 

The stand, No 47, is divided into four sections covering Knowledge Transfer, the Environment and  Marketing while the final section features Ladies in Pigs preparing tastings throughout the show.  Three of the sections will have display boards highlighting messages on the theme of that zone.  
 

The members of the Knowledge Transfer Team will be attending to answer questions visitors may have, along with many other BPEX specialists who will also be available to talk to producers.
 

There will be a large number of leaflets all with practical information on the stand and there will be a number of menus each with a comprehensive list of what is available.

In the Knowledge Transfer area there will be three interactive displays of equipment and techniques the team has being using with pig businesses.
 

Stands nearby include NPA, Pig World and HGCA and there is an industry meeting area for more private discussions than will be possible on the BPEX stand.
 

Tip of the Week – Tackle Weeds

As the weather improves plants start to grow, and unfortunately that includes weeds. Now is the time to invest in a knapsack sprayer and get on top of weed growth around pig buildings and the surrounding areas. This should ensure the site remains tidy throughout the summer, and also help in the control of vermin and disease, with fewer places for animals to hide in around the buildings. Don't forget to check the legislative requirements relating to the safe use of pesticides and knapsack spraying, you may be required to send a member of staff on a training course - check out your local agricultural college for further information.
 

Cash in on a Big Idea

Have you got a ‘big idea’ you’d like to put into practice? If the answer is yes, then you’ve got until the end of April to submit your ideas to the BPEX Innovation Fund.

A pot of £200,000 has been set aside to help producers and processors develop new ideas, which can be tested and developed. The idea is the whole industry would benefit from successful projects. And it’s easy… all you have to do is contact your Knowledge Transfer (KT) Manager about the idea and then send it in to BPEX. For further information, contact a BPEX KT Manager, details at www.bpex.org.uk or email kt@pbex.org.uk.
 

BPEX Online Diary

The BPEX website now has an interactive online diary of events. Keep up to date with the latest activity and don’t miss out on a workshop or meeting! You can also submit your event to be included in the diary by following the on-screen instructions.
 

PPC Intensive Agriculture Update

The latest PPC Update (number 7) is now available to download from the BPEX Website. The update looks at a number of topics including the position with permits; ammonia emission reduction; assurance schemes, pollution inventory and environmental permitting regulations.
 

Somerset Pig Club

Come along to Somerset Pig Club on May 1, with guest speaker Steve Newing of Blanchard Enterprises. The afternoon starts at 16:30 and finishes at about 19:00, closing with a hot meal. It is at: The Swan Hotel, Wells. For information on this, or any other activity in the South, contact Helen Thoday (07973 701 202).
 

Grower-Finisher Workshop

This is on Tue, 29 April from 17:30 - 20:30 at The Crown, Boroughbridge with refreshments provided. This is a BPEX workshop for stock people, facilitated by Hugh Crabtree from Farmex. focusing on good feeding herd management to improve performance and maximise profitability. To register call Lis Ravn on 0789 165 56784 or email lisbeth.ravn@bpex.org.uk.
 

What’s on the Menu?

Young pig producers gained a valuable insight into what influences consumers when they buy pork and where the burgeoning markets are likely to be in the future at the first West Country young pig producers dinner held in Exeter. Guest speaker Rick Sanderson, Pork Chain Business Development Manager for PIC (UK), gave a lively and informative presentation about the pork supply chain to more than 20 young producers attending the evening event.
 

The real surprise to come out of the evening was that the main driver for the consumer buying pork was the menu - ie what am I going to cook? Selection of pork was then determined by appearance, not price and 64% of consumers prefered British pork.
 

NADIS Latest – Circovirus Vaccination

There is a tendency when dealing with major long-term disease problems to assume that all health issues on a farm are due to that disease.  With Circovirus vaccination now widely in use producers should be aware that this is only effective against disease associated with PVC2 virus – it is not a cure all. Substantial reductions in mortality are being reported with these vaccines (7-10 percentage point savings in post weaning mortality is being seen) but this can have a major impact on the stock count and stocking rate of finishers. 

Increasing stocking pressures will exacerbate any underlying disease problems in the pigs such as pneumonia and colitis.  Therefore, be aware of the potential impact of reduced mortality on the overall disease picture on the farm, and if necessary sell weaners or reduce sow numbers, unless extra accommodation can be found.
 

National News:

Meat Prices Lag Behind

Prices for milk, cheese and eggs in Europe have shown a sharp increase over the last year while those for meat have gone up less than half as fast according to a report just published.
 

The report examines changes to the 12-month rolling average rate of inflation for selected food groups in the 27 EU member states, comparing the rate in February 2008 with the same month of 2007.  The results of the analysis, by the Economics division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) Meat Services, showed prices of milk, cheese and eggs rose by almost seven per cent in the 12 months ending February 2008, compared with only one per cent during the 12-month period before that.  
 

Prices of bread and cereal-based foods also recorded much larger price rises than a year earlier, influenced by tightening global supplies of grains. In contrast, meat and fish prices rose by only three per cent over the twelve months to February this year, up from two per cent in the previous twelve months.
 

The report on EU food inflation forms part of the March 2008 edition of Meat Demand Trends. It is available by contacting Jayne Dines on 01908 844396 or email jayne.dines@ahdbms.org.uk.
 

Government Should Do More - NFU

If the Government is serious about helping to tackle the developing world food crisis, it should be doing much more to realise the potential offered by its own farmers and growers, the NFU said today. Commenting on the food price ‘summit’ at Number 10 Downing St, NFU President Peter Kendall, who was present, said despite the obvious importance of stepping up food production around the world, the Government still seemed reluctant to ask Britain’s farmers and growers to play their full part.
 

He said: “We have enormous sympathy and concern with the problems being faced by farmers in developing countries, and it is absolutely right that they should be helped to increase their production. But we haven’t heard nearly enough about agricultural development here in Britain.”  
 

International Prices

Click here for the latest international prices.

Vaccine Scheme a Winner

The BPEX PCV2 vaccine scheme has taken off with a bang. Already 274 applications have been made, covering almost 180,000 sows – that’s almost half the national herd. Anybody who would like to apply and hasn’t should click here for more information.