Marketing News

Pigs Are Worth It

The on-line order form has generated almost 200 requests for material including supporters of Pigsareworthit from Germany, Austria and many areas in the USA. Material requested so far has included, T-shirts – 320, Banners – 300, Leaflets - 5,500 and Car stickers - 5,000.  If you know of anyone who still needs material click here.

Desperately Seeking . . .

BPEX Foodservice Dept has been approached by a large manufacturer for the school meals market who is keen to source the following cuts for existing school meals contracts who now wish to support British Pork and preferably the QSM: Loin steaks, 58gm and 113gm, Collar Steaks, 58gm and 113gm, diced shoulder and minced pork. Ideally the meat needs to be supplied frozen but if that's not possible don't worry, the manufacturer is still keen to speak with you. Contact Tony Goodger on 0777 5535212 or tony.goodger@ahdbms.org.uk

BBQ and Beyond

BPEX Foodservice is launching a new eight-page booklet for caterers who want to increase their food sales through barbecues. Most publicans now feel that they should be serving BBQ'd meat alongside the traditional offerings of burgers, steaks and sausages and with the help of the Best of British BBQ team a selection of 6 inspired recipes have been developed. The leaflet will be available from mid-July so get ready for a sizzling summer. To reserve a copy contact foodservice@bpex.org.uk or Karen Eaton on 01908 844114

Knowledge Transfer

Tip of the Week - BPHS

Remember to renew your membership for the BPEX Pig Health Scheme (BPHS).

Climate Change Workshop

Farmers in the North East are invited to attend a free workshop to discuss the risks and opportunities climate change presents to their businesses.

Organised by Farming Futures, in partnership with the CLA and NFU, the event will focus on the regional impacts of climate change, what farmers can do now to prepare their businesses and focus on the opportunities provided by renewable energy,

Date: Friday 27 June Time: 10.30 – 1.30pm lunch provided Venue: The Fenton Centre, Wooler, Northumberland Focus on: On-farm renewable energy. To register, please call: 0207 324 3622

Katie Zabel, Farming Futures project manager said: “Climate change will affect us all, that’s why we’re inviting farmers in the North East to attend a free, special event to find out more about how they can reduce costs and risks in the future. The event is on 27 June in Northumberland, focusing on the opportunities from renewable energy. Our Farming Futures events, fact sheets and case studies give ideas about how to take practical action to prepare your business now for the impacts of climate change.”

Ask the Experts

Got a burning question to ask BPEX? Then go to “Ask BPEX”, which is now live on the BPEX website. Whether it’s feed, the environment, vaccination, bedding or something else that’s bugging you we’ll find the answer. Just click on the link on the BPEX website, which you’ll find under Practical Advice. We will send you an immediate acknowledgement of your question and forward it to the appropriate expert. We guarantee you a response within five working days.

BPEX Workshops

Over the past couple of years the BPEX KT Team has run a wide range of well-attended workshops across the country. Summaries of all of these interactive workshops are now available on the BPEX website, with handout packs/relevant material available to download in most cases.

If a group of you in the same area are interested in any of these workshops then the KT Team will be happy to run it. If you have different requirements the workshops can be customised to your needs, or new ones can be developed. For further details click here or email: kt@bpex.org.uk. 

National News:

Waitrose Backs British

At a time of dire straits for the British pig industry, Waitrose has become the first major retailer to commit to buying all of its fresh pork and bacon from British farmers. 

The retailer already sources 100% of its fresh pork and more than 90% of its bacon from the UK but plans a full scale switch to British before the end of the year.

BPEX and NPA Chairman Stewart Houston said: “This is very good news for the British pig industry and Waitrose is to be congratulated for the move.

 “The tangible support Waitrose has shown for the British pig industry is most welcome in these difficult times.

 “That support manifests itself in the innovative buying policy which maximises the value of the pig throughout the supply chain and it is something we believe should be adopted more widely.”

Parliament Poser

Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:

- Whether they will test imported pig and poultry meat for MRSA in view of the infection in four European Union countries; and whether they will begin taking sample tests of live pigs and poultry in Britain, together with meat for retail sale.

Food and Farming Minister Lord Rooker replied: We have no plans to test imported pigs, poultry and their meat for MRSA. The FSA has not previously conducted any surveys for the presence of MRSA in raw meats (whether imported or home-reared) at the point of retail sale. At present, the FSA does not intend to conduct such a survey as the results would not change policy advice on the handling of meat.

The UK is taking part in an EU-wide survey which includes testing for MRSA in breeding pig herds, running from January to December.

VION Acquires Grampian

VION has signed an agreement to acquire Grampian, one of the UK's largest food companies. This acquisition sees VION strengthen its UK position, where it has successful operations in the fresh pork, bacon and sausage markets. The takeover will be submitted to the competition authorities.

