Finding Latest Feed Info
In domestic markets, the UK wheat crop is seen to have benefited from the recent mild weather. However, since plantings are thought to be down, the crop is expected below last year’s record level. UK Nearby LIFFE March prices remained flat while November prices dropped £4 over the week to 120.50 per tonne. The Brazilian soyabean harvest is thought to be 36 per cent complete. The weakness of the Brazilian Real against the US$ is supporting soya prices and helps exports competitiveness. However, forward sales are still low and 22 per cent behind last year’s level.

Marketing News

Bacon Connoisseurs Week
Latest update on media responses to the week includes: 

The overall winner Case & Sons is using over 40,000 on-pack ‘Winner’ stickers on packs of their winning Traditional Smoked Bacon on sale within Morrisons stores.

TV
Sadly no mention of Jonathan Ross’s bacon tie appeared on last Fridays show, but the producers say it may get a mention in tonight’s (Fri 27) show, so fingers crossed.  There is also the possibility of some of the winners appearing in the Alan Titchmarsh show on Monday, and as we go to press discussions are on going with the production team.

Consumer print and radio coverage
Keeps coming in, 25 regional print articles have appeared to date …. and the figures so far are telling us that already this year is more successful than last year.  The value of media seen during the campaign is almost double the value of last year.  This began from the first mentions on the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast programme with Terry Wogan to the regional stations that were delivered bacon sandwiches by the LIPS ladies.   Plus the appearance of Anna Ryder Richardson on the TV programme Market Kitchen where the programme repeated 18 times on UKTV Food, UKTV Food+1 and BBC Two.  

Don’t forget to buy this week’s Woman magazine and Hello! magazine (on sale March 31) to see a full page spread of our bacon recipes. 

Calling Butchers and Farm Shops
The next product evaluation is at Haywards Heath – South of England Showground – 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.

Meaty Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes, currently the home of BPEX, is the meat eating capital of the country!
According to online grocer Ocado who have anlaysed their shoppers buying habits, it seems that MK buys 14% more bacon and 11% more sausages than anywhere else in the UK.

180,000 active customers were analysed, and other trends included Liverpudlians consuming twice as much gammon and Mancunians cooking three times as much curry.  The co-founder of Ocado, Jason Gissing dubbed the city ‘mad meat MK’ said ‘some of the trends uncovered are really fascinating, but it was a surprise to all that MK came up as the most carnivorous area of the country’.

Knowledge Transfer

Tip of the week: Clean Sows
Remember that sows must be thoroughly cleaned before moving them into farrowing accommodation (Defra Code of Recommendations for the Welfare of Livestock); cleaning sows will not only benefit their welfare, but you may well see an increase in production.

Change for Success
The presentations from the BPEX Change for Success event can now be downloaded here. If you require hard copies, contact BPEX.

If my business was a pig farm – David Hughes
I manage my business by numbers – Roger meadows
Why did my last good member of staff leave? – Asger & Dorthe Krogsgaard
Piglet survival: New thinking for an old problem – Emma Baxter
The biosecurity question – David Chennells

Lupins in Sustainable Agriculture
This LINK collaborative research project has concluded with a workshop this week at Harper Adams University College. Lupins can be considered as a protein source in pig diets; currently the greatest challenge remaining is producing reliable, commercial yields in the UK. Factsheets covering agronomy and the feeding of lupin seed, summarising the trial results, can be found at www.lupins.ibers.aber.ac.uk

National News:

Red Meat and Cancer
The national newspapers have carried a story based on a study in the US on the correlation between eating red meat and various illnesses. Those in the study were consuming red meat at very high levels.

BPEX Nutritionist Maureen Strong says: “The paper suggests a moderate association between high red meat and processed meat consumption and increased risk of cancer.  However, average red meat consumption in the UK is at far lower levels that those cited in the report as increasing risk.  So there is no need for the vast majority of people to be concerned or to reduce their red meat intake. 

The group classified as high meat eaters by this study consumed over 300g per day, the average intake in the UK is around 80g per day.”

“The group classed as high meat eaters were also more likely to smoke, undertake lower levels of physical activity and consume less fruit and vegetables and fibre, all factors that previous studies have suggested increase risk of cancer.

“Red meat contains many vital nutrients, which make a positive contribution to a healthy, balanced diet.   In particular, red meat is an important source of dietary iron, known to be lacking in the diets of young children and women.  This can lead to anaemia.

