Page 589 of articles about news in Swine news

Although most of the food industry may be following safe production procedures, the majority of the public doesn’t feel it does enough, according to a recently-released American Society for Quality survey.

According to figures from the Federal Office of Statistics, Germany exported nearly 2.2 million tonnes of pig meat last year. (Original in German. Read Google translation here).

The December census makes grim reading with a fall of pig numbers of 20% on 2007 to 432,000 pigs. Only in 2003, the number of pigs in the country was 620,000. With consumption stable at around 90,000 tonnes, this means that self-sufficiency that has been around 70% for some years will fall and Slovenia will import more pig meat in the future.

The survey shows that the Germans evaluate German pig meat as the best according to all parameters.

The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) is urging the federal government to adopt standards that apply equally to both federal and state meat inspection programs.

The UK’s farming industry has received a boost as Defra’s request for a derogation from one of the more burdensome provisions of the EU Nitrates Directive was agreed at the EU Nitrates Committee.

The European parliament has adopted an initiatives report with the aim of simplifying the normatives of commercialization, giving better information to consumers, making the ticket of origin more precise, and protecting quality European products better at an international level.

Pollutant emissions from thousands of industrial installations throughout the EU must be further reduced, but more flexibly, said the European Parliament. MEPs back a Commission proposal to update and strengthen existing rules, but inserted new provisions for introducing EU-wide emission limits, greater flexibility in granting permits, excluding small plants, and better informing the public. The resolution was adopted with 402 votes in favour, 189 against and 54 abstentions. The scope of the recast legislation (IPPC directive plus six more specific ones) correspondents more or less to the one of the current directives. It covers different industry sectors from metals, chemicals and paper to processed food, oil refineries and large-scale pig and poultry farms.

EFSA has launched a call for data on the implications of animal cloning. This follows a request from the European Commission to provide further scientific advice on this issue, building on the recommendations included in EFSA’s 2008 opinion on the implications of animal cloning on food safety, animal health and welfare and the environment.

Salmonella has been found in the pig feed Yhdistelmä-Tiiviste (protein concentrate) from the Rehuraisio Oy factory in Raisio. The salmonella found is suspected to be of the same strain of Salmonella Tennessee as the strain previously detected on two egg production farms and in the poultry feed protein concentrate Kanatiiviste Herkku.

China’s CPI dropped 1.6 percent in February from last February, as food, clothing and fuel costs declined. Biggest drops were recorded in pork prices, 18.9 percent lower than last February. This is the first negative CPI in China since 2002, however it is likely to have been influenced by high prices over the Chinese New Year holiday in 2008, which fell in Februay last year but in January this year. The CPI may rise to give a more representative figure in March.

Average retail prices for meat and poultry in Russia increased by more than 23 percent in 2008 while the increase in overall food prices jumped nearly 18 percent. Meat market analysts expect this trend to continue in 2009 as the Russian government continues to take protectionist measures to limit imports of meat and poultry.

The Government of Canada will now allow tax deferrals to livestock producers who are forced to sell animals due to flooding.

During 2008, the number of pigs slaughtered in Germany reached 54.8 million, a 2.9% increase on the previous year. The slaughter of animals from Denmark and Holland also showed a significant increase. (Original in German. Read Google translation here).

Hershell Brown, project director of the Agricultural Support Services Project (ASSP) in the ministry, revealed that 2008 was a record-breaking year for the nation's pig farmers.

In the last four years, Mexico has become an important provider of aliments for the Japanese market, having increased exports from 501.1 millon dollars in 2005 to 689.3 millon dollars in 2008. The main agroalimentary products exported from Mexico to Japan last year were pig meat (43%), diverse fruit (23%) and beef. (Original in Spanish. Read Google translation here).