The sale of poultry between any of Egypt’s 29 governorates is to be banned, and a major Health Ministry-led awareness campaign will alert the public to the dangers of raising birds at home, Sabir Galal, deputy chief of the Veterinary Medicine Section at the Health Ministry, told IRIN. “Bird flu has become endemic in this country… The fear now is that the virus can assume more dangerous forms in the days to come,” he said.

The Ministry also said it would stop inoculating birds after vaccines had proved incapable of stopping the virus from spreading.

With 105 infections to date, including 30 deaths, Egypt is the world’s third most affected country by avian influenza, according to the World Health Organization.

 

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It raises and processes approximately 3.5 million ducks annually. Last year they opened a full new NatureForm hatchery after the previous hatchery had fully burnt down. Results surpass expectations.
Culver Duck recognises the value of the Asian marketplace and sets on a path to grow ducklings that meet the high standards required for Peking duck and other oriental dishes. That commitment positioned Culver Duck favourably in the natural food market where quality is held to a higher standard.

Culver Duck's products include duck breasts and cooked duck halves in five flavours, as well as duck sausages in a variety of flavours - and even lotions, soaps, BBQ sauces and rubs, and chicken products. It supplies its products to restaurants and specialty stores around the world.  The company has earned many awards for its products.
In July of 2007 lighting caused a fire at the Culver Duck hatchery, consuming over 700,000 eggs and the entire hatchery. The decision was taken to design and build the best hatchery possible.

Tim Rouch and Ruben Rico at Culver Duck went to several different locations in the US to see which options were available. “The systems that we looked at were all single stage as we were interested in incorporating the latest technology”, Tim says.

Culver Duck’s new hatchery was opened in June of 2009 incorporating the latest in technology in incubation and ventilation. It hatches and processes over 100, 000 ducklings per week. According to Ruben Rico, Culver’s hatchery manager, “We are getting the best quality, performance and hatch that we have ever had. The hatch has improved between 4-5% over our old hatchery.  That means a lot to us.”

One of the initial criteria that Tim looked at in incubation was how well the incubator would seal in order to optimize temperature, humidity, power consumption and CO2 control. Tim stated, “By getting in each of the different machines at the different locations and shutting the door, it was easy to determine if it was well sealed by seeing if there was light intrusion. The NatureForm Phoenix™ was the only machine where no light leakage could be detected.  The machine is very well ventilated with an extensive cooling system.”

With Tim being from a maintenance background he looked at equipment not only from a performance but also from a longevity and maintenance point of view. It was Tim’s opinion that the NatureForm machine would outlast and be easier and cheaper to maintain than other machines because the good quality of parts and construction.

Culver also uses NatureForm’s Sentinel™ hatchery control system. This system manages and monitors all incubators and hatchers as well as the entire building’s ventilation systems. The ventilation system in the hatchery is unique in that there is absolutely no ductwork in the entire building.  This eliminates the difficult task of cleaning ductwork and the potential of contamination. All incoming air for the building is processed in the main hallway in the centre of the building. The main cooling is provided by well water which stays between 55-60°F (13-15.6°C) saving the expense of having a chiller system.  All setters and egg rooms are on one side of the hallway and all hatchers and processing are on the other.  The system is designed so that even if all the doorways are left open there can be no cross contamination in the system. There is backup cooling and heating in the plenums above the setters and hatchers if needed. The air in the intake plenums is maintained within 1 degree of 75°F (24°C) all year long.

 

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The European Commission has published proposals to reduce the cost of guarding against BSE and its human form, new variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, which has claimed the lives of more than 200 people of which 169 in the United Kingdom alone.

In a consultation document, Brussels said any changes would be based on sound science but acknowledged it was "impossible" to remove all risk of the disease entering the food chain.

Since 1986, 181,114 cattle have been confirmed with BSE, resulting in the culling of four million cattle, but in recent years it has been in sharp decline.

Other diseases more threatening
The European Commission said it wished to downgrade rules because of the disease's decline, and so it could concentrate on other conditions such as a salmonella and antimicrobial resistance that posed a greater threat to human health.

