Page 571 of articles about news in Swine news

Since the appearance of the new swine flu in humans in several countries, the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) has introduced new restrictions on the importation of pigs, pig meat and derived products.

Since the beginning of February, 18 cases of classical swine fever have been confirmed in wild boar in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, 7 in animals in Südwestpfalz, 4 in Altenkirchen, 5 in Neuwied and 2 in Westerwaldkreis. (Original in German. Read Google translation here).

Soybean meal price touched a seven month high due to rising demand from China, delayed planting in the US due to late rains and drought-hit South American crops. Soybean futures at the Chicago Board of Trade was traded beyond USD 11/bushel on Monday for July contracts. It appears that soybean fundamentals are stronger than fears over influenza A.

Today EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton and United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk agreed in principle on a way forward in the long-running dispute over hormone-treated beef.

Vietnam has forecasted that pig production in the country could increase by 3.8% to 27 million head in 2009. The growth shows the strength of the Vietnam’s pig industry in overcoming crises such as high feed cost and disease outbreaks that hit the industry since last year. The government has lent full support through subsidizing interest rates on bank loans to the farmers and exemptions from tax on land use and pig sales.

The A(H1N1) flu virus has contributed to a slide in the wholesale price of pork in Guangdong province, industry insiders reported yesterday.

Results from the National Pork Board’s Taste and Preferences study reveal areas of opportunity for retailers to help educate consumers on pork cuts, enhancements and cooking methods.

A breakthrough vaccine delivery system will make vaccination against the endemic pig disease Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP) easier, cheaper and more effective, according to leading South Australian veterinarian and piggery manager, Dr Peter McKenzie.

After the detection of the A/H1N1 virus in pigs in Canada transmitted by a human, FAO has again urged national authorities and farmers to carefully monitor pigs and investigate any possible occurrences of influenza-like symptoms in domestic animals.

Canadian hog producers can apply for compensation under an extended Cull Breeding Swine Program as of May 7, 2009. Funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and delivered by the Canadian Pork Council, the program has been revised to include breeding swine culled between August 1, 2007 and October 31, 2007. This is in addition to breeding swine covered under the original program which included culls from November 1, 2007 to November 30, 2008.

A researcher with the University of Manitoba says the management of phosphorus applications to crop land will vary according to the source of the nutrient. The Manitoba government has imposed strict limits on phosphorus applications to reduce the risk of excess amounts ending up in waterways.

135 752 tonnes of meat in carcass weight were produced in the 1st quarter of 2009. This amount included 53.6% of pig meat, 14.2% of beef incl. veal and 32.2% of poultry meat. Meat production total went down by 10.8% and milk collection by 5.2%.

The novel A/H1N1 influenza virus has been identified and being very closely related to the human strains based on the genes sequenced so far. Full characterisation is continuing and so is virus isolation in eggs. It is highly probable that the pigs were exposed to the virus from a farm worker who had recently returned from Mexico and had been exhibiting flu-like symptoms.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have published their Community Summary Report on Food-borne Outbreaks in the EU in 2007. It shows that Salmonella remained the most common cause of food-borne outbreaks in the European Union, followed by food-borne viruses and Campylobacter. A total of 5,609 outbreaks were reported in 2007, which affected almost 40,000 people and caused 19 deaths.

Canada Pork International had estimated on Thursday that pork exports had dropped 5% to 10% because of the flu.

Incorrect reporting of the H1N1 flu as "swine" flu has compounded the economic squeeze the U.S. pork industry has experienced during the past 19 months, when producers lost an average of $20 per hog, N.P.P.C. continued. Producers have lost another $6 per pig, with average hog prices falling from $124 a head on April 24 to $118 on April 28, since the flu outbreak became a major news story. This decline has cost the industry approximately $2.5 million a day, N.P.P.C. relayed.