Time is running out, nominations for this year’s David Black Award close at the end of the month. Go to the BPEX website for a nomination form to put forward the person you believe has made an important and sustained contribution to the British pig industry.

Knowledge Transfer
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

Tip of the Week – Respiratory Disease
During the summer watch out particularly for respiratory disease (see Action for Productivity 6), erysipelas and coccidiosis.

Pig Project Into the Millions
More than a million piglets have so far been vaccinated as part of a BPEX research project into PCV2. The £1.5million vaccine voucher scheme was launched in April and the take-up has been nothing short of phenomenal said BPEX Director of Pig Industry Development Mark Wilson.

The way things are going, there should be enough money to see the scheme through to the end of the calendar year.

Mark said: “If it carries on the way it has been so far, it means by the end of the year approximately five million pigs will have been vaccinated. It does look as though the project is already having the desired effect as anecdotal evidence is saying pigs are finishing two weeks faster and producers are getting the equivalent of one extra pig sold per littler.”

Preliminary results of the study will be announced on November 14, at the second day of the PVS conference.

Lactational Oestrus
A sow coming into oestrus (heat) during her time in the farrowing paddock interrupts the service cycle and, in batch systems, leads to sows being out of sync with the rest of the group. It is likely that a sow will come into oestrus if the suckling pattern is disrupted, as well as if she ceases milk production completely, either because the piglets are not suckling or due to udder problems, before weaning. BPEX has produced a sheet which identifies some of the risk factors and practical solutions to the problem of sows coming into oestrus in the farrowing paddocks. Sows that come into oestrus during lactation in a batch system are likely to be culled so it is important to prevent this occurring by recognising the risks and managing accordingly. To view the entire document click here or contact BPEX for a hard copy.

Nitrates Directive Consultation
BPEX has produced a summary of the government response to the recent consultation on how to implement the nitrates directive in England which can be viewed here. The full government response to the consultation can be found by clicking here. The area of land designated will increase to approximately 70% of England from the current level of 55%. A map showing proposed boundaries can be found by clicking here. It is anticipated that approximately 1.5% of land in England currently designated may be de-designated.  This is primarily as a result of a better understanding of catchment boundaries. The possibility that the designation may be increased to 100% of agricultural land in the future cannot be ruled out.

Jeff Wood Wins Top Award
Professor Jeff Wood, Head of Division of Farm Animal Science and Professor of Food Animal Science in the Department of Clinical Veterinary Science at Bristol University, is the recipient of the 2008 International Lectureship Award of the American Meat Science Association (AMSA).

Professor Wood received the award at the AMSA conference in Gainesville, Florida on 23 June.

Waste Exemption Consultation
Defra has launched a consultation reviewing waste exemptions. There are a number of points of direct significance to pig producers. Suggestions include: renewing simple exemptions every three years, they will no longer be for life. Introducing registration charges, replacing some simple exemptions with standard permits.  The consultation can be found by clicking here.

Marketing News
Pigorama Latest
Filming for Pigorama got underway in earnest this week with Richard Longthorp and Kate and Vicky Morgan having the starring roles. The first short film piece being developed focuses on the supply chain, and aims to demonstrate the key standards underpinning the QSM. The overarching theme for the media though is farmers making the films themselves, both to showcase their industry and as a response to the problems facing pig farming. The filming has generated a fair amount of media interest thus far, with ITV Central West, BBC Radio York, Humberside and Nottinghamshire covering the story. 4 regional newspapers including The Yorkshire Post have also confirmed they will be running pieces on the films.

Celebrity Chef Update
Phil Vickery proved a popular guest with the radio stations, as on the day in addition to the 15 planned interviews, 3 more were squeezed in at the last minute, making it 18 radio interviews in total! This equated to 124 minutes of airtime, reaching an audience of over 2 million consumers. Anyone wanting copies of the booklet can download it from the Pigsareworthit website or call the hotline on 01908 844725.

British Sausage Week is Coming!
Although its a way off yet, as part of the drive to ramp up publicity for sausages during the week QSM Sausage hampers have been sent to long lead consumer journalists this week, containing the ingredients for one of the new sausage recipes and details of the campaign. The monthly magazines work up to 4 months ahead so timing is critical for coverage. A further delivery to short lead (weekly) publications is planned for the end of August to meet their 6-8 week leadtimes.