Among the proposals floated by Brussels include relaxing a wide ban on the feeding of meat and bone meal (MBM) to animals and ending the requirement for mass slaughter in herds with infected cows.

The plans are set out in a document circulated to EU states, TSE Roadmap 2 – named after Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies, the group of brain diseases that includes bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

Although tentative, an end to the feed ban could be controversial because feed was the source of the crisis: cattle contracted BSE after consuming infected proteins from sheep that had died of a related disease, scrapie.

In the EU a ban on feeding MBM to cattle, sheep and goats exists since 1994. The EU later banned the feeding to farm animals of proteins from almost all animals with the exception of fish.

Tolerable level
In TSE Roadmap 2, the EC said it was awaiting new scientific advice on a tolerable level of animal proteins in feed from the European Food Safety Authority later this year.

The EC said it might then be possible to feed MBM from non-ruminants such as pigs and chickens to other non-ruminants. As such, MBM from pigs could be fed to poultry and vice versa.

"Considering that the transmission risk of BSE from non-ruminants to non-ruminants is very unlikely, a lifting of the ban on the use of Processed Animal Protein from non-ruminants in non-ruminant feed could be considered, but without lifting the existing prohibition on intraspecies recycling," the EC said.

It added that the reintroduction of animal feed would reduce the EU's dependence on other sources of proteins.

Specified risk material
Also under discussion is whether the "specified risk material" (SRM) such as brain, skull and spinal cord should continue to be removed from animals before they enter the food chain.

Any such change "should be based on new evolving scientific knowledge while maintaining the existing high level of consumer protection", the EC said.

It added: "However, the list of SRM to be removed from the food and feed chains should also take into account the epidemiological situation based on the data gained from BSE surveillance."

The European Commission said the prevention of risk should be maintained or increased under the changes. It added: "It is impossible, however, to consider the complete elimination of risk as a realistic objective for any risk management decision in matters regarding food safety, where the cost and benefits of risk-reducing measures have to be carefully weighed in order to ensure the measure's proportionality."

 

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According to statistics released by the Argentine government, exports to Venezuela of food products such as milk, cheese and chicken have increased by 128 per cent from January to July 2010. Sales jumped from USD 98 million in the first seven months of 2009 to USD 192.7 million in the same period of 2010, reports El Universal.

In the first seven months of 2010, sales of Argentine cheese to Venezuela amounted to 1,924 tons worth USD 8.4 million. This amount is 235 per cent higher than food items imported in the same period of 2009, when Venezuela purchased some 575 tons of Argentine cheese worth USD 1.7 million.

In 2009, the average price per ton was USD 2,900, while in 2010 the price increased to USD 4,370. This means that Venezuela has imported more cheese at a more expensive price from Argentina.

The Association of Cheese Manufacturers of Venezuela (Aniquesos) said recently that imports of cheese have affected sales of domestic cheese in the Venezuelan market.

There has also been a dramatic increase in the exports of Argentine chicken to Venezuela. This item represents about 60 per cent of food imports from Argentina.

With regard to the purchases of milk, Venezuela has this year imported 18,700 tons of milk worth USD 63.4 million.

 

 

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Revenues from ethanol production declined by $1.2 billion or 83 per cent over the corresponding quarters of August 2009 to July 2010 following a reduction in tolling activities of the processors.

Ian Parsard, vice-president of the JBG in charge of finance and ethanol, told the Jamaica Observer yesterday that the reduced production was as a result of the higher cost of raw materials coupled with reduced demand overseas and the tenuous nature of the Brazilian market. The majority of the ethanol produced by JBG is marketed overseas.

"The price of the raw material was priced in comparison to Brazil and in comparison to the price of fuel grade ethanol coming out of the United States and Europe. Therefore, it has to make sense in terms of price for us to produce it," said Mr Parsard.

He added that Brazil, being a major player in the production of ethanol and a tolling partner, exerts significant impact on the market.

"There are many different things that impact the price of raw material out of Brazil and ethanol production in the international market," Mr Parsard said.

Tolling is a contract arrangement to put a specified amount of raw material per period through a particular processing facility. For example, an agreement to process a specified amount of corn into ethanol at the JBG plant in Jamaica.