Foodhall Success
The UK Foodhall Managing Director Karen McQuade says the firm has had its best trading day ever, with 62,000 sausages sold! They also sold 63,500 chicken fillets, but within the orders, pork was the biggest seller, 11 pallets of British Pork products into schools, or 7.4 tonnes..... phenomenal!!

Win a Tooth Grinder
They stopped teeth-clipping in Denmark and Holland years ago—but we still do it here because most producers are not prepared to give teeth-grinders a fair chance, even though they are significantly more welfare friendly. To help you improve welfare on your unit, here is a chance to win one of three battery-operated teeth-grinders. If you are successful please make sure your staff give it an honest trial. The three models offered as prizes are donated by Schippers UK, Unitron UK and Pig World. To take part in the competition, click here.

Second Litter Drop
A fall off in production in second litter sows, manifest as delayed onset of oestrus, high rates of return to service or reduced litter size, is regularly identified by NADIS vets as a problem in pig breeding herds.

Whilst the causes maybe complex and involve issues such as gilt age, weight backfat and body condition at service and loss of condition in lactation, some producers have found that, particularly where gilt performance is good, it can pay to ‘skip a heat’ in weaned gilts. 

Rather than serving weaned gilts within a week of weaning, that period is missed and they are served 3 weeks later.

It is necessary to assess the benefits that might be gained (i.e. better fertility, bigger second litters and improved longevity) set against the costs of 3 weeks delayed rebreeding but in problem situations it is an option worth considering.

The Challenge to Feed Britain
Feeding us all in 2050 will be extremely challenging the chairman of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) told a high-level Smith Institute seminar on ‘food supply in the UK’. Also on the panel were Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP (Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and Nick Herbert MP (Shadow Minister for  Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

Global population growth together with climate change means the world is going to have to produce twice as much food, on no more land, using fewer inputs and less water, while reducing greenhouse gases.

AHDB Chairman John Bridge said: “It is clear that we can no longer take food for granted. Robust and open trade regimes are critical to feeding Britain and for global food distribution, but the UK and Europe will need to play its part in meeting the demand for greater food production.

“We need to start championing our food production industry which will increasingly become part of the solution to problems rather than the cause of them.

“There is a strong consensus that UK agriculture, horticulture and sea fishing has the potential to increase food output within current technical constraints and scientific knowledge.
“However, significantly increasing output at the same time as meeting targets for environmental sustainability will require innovation and new technologies based on the fruits of strategic and applied research – an area where there has been declining national commitment and investment over many years.

“Some of these technologies will be novel and possibly contentious techniques and we will need robust science behind them to be acceptable to the consumer.

“For UK consumers one of the most important actions could be to simply waste less food – we throw away in the region of a third of the food we buy.

“Meeting the sustainable production and climate change challenges will not be easy, but it can be done. It will call for a level of collaboration that has not existed before across industry, consumers, policy makers and between countries.”

International News

Porkless Jamie
Jamie Oliver will not serve pork at next week's G20 banquet - despite championing the meat in recent TV shows.

The chef, who campaigned for pig welfare in his recent TV show Jamie Saves Our Bacon, has left pork out of his six-course menu for President Barack Obama and other leaders at Downing Street.

Obama, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany are among the leaders due to be served by apprentices from Fifteen, the London restaurant Oliver founded to help train underprivileged young people.

But while the exact contents of his menu remain secret, Oliver will avoid using pork because it could offend Muslim guests.

Oliver's spokesman said: "There will be no pork. He is cooking for the dietary requirements of all those attending. We are not revealing exactly what those ingredients are until next week."

Oliver has spent months ensuring embassies and British diplomats approve ingredients.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown is reportedly keen to avoid a repeat of the embarrassment last year when he sat down to an 18-course gastronomic extravaganza at a Japanese summit to discuss world food shortages.

Polish Pig Herd Falls
The pig herd in Poland has fallen to its lowest since 1970, writes Michal Kolesnikow, analyst at the BGZ Bank. No recovery in terms of numbers is expected before the end of this year although prices and margins are improving.

As a result, pig meat production in Poland this year may be eight to ten per cent down on the previous year which in turn already had been ten per cent down on 2007. Many abattoirs will have enormous problems sourcing pigs.
According to the Danish Meat Association, in 2009, the pig quote will be 1.256 €/kg and thus it is lower than last year where the quote ended at 1.273 €/kg. The prognosis is downgrading the quote by approximately 8 Eurocent compared to the last forecast made in December. The new forecast envisages 1.233 €/kg in the second quarter and at 1.333 €/kg in the last six months of the year. Demand for pig meat is falling, says Karsten Flemin, market analyst for DMA. For more on the Export Bulletin, click here.

International Prices
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