Consumer Attitudes Probed
With the current consumer pressures of food and fuel price inflation and the credit crunch it has been agreed that to continue to attempt to convince consumers they should pay more for QSM pork is no longer appropriate. To investigate consumer attitudes, to enable the development of new advertising, of the benefits/differentiation of QSM pork, focus groups are to be held in August.  A range of routes/options will be investigated including:

• product qualities/benefits
• value for money
• traditional food
• don't overcook
• 70% of imported pork....
• look after the farmers who look after the pig
• the other white meat

From this work it is planned to develop new work to appear in October as consumers begin to return to "proper meals".

Export Bulletin
Click here to see the latest report on exports

National News:
Pig Industry Heroine Dies
The pig who lived in Parliament Square for three months, cared for by campaigning pig farmers, has died in her sleep at the age of nine.

Winnie-the-Pig was the mascot of British pig producers through a turbulent decade, which saw the national pig herd decline 40 percent as a result of unilateral legislation by government, dual standards by supermarkets, and latterly a global increase in feed prices.

During her vigil in Parliament Square, when she lived in a pen at the foot of the statue of Sir Winston Churchill, she became a popular tourist attraction, known by all the open-top tour bus guides.

More recently, in March this year, Winnie came out of retirement to spend a day opposite Downing Street, when she met politicians and celebrities. Although unfailingly civil to her guests, she spent much of her time dozing, as old ladies do. Always preferring human company to her own kind, she demanded only that social encounters be prefaced with the offering of food. During her nine years Winnie-the-Pig met politicians, dukes, bishops, celebrities and, inevitably, many policemen.

EU Sow Numbers
BPEX Senior Economic Forecaster Tony Fowler has produced a short report looking at EU breeding herd numbers. For more information click here.

Pig Market Trends
The July edition of Pig Market Trends, available from the Economics Department of AHDB meat services, presents the latest forecasts of UK pig meat supplies for the remainder of 2008 and 2009.

Total pig meat production is forecast to fall by two per cent in 2008, with most of the decline expected to be in the bacon sector.  This is primarily as a result of a marked fall in imports of pork for subsequent curing.  The exchange rate has been a contributory factor to the fall in imports so far this year.  With further contraction of the pig herd expected, clean pig slaughterings in 2009 are forecast to fall to 8.7 million, from 9.0 million this year. This latest Pig Market Trends also includes Agrosoft Ltd pig costings data for the year ended March 2008.  They show an improvement in pigs reared per sow per year. For further information on how to subscribe to Pig Market Trends, please contact Jo Stanton on 01908 844398. 

NADIS Latest – Evenness of Growth
Once PMWS became embedded into farms one of the features of it was that it created very uneven growth in groups, even when overt disease was not evident.

Early reports from NADIS veterinary surgeons are suggesting that growth is becoming far more even following the introduction of PCV2 vaccines.  Whilst on the surface, this is to be welcomed and would tend to suggest that overall growth across the group will improve, there are some potential pitfalls to be watched for. Finishing pens, which are fully stocked depend on the thinning effect of removing the fastest growers reaching bacon weight to provide the necessary space for the remainder to grow on.  The more even the growth, the more difficult this will become.  This may then require thinning early with the first pigs actually going for slaughter below target weight.
Adjustment may certainly need to be made as circumstances change to keep within the law.

International News:
Danish Pig Herd Falls
The Danish pig herd has fallen by between seven and eight per cent according to the Statistical Bureau. Compared with a year ago the total herd as of 1st July is down by 9.5 per cent, and excluding slaughter pigs there is a drop by 8.0 per cent in the total herd. As for the breeding herd the sows in pig is down by 7.4 per cent and the gilts by 7.0 per cent, whereas there is a very modest reduction by 0.9 per cent in 1st time pregnant sows.

Dioxin Fears Hit Chile Pork
Chile's Health Department this week quarantined six pork plants to investigate claims of high levels of dioxin in the meat after elevated levels were found in a shipment to South Korea, prompting Japan to suspended imports of Chilean pork. Samples are being tested in Canada, and the results will determine whether the quarantine will be maintained or lifted, according to a Health Department official.

International Prices
Click here for the latest international prices