He explained that the sugar prices in Brazil are at an all-time high in relation to the last five years. The mills in Brazil, therefore, produce a lot more sugar than ethanol. Secondly, the demand for ethanol in Brazil is also high, making it unlikely that it would have excess raw material for exports. Inversely, the demand for ethanol on the international market has been low, even as the raw materials for processing remain high, a double whammy that has resulted in the decreased production here.

"The combination of the two means that there is really not a credible opportunity for JBG to produce this year," said Mr Parsard. Profit for the period, therefore, declined by $211 million, from $430 million to just over $219 million.

Distribution and administrative costs both increased by 10 per cent reflecting an 11 per cent inflation increase.

However, revenue increases in the Best Dressed foods division, which sells processed poultry and other products, and the HiPro-Ace Division, which sells manufactured feeds, baby chicks and other farm and household supplies, offset a fraction of the losses from ethanol. Revenues from Best Dressed Foods increased by $157 million or 5.7 per cent, while revenues from HiPro-Ace improved by $23 million or 1.4 per cent quarter on quarter following higher volumes and better product mix management.

Cash at the end of the period increased 51 per cent to $767 million following exchange rate gains of $12.7 million and increase of $953.8 million in cash from operating activities. This resulted from more focus being placed on cash sales given the ethanol fallout. Parsard said the increased cash should be used in debt reduction and to improve investment prospects.

 

 

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The company has put dow the year on year increase to higher average unit selling prices in the Pork segment and higher live hog market prices.

The company reported net income in the current quarter of $76.3 million compared to a net loss of $107.7 million last year, an improvement of $184.0 million.

Consolidated operating profit improved to $252.4 million compared to a year ago.

"Fiscal 2011 is off to a great start with record first quarter earnings. The business environment was very favorable in the Pork segment and sharply improved in the Hog Production segment in the first quarter," said C. Larry Pope, president and chief executive officer.

Mr. Pope added: "The hog production cycle has turned and our fresh pork and consumer packaged meats businesses are delivering solid and consistent earnings, owing to the success of the Pork Group restructuring last year and strong discipline in this segment.

"Although the first quarter is generally the most difficult quarter for fresh pork, the company generated very strong fresh pork earnings, bolstered by solid exports and low protein supplies, which created an environment of strong profitability. Overall favorable market dynamics benefited the company in all segments.

"Despite rapidly rising and historically high priced raw materials, we delivered solid results in our packaged meats business led by double digit gains in Curly's BBQ, Off the Bone Lunchmeats, Armour LunchMakers and Kretschmar Deli. These brands and product categories are strategically important as we continue to focus on delivering strong margins in this business," he said.

Fresh pork margins were strong as all-time high meat cutout values more than offset significant year over year increases in live hog prices. High meat values throughout the quarter were reflective of tightened pork supplies.

Operating margins were four per cent, or $7 per head, despite a 38 per cent increase in live hog market prices and a six per cent decrease in volume, as the company processed 11 per cnet fewer head than in the previous year.

The majority of the volume decline was the result of the closure of the Sioux City, Iowa plant in April 2010. Industry-wide, slaughter volumes were down by 3.5 per cent and frozen pork supplies were depleted to 72% of last year's levels. Lower industry slaughter levels are expected to persist well into the company's second quarter.

Export sales in dollars increased by nearly 19 per cent and export volume was strong on a historical basis, and only two per cent less than the prior year.

Packaged meats margins held strong despite considerable year over year increases in raw material costs. Pricing leadership and margin discipline across several important product categories grew overall sales dollars, even as retail sales volumes dipped below last year. Foodservice sales dollars and volumes were both up over last year.

Total packaged meats sales grewby five per cent during the quarter to $1.26 billion and operating margins remained historically strong at five per cent, or $.11 per pound.

Commencing in the first quarter of fiscal 2011, results from the company's international hog production operations in Poland, Romania and Mexico are reported in the International segment.

Previously, results from these operations were reported in the Hog Production segment.

