Finding Latest Feed Info
Futures contracts dropped £5 per tonne in the last week with Grain export worries weighing on the market as there are concerns about Europe’s ability to move a large old crop in the light of new competition from Russian grain. CBOT Soyabean meal prices dropped $5 over the week based on higher projections for the 2009/10 US soyabean area and improved weather conditions helping the developing soya crops in Brazil and Argentina.  For more feed prices and commentary click here.

Marketing News

Pork Focus Supplement
This week’s MTJ will feature a 16pg supplement on a range of current marketing topics to include, The Jamie Factor, how consumers have been turned on to pork, This is Houston, an interview with Stewart, Pigs Are Worth It campaign round up, Finger of Blame, focus on the EFRA committee views and a Love Pork marketing activity round up. 

Calling Butchers and Farm Shops
The next product evaluation is at Bolton – Reebok Stadium – beginning at 2pm.  Entries are still being taken from butchers and farm shops in the region for evaluation by a team of specialist judges. Starting at 2pm the butchers arrive with anything from sausages, bacon, pies, ready meals, faggots, black pudding or meatballs.  While judging takes place between 4 and 6pm there is plenty to see and people to talk to around the venue as there are more than a dozen trade exhibitors showcasing their products, offering tastings and special offers. 

If you would like to enter download an entry form by clicking here or calling Jackie on 01908 844107. Alternatively if you wish to just come along and have a chat with the exhibitors or entrants, then just turn up and if you enter your name into a free prize draw you could be in with a chance of winning a box of wine.

Full House at Academy
A group of consumer journalists attended a master class in the art of meat cutting and preparation this week at Leiths School of Food & Wine, London.   The demonstration by BPEX Butchery Product Manager Keith Fisher and Home Economics Manager Clare Greenstreet featured a cutting demonstration on seam butchery highlighting the benefits of this method in getting the best from each cut of meat.  Along with explaining where some of the more traditional cuts come from as they are now more in demand, Clare explained how best to cook with these cuts.  The journalists then had the opportunity to cook some of the dishes themselves, which provided them with the opportunity to taste for themselves how good these cuts perform in various cooking methods.  The evening was very well received and is hoped to be repeated later in the year.

Knowledge Transfer

Tip of the Week: Emergency Contacts
It is vital that contact details for dealing with emergencies are up to date and to hand. Lists become quickly out of date, update your ‘useful telephone number’ list this week! There is a template emergency contact list that can be altered to suit your farm on the BPEX website, click here to download it. Also, get staff to programme important numbers into their mobile phones so that they can be accessed easily.

Cross Compliance Consultation
Defra has launched a consultation on changes to standards in cross compliance Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) and related measures in England. This consultation sets out a number of possible changes to the environmental standards that farmers are normally required to meet in England known as cross compliance. The purpose of the consultation is to gather views on how Defra can encourage agricultural production whilst at the same time protecting the soil, water and biodiversity on which farming ultimately depends. The deadline for responses to this consultation is 27 May 2009. For more information visit the consultation page:  http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/gaec/index.htm.

Action for Productivity Latest
Have you seen the latest Action for Productivity produced by BPEX? The next sheet in the popular series looks at the topic of sow body condition, which is a critical factor affecting health, welfare, productivity and longevity. Maintaining optimum condition within the breeding herd throughout the sow’s lifetime, with minimal fluctuations, will help reproductive performance, production efficiency, strategic culling decisions and mortality rates. Ideally a sow’s body condition should be assessed individually and managed on a continuous basis to maximise her lifetime productivity.

It is important to be able to accurately evaluate sow body condition and to ensure appropriate nutrition is provided to every sow for maintenance, growth, reproduction and lactation, preventing sows becoming either too thin, through having to utilise body reserves, or too fat with excessive weight gain. To download a copy click here, or to request a hard copy email kt@bpex.org.uk.

