Page 907 of articles about news

Total number of pigs in the United Kingdom fell 2.6 percent, from 4.7m in December 2007 to 4.6m in December 2008. The number of breeding pigs fell 2.8 percent, from 519,000 in December 2007 to 504,000 in December 2008.

Pork production is expected to increase 4 percent in 2009, due in most part to large investments in swine production in 2007-08, higher reproductive yields and government measures to curb imports.

The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry held a hearing to review animal identification systems on Wednesday. The National Animal Identification System is a voluntary program that has been in place since 2004, but many are pushing for the program to become mandatory.

FAS Beijing forecasts China’s pork production will continue rising in 2009 to 48.8 million metric tons. Higher pork production and lower prices will reduce 2009 pork imports by nearly half to 300,000 metric tons.

During the meeting it was confirmed that prices have recovered in recent weeks, and that the performance of exports in 2008 was excellent, with a 20% increase on the previous year. The meeting also examined legislative projects which have recently, or will imminently, come into effect. (Original in Spanish. Read Google translation here).

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.

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.