With the change in segment reporting for the company's international farms, the Hog Production segment now consists solely of U.S. hog production.

Operating margins in this segment dramatically improved in the first quarter to $17 per head, an improvement of more than $53 per head compared to the same period a year ago (excluding the effect of last year's $34.1 million impairment charge). Fewer hogs marketed increased live hog market prices 38 per cent to $58 per hundredweight compared to $42 per hundredweight last year. Pre-interest raising costs decreased seven per cent to $54 per hundredweight from $58 per hundredweight in the previous year.

The International segment now includes results from the company's international hog production operations as well as its international meat production operations.

The company's vertically integrated operations in Poland continued to deliver strong results in the first quarter. Lower raw material costs and sharp volume increases in the Polish meat operations combined to substantially improve profitability. Live production raising costs also moderated in Poland compared to the same period a year ago.

Equity income from Campofrio was slightly lower than a year ago, reflecting continuing recessionary conditions throughout Western Europe. Equity income from Mexico was also marginally lower than last year.

Other segment results increased $5.8 million due to improvements at Butterball, LLC and lower costs in the company's turkey grow-out operations.

In June, Smithfield announced that it had made an offer to purchase its joint venture partner's 51% ownership interest in Butterball, LLC and its partner's related turkey production assets for approximately $200 million. In accordance with Butterball's operating agreement, Smithfield's partner may either accept the offer to sell or be required to purchase Smithfield's 49% interest and its related turkey production assets. The company expects to conclude the buy/sell decision this month and close before the end of the calendar year.

"We will continue to focus on maximising margins in our Pork segment, despite comparatively higher raw material costs. The Pork segment will continue to benefit from tight protein supplies, as slaughter levels and freezer stocks continue to be lower year over year. The second quarter is generally a seasonally strong quarter for fresh pork and we expect to deliver solid margins in this segment going forward," said Mr. Pope.

"The Hog Production segment should continue to be profitable, supported by lower hog supplies," he added.

"In closing, we maintain our positive outlook for fiscal 2011. All parts of our business are profitable and we are focused on lowering our Hog Production segment cost model and capitalizing on our restructured Pork Group. All indications are that fiscal 2011 will be an excellent year for Smithfield."

 

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An investment of $6.5 million will bring together scientific expertise from academia, industry and government to develop more efficient and profitable processes for organic farmers, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and MP Scott Armstrong (Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley) announced.

"Demand for organic products is growing and this Government wants to help our hardworking Canadian farmers capture as much of this market as possible," said Minister Ritz. "By creating this all-star team, we can maximise the investment and focus Canada’s organic expertise on the research that shows the most promise in delivering a profitable, competitive edge to farmers."

The Organic Federation of Canada will manage this investment to address the priorities of organic producers. The research will focus on soil fertility, grain cropping, greenhouse production and food processing. This cluster will also help develop a recognisable, high-quality brand to help establish Canada as a leader in organic production and help farmers expand their businesses.

"In this challenging period of declining oil supplies, increasing climate change and economic shifts, research results in organic agriculture offer options for all farmers and consumers," said Dr. Ralph Martin, Founding Director of the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada. "As Canadian consumers look for more organic products, this research will help Canadian farmers to benefit from this opportunity."

The Canadian organic sector has grown considerably in the last 10-15 years. Retail sales of organic food products in Canada were valued at over $2 billion in 2008.

 

www.worldpoultry.net

EFSA has published an evaluation of factors that may contribute to the spread of Campylobacter in live chickens and chicken carcasses in the European Union.

The scientific report follows the publication of the first EU-wide survey carried out by Member States on the occurrence of this bacterium in chickens and their carcasses. The findings will be utilised by risk assessors to further investigate the role of chicken meat in human campylobacteriosis. It will also help inform the definition of possible control options by risk managers at Member States and EU level.

Factors for consideration
EFSA highlights a series of factors for consideration in designing national Campylobacter control measures or programmes for chickens and chicken meat. EFSA recommends that control programmes be based on an integrated approach that addresses both the chicken farms and the slaughter process. Further studies at national level could also allow better identification of risk factors for Campylobacter infections in each country.

