BPEX is a division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board

BPEX Weekly: 09 December 2011

Marketing News

Merry Pigmas?

The number of fans now seen on Facebook is equalling some of the top brands who have major budgets to spend on whole teams of people responding to social media questions, tweets and queries. 

Even though our support is limited in comparison we still maintain on average 4,500 people who engage with the page every week. 

This is almost double the industry average which, for a UK brand, is currently 3.6% of total fans. One of our successes is that the page has a new post/message every day which can vary from a recipe, an interesting poll to a red tractor factoid. 

Most posts get some sort of response, but our facebook fans also have quite a wit about them. This was seen when asked to put a porky spin on a Christmas carol, here are some of the 73 suggestions!

• We wish you a merry pigmas, We wish you a merry pigmas, We wish you a merry pigmas and a happy Hogmanay!
• As shepherds roasted pigs by night, all seated round the spit, the angel of the lord came down and said, can I have a little bit?
• Deck the halls with boughs of bacon... Tra la la la la la la la la... Tis the season to be porky... Tra la la la la la la la la...
• So here it is merry porkmas, everybody's eating pork. look at that crackling now, its only just beguuuun…

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Red, White and Bacon

The theme will be Red, White & Bacon, and the competition this year is to find some of the regions' best ‘rasher-nal’ bacon treasures being produced today. 

Further details will be available soon, but to register your interest in the competition, which will open for entries in January 2012 and be judged in February, please contact by email.

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Christmas Pork

The lovepork website will be promoting the wonderful options pork and gammon can give you at the Christmas dinner table this year. 

From Pina Colada Party Pork to Cranberry and Cinnamon Roasted Gammon.  Click here for more pork and gammon roasting ideas.

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Knowledge Transfer

Tip of the Week: Repairs

Repair any cracks, holes and broken sides in all buildings and outdoor huts to prevent loss of heat through the walls, ceiling or floor.

Poorly maintained buildings can create draughts for pigs as well as increased humidity. Ensure proper maintenance to reduce any chance of heat loss through exterior doors or windows.

Check building insulation and repair and replace if necessary – this will not only improve the environment for pigs but also help save on the energy bill. If pigs are cold they will use energy to generate heat, which can result in decreased performance and productivity.

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Look Out For . . .

Opportunities are open for funding through the Innovation Fund! A new booklet highlighting existing Innovation Fund projects and the opportunities available for funding will be published in the New Year.

Look out for copies and, in the meantime, if you have an idea for an innovative trial you would like to run, speak to your regional KT manager, click here for contact details.

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Split Suckling Explained

A new video has just been added to the BPEX website which shows Tom Lloyd from the Hartpury College Pig Unit demonstrating split suckling and explaining the suckling pattern on the unit. Split suckling takes Tom about 10 minutes per suckling shift to sort out the litters and the benefits he has seen include:

• Piglets receive a good intake of colostrum
• Mortality is reduced
• Good for staff morale

Watch the video and listen to Tom explaining the system by clicking here.

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Focus on Weaning

BPEX 2TS Focus on Weaning Conferences.

• 19 March 2012 - Cirencester
• 20 March 2012 - Stowmarket
• 21 March 2012 - Wetherby

Full details to be confirmed nearer the time.

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Business Coaching

Businesses can apply for their own personal business coach for up to two days of time over a two-month period.

There is funding available for eligible businesses in Yorkshire and Humber and the East Midlands through the Rural Development Programme for England. To download the flyer click here. Please contact: Tony Walmsley Associates by clicking here or calling, 0143 288 0119.

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Don't Miss BPEX Live

There are 29 people signed up so far for the second BPEX web conference on Monday. Pig vets from Garth Partnership in Yorkshire will review the current risk of swine dysentery.

Live online, they will open the discussion on how each part of the supply chain can strengthen its defence against this damaging disease.

Colin Stone of BPEX will discuss how the lorry wash initiative can contribute. Everyone is invited to have their say - join in online from your own home or office.
BPEX LIVE, ‘Defend against disease: don't break the chain’, is on Monday 12 December 2011 from 7:00 to 8:00pm.

Register by clicking here. For more information email Helen Clarke or call her on 0247 647 8877.

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Beep Beep, New Message

Sign up to receive free text alerts from BPEX. This service covers a wide range of issues important to producers.

It means you can receive text message alerts on your mobile phone in the case of a disease outbreak, to inform you of current situations in the industry as well as reminding you of BPEX events in your area and when new literature is produced.

Signing up is easy, simply fill in the form on the website by clicking here

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National News:

Feeding Food Waste

Baroness Jenkin secured a debate on feeding food waste to livestock earlier in the week and BPEX produced a briefing on the subject which was forwarded to her.

In the debate, there was a consensus that there should be a review of the ban on feeding food waste, which would help reduce British pig farmers’ feed costs, but that there is a need to err on the side of caution because of the risk involved in any system that would rely on the separation of food waste.

Click here for a summary of the debate.

