Finding the Latest Feed Info
Despite big increases in availability in the wheat market, global maize supply and demand remains tight, with ending stocks expected to fall to 110Mt (126Mt last season), just 14% of demand. In the US, maize yields are seen slightly higher at10.16t/Ha (9.98t/Ha in '07), which is reducing the impact of reduced harvested area. Click here for more.

Knowledge Transfer

Tip of the week - Water Wastage
Increase water intake and reduce water wastage by investing in adjustable drinkers which can easily be regulated.

The rule of thumb is that the drinker should be at the same height as the top of a pig's shoulder to ensure optimal water intake and minimise pigs playing with the drinkers. This applies for bite/ nipple drinkers.

BPEX Workshops
It’s a busy time for the BPEX Team with workshops around the country. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to meet other producers, discuss topical issues, get advice and grab a bite to eat!

The next evening workshops are: Improving performance of the 2nd parity sow, with ABN/Primary Diets presenting. The workshop is being held at the Croft Hotel, Darlington on Tues. 25th. To book your place contact Lis Ravn (07891 656 784).

 Piglet survival workshop, being held at the Breckland Lodge, Norfolk on Tues. 25th. To book your place contact Kayt Johnson (07973 977 171).

Text Reminder Service
Don’t forget that you can sign up to receive both email and text alerts on the BPEX website. Just enter your mobile number and we can send out free text messages to remind you of events taking place in your area!

And don’t worry about receiving unwanted messages; you will be given the option to select which categories of information you would like to receive notification for.

Follow this link http://smartstore.bpex.org.uk/ and once logged in/signed up click on “My signup options” down the left hand side. You will then be able to select the events (Smart Events categories) and publications (Smart Stores categories) you want to be kept notified of, don’t forget to include your mobile number when you sign up!

Marketing News

Activity Update
An updated marketing activity leaflet has been produced which highlights some of the current or recent campaigns being run, to download a copy please click here.

Gammon PR Activity
With the support of Lesley Waters, Gammon is being promoted throughout December through a number of different mediums. 

This week sees the first media release being sent to consumer journalists, featuring the recipe Roast Gammon with Hot Apricot and Chilli Jam, and Potato Bake. On 11 December Lesley will do a morning of radio interviews about how to cook gammon and recipe usage of gammon leftovers.

Plus during the first few weeks of December 30 regional newspapers will be carrying a promotional competition to win a stainless Gammons set - a large pan and serving forks with a collection of top quality complimentary sauces and chutneys (courtesy of English Provender).  For details on how to cook gammon click here. For some gammon recipe ideas click here.

Morrisons Cafes
From January next year all cafes in Morrisons will swap from Dutch bacon to British . On top of that from now on all pork and bacon on the counters will be British.

Smithfield Christmas Fair
This is being held at the Bath & West Showground and in support of the BPA there will be a butchery demonstration of a shoulder of pork and a cooking demonstration of the cuts obtainable from the shoulder.

The focus will be on slow cooking with pork, and what good value using pork shoulder cuts can be over the Christmas period.  Demo times are Fri 5 Dec at 3pm and Sat 5 Dec at 2pm, in the Theatre within the Food Hall.

Pig Campaign Shortlisted
The Pigs are worth it campaign has been shortlisted for the European Excellence Awards! The Gala Dinner is scheduled to take place in Budapest on Thursday 11th December which is when the final results will be announced.

National News:

MHS Strike
Meat hygiene inspectors have voted to go on strike, threatening supplies of meat and poultry in the run-up to Christmas, Unison said today(Fri).

Pig Crisis
Both the Dutch and Danish herd sizes are shrinking and pig producers throughout Europe are in crisis. The Danish herd is nearly eight per cent smaller than it was a year ago and when viewed against the ten percent fall recorded in summer, this suggests a tentative stabilisation rather than a recovery.

Contraction in the Dutch herd started later than in other parts of Europe but is now significant, with this year's August census showing a year on year drop of four percent in the breeding herd.

Pig World Publisher Digby Scott has some thoughts on the subject: European pig producers have invested heavily in efficient pig production and now they see mounting losses, their outlets shrinking and extra environmental and animal welfare costs they cannot afford.

European pig producers are in crisis and for the first time units are lying empty because new or existing producers are no longer coming forward to step into the shoes of those who have given up the struggle.

Even those who are hanging on by their fingertips are wondering if there is any point, because if red-tape and poor prices don't get them now, low-cost imports from Brazil and the United States will get them in the future.

It is a gloomy prospect. So gloomy that in the next few years Europe's large processors and retailers might find their gravy train running into the buffers as the European pig cycle breaks beyond apparent repair, just as Britain's did a decade ago.

Certificates of Competence
It has just been announced that Pig industry Certificates of Competence are to be eligible for funding under the LSC Train2Gain initiative. Final details have yet to be organised and more information will be available soon.

These qualifications are practical, relevant and can be delivered and assessed within the workplace.

They have been designed by pig producers for pig producers and overcome the historical barriers to training, including off-site training courses, biosecurity concerns and lots of paper-based assessments. For more information about them, click here.

Cost Report Due
The annual BPEX report on the cost of production across Europe and beyond now encompasses 14 countries and will be published soon. It will only be available as a hard copy to English pig levy-payers and anybody who would like a copy should get in touch with Senior Economic Analyst Tony Fowler on 01908 844 281, email tony.fowler@ahdbms.org.uk.

International News:

Producer Doubles Production
The Yurin Food Group, which is the largest producer of pork in China, plans to double capacity and production of pork. The company plans to buy out smaller rivals and improve existing production facilities.

Spam Production Up
Hormel Foods is maximising the production of its Spam products to meet demand for the thrifty meats during the throes of a down economy. One Spam plant has been running two shifts of workers seven days a week since July and another in Fremont, Neb, also has upped production.

Hope For WTO Talks
Following the failure to reach a consensus in time this Summer, there was little hope that anything would happen on the WTO negotiations in the medium term, especially given the political agenda of the USA.

In October, Mr Falconer announced his intention to undertake private consultations - nicknamed "walks in the woods" - in the hope it could lead to the signing of a deal by the end of the year. Since then, it seemed that little progress has been made, WTO Members being more focused on trying to find a solution to the financial crisis.

However, following G20 summit, it seems that more WTO members are now committed to the successful conclusion of the Doha world trade talks, still hoping to agree the framework of a final deal before Christmas.

Export Bulletin
For all the latest news on the export front, click here.

International Prices
Click here for the latest international prices