In the report, EFSA states that batches of chickens infected with Campylobacter are 30 times more likely to produce carcasses contaminated with Campylobacter and that infected batches are also more likely to produce carcasses with higher numbers of Campylobacter on them. The report specifies however, that contaminated carcasses could also derive from non-infected batches of chickens, implying possible cross-contamination in the slaughterhouse.

Contamination of carcasses
The report notes that the risk of contamination of carcasses with Campylobacter varied significantly between countries and between slaughterhouses within the same country, and so did the quantity of Campylobacter found on the single carcasses. This indicates that some slaughterhouses are more capable of controlling Campylobacter than others.

Other factors were also found to be linked to an increased risk of contamination of carcasses. These are in particular the age of the slaughtered chickens; some specific periods of the year when the chickens are slaughtered - with a contamination peak between July and September; - and the time of the day when carcasses are processed; - with a higher risk of contamination later in the day.

Depopulation or “thinning” practices in chicken flocks also emerged as a factor increasing the likelihood of infection. These practices consist in selecting within a flock a certain number of chickens to be sent to slaughter, while leaving the rest to continue growing. It is believed that during these practices humans or other vectors may introduce Campylobacter and infect the remaining chickens.

 

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According to The Nation, a spokesman of the association said that it would also stage protest against notable recent increases in the prices of chicks despite the fact that the government had ensured them that it would not.

However, the government breached contract due to which rates increased while it is forcing the association to sale chicken within control rates.

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Trachtenberg comes to USAPEEC from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, where he spent 15 years in a variety of positions, both in Washington and abroad.
In this new position at the council, Trachtenberg will work closely with President Jim Sumner and USAPEEC members and staff on trade policy issues.

“USAPEEC has worked closely with Eric throughout his FAS career in many of our key markets, including China, Russia and Taiwan,” said USAPEEC President Jim Sumner. “His experience will help us to address our ongoing trade issues, which seem to be growing by the week. I’m looking forward to working with Eric. He brings additional insight to our team, and we’re excited to have him on board.”

“I am very pleased and honored to join the USAPEEC family. I look forward to working with all our members as we address the market access issues that challenge our industry,” Trachtenberg said.
Before he joined USAPEEC on Sept. 1, Trachtenberg was posted in Beijing with FAS for three years. He served for two years as director of the U.S. Agricultural Trade Office and for a year was senior agricultural attaché in the Office of Agricultural Affairs at the U.S. Embassy.

From 2001-05, Trachtenberg was deputy chief of the Agricultural Affairs Section at the American Institute in Taiwan, and from 1998-2001 he was assigned to the Office of Agricultural Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
Trachtenberg joined FAS in 1995, where he worked in Washington on agricultural trade policy issues and World Trade Organization accession negotiations.

Prior to his career at FAS, Trachtenberg worked in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Environmental Protection Agency, and on the Taiwan stock market.

Trachtenberg holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Southern California in Washington. He also received a master’s degree in agricultural economics from Michigan State University and a bachelor’s degree in government and economics from Cornell University.

Trachtenberg is fluent in Russian and speaks Chinese.
He and his wife Yeva and son Lucas, 18 months, live in Atlanta.

USA Poultry and Egg Export Council

With over 50 years of experience in the production of broiler breeders and layer parent stock, AVICOL has decided the time is right to upgrade the San Felipe hatchery to the latest Petersime Embryo-Response Incubation™ technology.

Within this project, all current incubators in the San Felipe hatchery will be replaced by Petersime BioStreamer™ setters and hatchers and a new wing will be added to the hatchery in order to meet the increasing demand for AVICOL’s products in Colombia.

Wilson Meza Rincón, General Manager: "We are constantly looking for ways to improve our services and products for our customers. This project is simply the next step in the improvement process. With Petersime, we have found a solid and trustworthy supplier and partner with a product in line with the quality standards we target at AVICOL."

Pieter Hemeryck, Area Sales Manager at Petersime: "Modern breeds combined with modern single-stage incubation technologies will definitely lead to more and better quality chicks. We are looking forward to cooperating with AVICOL to ensure this project is a success."

 

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