Page 616 of articles about news in Swine news

Under the terms of NAFTA, the U.S. and Mexico each agreed to allow trucks from the other nation access into their countries. Unfortunately, the U.S. maintained its restriction on Mexican trucks crossing the border even after NAFTA implementation began. The Transportation Department's pilot program with Mexico was developed as a step toward meeting that commitment. The pilot program came after a NAFTA dispute panel ruled the exclusion of all Mexican trucks violated U.S. obligations under NAFTA. Now that the pilot program has been eliminated, the U.S. finds itself, once again, not in compliance with its obligations under NAFTA.

The outlook for Australian grain and feed production is on balance relatively optimistic. Wheat and barley production are both expected to increase while sorghum production is expected to decrease. Rice is also expected to increase albeit off record low levels. Post advises that production of all crops is forecast to move toward to the ten-year-average following a long period of low production and high prices.

The OIE has informed about the presence of foot-and-mouth virus serotype Asia 1 in Inner Mongolia (Sumitu Sumu, Etuoke, E'erduosi).

Italian pork production is due to rise by 4.2% in the first quarter of 2009 and 2.7% in the second quarter, against the equivalent periods of 2008. This follows a retraction of production in 2008. This data reported by Eurostat, shows that Italy will probably be the only country in Europe to escape the predicted fall of production in 2009. However, ANAS, the pig breeding organisation disagrees with this forecast and maintains that sector remains in crisis.

On March 15, authorities in Guangzhou closed a major livestock wholesale market following more than 100 reported cases of food poisoning caused by consumption of pork contaminated with clenbuterol, a banned steroid. Following the closing, authorities reported a large number of pigs from a separate wholesale market tested positive for clenbuterol by a slaughter facility. An initial investigation found that contaminated pigs came from individual farms in Henan province. As a result of the widespread clenbuterol incidents, Guangzhou authorities are now requiring pork plants test all incoming pigs prior to slaughter.

A total of 417,330 tonnes of meat were consumed in Switzerland in 2008, an equivalent of more than 53kg per inhabitant. The total amount was three per cent higher than in 2007 and increased for the fourth consecutive year, according to Proviande, the Swiss meat association, on Tuesday.

Some 46% (17% in 1995) of Dutch pig farms hold more than 500 sows and a further 41% more than 200 sows, making an average of 333 sows per farm. The average number of pigs per farm has risen from 363 in 1995 to 814 in 2008. Some 40% of Dutch pig farms now hold more than 2,000 pigs.

On 23 March 2009, the Agriculture and Fisheries Council adopted conclusions backing international efforts to gain support for a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare. The Council deems it important to achieve world-wide recognition of the need for animal welfare as an issue of common interest. It invites the member states and the Commission to support the initiative in international fora.

Commission Decision of 20 March 2009 (2009/291/EC) concerning the draft Regulations from Ireland on the labelling of country of origin of poultrymeat, pigmeat and sheepmeat.

Recently proposed legislation to ban the use of antibiotics in livestock would compromise animal welfare practices, increase costs throughout the food chain and threaten public health, according to a pork industry trade group.

The Russian government issued Resolution #211 on March 10, 2009, establishing the mechanism for calculating 2009 meat and poultry import quota allocations. This mechanism sets specific quota allocations for 2009 based on average imports from 2005-2007 and allocates only a small portion of the quota to companies that imported over quota volumes in 2008.

The OIE has informed about de reoccurrence of classical swine fever (CSF) in a modern pig farm owned by a federal university, located in Mossoró (Rio Grande Do Norte). Quarantine measures are applied on the farm. The outbreak is located outside the area declared as free of classical swine fever. Vaccination remains prohibited in the outbreak area as well as throughout the country.

With free trade talks between Korea and the European Union in their final stages, more EU foodstuffs are expected to appear in Korea due to lower tariffs, likely raising Korea’s food imports from the EU. Korea`s top agricultural import from the EU is frozen pork, with the country buying an average of nearly five billion U.S. dollars annually from the EU. As a major supplier of pork, the EU will likely increase its share in the Korean market once the free trade deal takes effect.

Dutch farming organisations have introduced the ‘biggenpas’ - a piglet passport to make trade easier between Holland and Germany. The piglet passport will contain veterinary, feed and management data, even down to stall temperature during the week before transport. The aim is to minimise growth check when the pigs arrive at their destination in Germany. Holland exports circa 5m weaners to Germany every year.

A genomic study has demonstrated that pathogenic strains of Haemophilus parasuis (H. parasuis) display a type of proteins which allows the bacteria to adhere to tissues and quickly disseminate in the organism. From this discovery, a simple molecular assay was designed for distinguishing possible pathogenic strains of this bacteria and therefore to develop future vaccines.

This Regulation lays down rules concerning the introduction into the Community of personal consignments of products of animal origin of a non commercial character which form part of travellers' luggage, or are sent as small consignments to private persons, or are ordered remotely (for example, by mail, by telephone or via the Internet) and delivered to the consumer.