Page 864 of articles about news

Demand for locally produced meat is set to continue, with the latest research revealing that the UK market for regional and local food has increased by £1.3bn since 2003. According to research from Food Northwest, the UK local and regional food and drink sector grew from an estimated market size of £3.7bn in 2003 to £5bn in 2007 – a 35% growth.

The Philippines is reportedly pushing for the delay of the full implementation of the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) in light of the current global economic recession. According to Gregorio San Diego of the United Broilers and Raisers Association (UBRA), and Albert Lim of the National Federation of Hog Farmers, Inc. (NFHFI), the poultry, egg and hog industries, as well as the rice sector, are still not ready for the full implementation of AFTA by January 2010.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has recommended the government lower import taxes on animal feed to help farmers cut costs.

Confidence may be lacking in the English pig industry but there is certainly more optimism for the future than last year. The results of the latest BPEX confidence survey, which has been running since 2006, have just been analysed. While they show the industry as a whole is not too confident, producers are certainly more optimistic that they will have a better future.

Emerging farmers in the Eastern Cape are struggling to restock pig herds after the 2005 outbreak of swine fever forced them to cull all pigs. The Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture gave the go-ahead for a restocking programme, but so far hasn’t delivered on a promise to assist with building pig houses. A lack of funds is also hampering the restocking process. The biggest constraint is finance, according to Qeda Nyoka, the emerging farmer project manager at the South African Pork Producers’ Organisation (SAPPO).

The Government of Canada today launched a new program to help Canadian farmers and exporters sell more products to more international customers. This new Trade and Market Development Program is part of the new Growing Forward agricultural framework.

EFSA’s FEEDAP Panel has just published an opinion on the safety of ractopamine, a growth promoter used in animal feed in some countries outside the EU. EFSA’s FEEDAP Panel found weaknesses in the data underlying the JECFA assessment which would undermine any proposal for a maximum residue level for ractopamine. The Panel found that the study on cardiovascular effects in humans cannot be taken as a basis to derive an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of 0-1 micrograms per kilogramme of body weight per day as proposed by JECFA. EFSA consulted the Community Reference Laboratory responsible for beta-agonists and the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) and included the results of this process in its final opinion.

Mexico had become Japan’s fifth highest provider of swine meat, and the fourth in 2007, but last year Mexico failed to meet the assigned quota of 74,000 tonnes, only exporting 67,000 tonnes to Japan, according to reports from Mexico’s Pig Meat Exporters Association. (Original in Spanish).

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, during a recent trip to Missouri, announced more than $17 million in USDA grants are available under the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program is an education, training, technical assistance and outreach program designed to help U.S. farmers and ranchers – specifically those who have been farming or ranching for less than 10 years.

The French interprofessional body Inaporc decided to create its own “rendering tax” designed to finance the collection of fallen stock on farms. This new CVO (Cotisation Volontaire Obligatoire) amounts to 22 € per ton, it will be collected by suppliers to retailers and restaurants.

The Scottish Government has hit out at Defra’s plans for Responsibility and Cost Sharing, claiming it is ‘wrong’ to pass costs on to the industry. The consultation has also raised fears that Scotland could lose its voice on European animal health matters if a new independent animal health body is appointed in England.

The House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management held a hearing April 1 to review the state of the farm economy. Because of the demand for alternative energy sources, corn continues to be sold at higher prices. It is projected that 4.1 billion bushels of corn will be used in ethanol production and will account for approximately 33 percent of expected corn use in 2009/2010. However the demand for ethanol has affected the prices of other commodities competing for farm land, initiating negative economic effects on almost all agricultural products.

A rise in soymeal demand in China has spurred soybean imports by the largest buyer and triggered concerns the government agency may release more reserves into the domestic market, traders said on Wednesday. Meat consumption has not declined as anticipated, as lower pork prices in urban areas has countered a drop in demand from rural regions hit by rising joblessness, feed officials said.

Brazilian pig meat exports increased by 17.9% up to 116,300 tonnes according to figures from the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade and the value of these exports increased by 34.8% up to 190 million euros. (Original in Spanish. Read Google translation here).

Ontario farmers will have more choices to safely dispose of their deadstock under new regulations that would come into force Friday, March 27, 2009, pending approval from the Lieutenant-Governor. The new rules, developed in consultation with industry partners, also provide greater flexibility for the deadstock service sector and include measures that will protect the environment.