"This announcement is evidence of the great importance VION attaches to the UK market. At the heart of VION's business is a 'Passion for Better Food' and Grampian is key to developing this strategy”, comments Daan van Doorn, Chairman of the VION Board of Management. "The combined group will become a major player in the UK food industry. Together with Grampian's management we want to further intensify the cooperation with our retail clients by investing in Grampian, sharing knowledge and developing partnerships."

Cash for Training

BPEX has secured funding from Yorkshire Forward to help with staff development in the Yorkshire and Humber pig industry. The funding will provide support to the industry whilst they continue to build on existing skills and knowledge.

With pig production still withstanding heavy losses, investing in staff development is not on the top of producers’ lists, but it is hoped that this funding will help to continue to support this vital business area.

Tess Howe, BPEX Skills Development Manager said: “Stockmen who have attended some of the training workshops we have run across the country have really benefited and appreciated the fact that attending them contributes to a recognised qualification. Equally, the number of companies engaging in management level training is encouraging, as they realise this is an area that will help raise unit productivity whilst improving staff motivation and retention.”

So if you are interested in staff development, need support in ongoing programmes or provide training events BPEX may be able to help. Call Tess Howe on 07779 321078 or email tess.howe@bpex.org.uk

Animal Aid Filming

Animal Aid sold a story into the Independent this week purporting to show horrendous conditions on British pig farms. They had carried out undercover filming on 10 farms, two of them deliberately targeting BPEX board members. The story was used elsewhere but not picked up widely. Such activity routinely triggers inspections by assurance schemes and so far these have given the farms a clean bill of health, though as of Friday lunchtime not all had been completed.

Join BPHS

Have you joined the British Pig Health Scheme yet? The new one starts on July 1. It provides members, their vets, abattoirs and funding partners with regular, objective and detailed post-mortem health assessments from pigs submitted to 14 specialist pig abattoirs in England. To date the BPHS team of specialist pig vets have reported on more than 12,000 consignments of pigs.

A survey of members found all farmers surveyed discussed the BPHS reports with their vets when reviewing pig health and performance. More than 60% of them and 80% of vets have been taking action on farms to tackle health issues using information from their reports.

You can find out more about the scheme by logging onto www.bpex.org.uk  or calling 01463 233184. There is also a DVD available explaining how the scheme works, which can be obtained by calling 01908 844734.

International News:

US Forecasts Down

USDA lowered its 2008 and 2009 forecasts of commercial pork production slightly in June, responding to lower-than-expected imports of Canadian slaughter hogs and lower average dressed weights.

In its monthly Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook report, USDA reduced its 2008 commercial pork production forecast by 100 million pounds, to 23.4 billion pounds, 6.6 percent above production last year. The production forecast for next year was lowered by 235 million pounds, to 22.7 billion pounds, 2.9 percent below 2008.

Data for U.S. swine imports from Canada for April show a year-over-year decline in live swine imports of almost 2 percent. Weekly import data for May issued by USDA show a reduction of almost 14 percent compared with May of last year.

In April, slaughter hog (animals weighing more than 110 pounds, for immediate slaughter) imports were almost 15 percent lower than a year ago. For May, slaughter hog imports were almost 40 percent below May 2007.

Slaughtering Up in Canada

Rather than exporting to the United States for slaughter, more hogs were slaughtered in Canada in April, reversing a pattern seen most of this year and in 2007. Higher transport costs directly decrease Canadian producers-exporters' bottom line, creating incentives to reduce long-haul shipments to U.S packing plants.

This year U.S. packers and swine finishers are expected to import about 9.9 million head of swine, about 1.2 percent below 2007. In 2009, ongoing reductions in the Canadian breeding herd are expected to result in fewer imports: 8.8 million head, 11 percent below the 2008 import forecast.

Crops Lost to Flood

At least 3 million acres of U.S. corn have been lost to rain and floods, according to a poll conducted by Farm Futures magazine.

The poll was conducted online and the magazine estimated that at least 3.3 million acres could be lost, perhaps more, according to senior editor Bryce Knorr.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture last Tuesday estimated 2008 U.S. corn acreage at 86.0 million, down sharply from last year's area of 93.6 million.

USDA's acreage estimate for 2008 was made before the massive rainfall and flooding in the U.S. Midwest. USDA did trim 5 bushels per acre from its forecast corn yield per acre because of the harm to the U.S. crop. USDA will update its acreage estimate on June 30.

International Prices

Click here for the latest international prices

Tailpiece: Mills Boon

Friday’s Daily Mail contained an article which included ten reasons to be happy.

Number 7 was ‘Heather Mills has moved to New York’