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Better Supply Chain Call

NFU President Peter Kendall has called on EU policy-makers to tackle the power imbalance in supply chains and help farmers become more competitive.

In a speech to MEPs, European Commission officials and other stakeholders in the European Parliament this week, Mr Kendall said EU institutions should work together to improve farmers’ bargaining position.

“During times of economic hardship, it is important to remember how important the agri-food sector is to the EU economy,” he said.

“We estimate some 40 million people – or one in six jobs in the EU – depend on agricultural production. The EU agri-food sector offers massive potential to stimulate further growth, create jobs and opportunities especially in rural areas. But it can only do so if we have fair, functioning supply chains."

To read more, click here.

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Grants on Offer

If anybody is thinking of investing to improve pig productivity, hold fire as Government grants from the Farm and Forestry Improvement Scheme could be available.

Many of the eligible items for nutrient management, energy efficiency and the environment are open to all livestock farmers, click here for more. There is a specific list of items for pig and poultry health and welfare:

• Needleless injectors (click here for more on these)
• Percussion stunners
• Free farrowing systems
• Replacement of bell with nipple drinkers
• Water softeners and purification systems to address gut health issues
• Computer software for use on existing computers specifically aimed to assist in the monitoring of herd health. It is recognised there are now computer programmes which can assist in managing herd health. This scheme will support the funding of these programmes as part of a wider animal health improvement project.

You can only apply for items listed under this section if they are considered a priority in your farm health plan, prepared by your vet.

For more information, click here.

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New Website

The UK’s newest pig breeding and genetics supplier DanBred International UK has launched its own website.

The site provides a comprehensive guide to DBI UK’s products, services and technical expertise. It also lists full details of its dam and sire line genotypes and the nationwide Danish research and development programme that DBI is part of.

Other features include news and articles plus a dedicated forum page where visitors can ask questions, make enquiries, add comments and discuss topical issues.

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Jim Paice Statement

Food and Farming Minister Jim Paice has made a statement on the EU ban on conventional cages for egg-laying hens, which has parallels for the sow stall ban affecting the pig industry from 1.1.13.

In it, he says: “We will be monitoring the situation carefully in the New Year and will not hesitate to raise matters in Europe if any issues arise. I, together with my Ministerial colleagues in the Devolved Administrations, intend to continue urging the Commission to learn lessons from this experience with the conventional cage ban to avoid the same kind of problems occurring next year, leading up to the EU ban on the use of sow stalls on 1 January 2013.”

To read his statement, click here.

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E-Licence to Market

Pig keepers taking pigs to auction markets must register for an electronic pig movement licence (eAML2) before they go, if they have not done so already.

Movement details can be registered in three simple ways, via phone call, fax or online, to ensure that movements go through smoothly at the market.

Keepers also need to make sure their details registered for eAML2 match those on the market’s database, otherwise the movement will be unable to take place.
The eAML2 will become compulsory from 1 April 2012.

To register details, keepers will need their County Parish Holding (CPH) number and herd mark. It will only take a few minutes.

Call the eAML2 bureau service on 0844 335 8400, fax to 02476 692 405 or visit the website and click on ‘producer registration’.

Posters advising on how to apply for a County Parish Holding number, which is legally required when keeping pigs, will be displayed in markets in the coming weeks.

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International News:

French No to PAP

As long as Bruno Le Maire is Minister of Agriculture and Food, animal meal will not be reintroduced in France.

The use of animal proteins such as meat and bone meal in animal feed has been banned in the EU for over 10 years. However, a report released by the European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA) describes the risks associated with the residual presence of processed animal proteins as negligible.

France completed its own assessment of the use of animal proteins back in November and has said that it does not support the reintroduction of animal proteins in animal feed.

Mr Le Maire said that he strongly opposes any changes in the regulations of animal feed and has pledged that, while he is Minister, the use of animal meal in France will not be reintroduced.

(Source: The Pig Site)

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Romania Trade OK

At the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health in Brussels, the Member States have unanimously given their go-ahead to a draft Decision tabled by the Commission that will authorise trade of Romanian pig meat to other EU Member States.

This is the first time that Romania is authorised after its accession because of the classical swine fever situation that has, however, largely improved in the last years.

The last classical swine outbreak in Romania was detected in 2007 and since the implementation of control measures and derogations the epidemiological situation has significantly improved.

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Animal Welfare Challenge

Demand from British consumers could overtake Danish politicians on the subject of animal welfare says Tican chairman Jens Jorgen Henriksen.

A report in the Export Bulletin quotes him as saying there are increasing demands for animal welfare on the important British market. British consumers want the UK pig to be produced under better animal welfare conditions – as well as pigs reared in the British Isles.

Behind this is a clear desire from supermarket chains to deliver more pork produced under higher animal welfare conditions and for British consumers it would ultimately include non-castrated pigs. The UK being the most important market for Tican and the chairman says slaughterhouses must consider it an opportunity. (Source, Landbrugasavisen)

To read the Export Bulletin, click here.

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International Prices

For the latest international prices, click here.

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