Animal Bytes
Animal Bytes, brought to you by BSAS, is your guide to the latest developments in the world of animal science. Current topics include:

• Piglet survival key to optimising sow productivity
• Later weaning not linked to improved piglet health 
• It’s possible to breed for improved piglet pre-weaning survival     
• Active’ and calm sows are less prone to crush their piglets    
• Drinker design key to minimising waste, but not pig performance 
• Zinc-oxide supplemented feed is less palatable to piglets, despite health benefits   
• Dietary protein level can be reduced to cut nitrogen losses   

National News:

Farm Income Figures
Defra has published a release on farm business incomes and which the BRC has been using. These figures can be found by clicking here . According to the notice net farm income on specialist pig farms in England was forecast to increase from £6,300 in the year ended February 2008 to £71,300 in 2008/09, a rise of 1,032 per cent. However, the BPEX perspective is somewhat different. Each month BPEX estimates the total cost, including depreciation charges, of producing a kg of pig meat. These are estimated on the basis of average performance results and on the basis of spot compound feed prices.  Using this methodology, average producer net margins are calculated as -22.6p/kg in 2007/08 and -9.4p/kg in 2008/09. For a 350 sow herd producing 22 pigs/sow this equates to annual losses of £140,000 in 2007/08 and £56,000 in 2008/09. Obviously there is a major difference between the BPEX figures and those produced by Defra. We shall be approaching Defra with a view to investigating the root of those differences.

Bacon Curers Wanted
Yorkshire based bacon curers are being sought as the North Yorkshire County Council is keen to talk to them about supply. For further information please contact BPEX foodservice trade sector manager Tony Goodger, tony.goodger@ahdbms.org.uk .

Supermarket Sale
Supermarket giant Sainsbury's is buying 24 stores from The Co-operative Group in a deal worth £83 million. Of the stores, 22 belonged to the Somerfield grocery chain, which was taken over by The Co-operative Group earlier this week, and two were branded Co-op stores.

NFU Vice President Quits
Paul Temple has announced today that he is to step down from the role of Vice President of the NFU. He said: “Due to a combination of personal and business circumstances I require a period of time at home. Because of this I feel I cannot give the time and commitment necessary to carry out the role and it is with great regret therefore that I am standing down.”

Joint Campaign for English Meat
A joint campaign has been launched to get English meat into the holiday island of Cyprus.
BPEX and EBLEX organised a food fair, supported by the High Commission in Nicosia, at the end of last month. Six English companies took part in the exhibition showing bacon, sausages, ham, beef, lamb and cheese.

New Livestock Website
A NEW website has been developed by Myerscough College to support the RDPE Northwest Livestock Programme.

The website address is www.livestocknw.co.uk; it provides information for farmers on the support and advice available and contact details of the organisations that are delivering the Northwest Livestock Programme.

There is a contact form that farmers can complete to register their interest in Livestock Northwest and to receive regular news updates and bulletins.

The next phase of the website is due to go live in June 09 when farmers will be able to use the website to access technical information relating to improving business competitiveness, nutrient management, animal health and welfare and resource efficiency. There will be links to other websites that hold useful information that could benefit Northwest Livestock Farmers.

Farming Bodies Join Forces
Defra farming and environment minister Jane Kennedy travelled to Brussels with the NFU and the NPA to lobby MEPs ahead of a critical vote in the European Parliament on the IPPC Directive.

The minister, along with NFU Deputy President Meurig Raymond and NPA chairman Stewart Houston, met key MEPs on Wednesday, March 4, to lobby against changes to the directive. It is feared the changes will impact on more pig and poultry farms, farms with feed mills as well as the glasshouse sector. Existing IPPC pig and poultry farmers will also be burdened with further controls and more administrative red tape.

International News

US Pork Exports Decline
In the US, a decline in pork exports is building domestic supplies and pushing prices down. USDA expects pork exports to decline to 1.3 million tonnes in 2009 compared to 1.53 million metric tonnes in 2008. Purdue University Agricultural Economist Chris Hurt predicts a 6 percent increase in per capita U.S. pork supplies by the second quarter of 2009.

While market hog slaughter rates have declined over the past couple of months, agricultural economists are divided on whether producers will continue to reduce their breeding herds or if some are already starting to rebuild them.
While pork has benefited from consumers trading down from beef, economists also are split on how it will all play out in terms of prices.

Export Report
Click here for the latest export report.

Pig Producers Campaign
Danish pig producers in collaboration with the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim launched a new campaign. The new campaign is called “value the Danish pig” and is an appeal to people in Denmark and politicians.
Danish pig producers are bleeding to death and want to get through to the politicians. The message is that they must have fair conditions if Denmark is to remain a farming country.

International Prices
Click here for the latest international prices