Page 145 of articles about pork in Swine news

Inspectors from the EU’s Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) found “serious shortcomings” in two of the 12 food premises visited during a mission to audit whether official controls were being applied across the UK meat and milk sectors.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has presented a bill that would amend USDA inspection rules to mandate pathogen treatment and expand labeling requirements on meat and poultry.

The government announced suggested retail prices (SRP) for pork, chicken and also sugar during the holiday season, to be implemented in Metro Manila initially.

The European Commission has approved measures to provide information on, and to promote agricultural products in third countries.

Health ministers from Japan, China and South Korea agreed Monday to step up efforts to ensure food safety following concerns over pesticide-tainted Chinese-made dumplings.

China had lifted import bans on pork products from the United States, Canada and Mexico, the country's top quarantine authorities said Tuesday.

With a decreased domestic supply caused by a slump in the output of pigs, a significant increase in the prices of pigs for slaughter was observed. On average, in the 1st half of 2009, the price of 1 kg of pigs for slaughter was higher than in the corresponding period of the previous year both in procurement and in marketplaces (by 27.8% and 20.7%, respectively). An increase in profitability of pig production and a limited supply of piglets contributed to a rise in their prices. In the period January-June 2009, one piglet was, on average, twice as expensive as in the previous year.

The Russian government is planning to invest up to 24 billion rubles (EUR 500 million) in the construction of new slaughterhouses in Russia with a total processing capacity of 7 million heads annually.

The Agriculture department is looking at prescribing suggested retail prices (SRP) for chicken and pork in the holiday season.

Pork production totaled 2.09 billion lbs., down 3% from the previous year. Hog kill totaled 10.3 million head, down 4% from October 2008. The average live weight was up 3 lbs. from the previous year, at 272 lbs.

Iowa pork producers have embraced the industry-wide Pork Quality Assurance Plus program. In about two years, more than 10,000 Iowa pork producers, employees and other personnel have become certified in the PQA Plus program.

During the first 10 months of 2009, Brazilian exports of pig meat reached 511 thousand tonnes which is an increase in volume of 8.68% compared to the same period of 2008, although it suffered a drastic fall in value (-23,20%).

The U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division and the USDA will hold a series of joint public workshops to explore competition issues affecting the agricultural sector in the 21st century and the appropriate role for antitrust and regulatory enforcement in that industry. The first workshop will be held in early 2010.

The Rural Development Sub-Committee is undertaking an inquiry into animal welfare and meat hygiene at abattoirs and slaughterhouses in Wales.

The fall in the consumption of meat continues in 2009, and nearly all meat types have been affected, with the exception of chicken.

As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), commercial meat production rose by 2% to almost 3.8 million tonnes in Germany in the first half of 2009 against the first half of 2008.