NCC: Trade deals should provide access, enforcement

With the Obama administration actively negotiating new free trade agreements with Asia and Europe, National Chicken Council adviser Kevin Brosch testified before the Senate Committee on Finance June 25 about the effectiveness of the enforcement of any new agreements and the trade agreements the United States already has on the books.
"We are generally supportive of all major initiatives to promote free trade, but we must make sure both our existing agreements and new agreements provide not only strong market access but also adequate means to enforce that access," Brosch said in testimony before the Senate Committee on Finance at the hearing: Trade Enforcement: Using Trade Rules to Level the Playing Field for U.S. Companies and Workers.
"In our view, the prosecution of the Chinese antidumping case before the World Trade Organization (WTO) represents U.S. trade policy at its best; enforcing those trade rights for which we already have negotiated," Brosch said.
In 2009, China imposed antidumping duties on U.S. chicken using the so-called "weight-based cost of production" theory.  Under this approach all parts of an animal are given the same value per unit of weight; and so, hamburger has the same value as filet mignon; chicken paws have the same value as chicken breast meat. Clearly, the NCC states, this theory is economically unsound and, for several reasons, is legally impermissible under WTO rules.
Immediately after China announced its decision to impose antidumping duties, the Obama administration aggressively litigated the case before the WTO. In 2013 a WTO panel ruled in favor of the United States. China elected not to appeal that decision and China's announcement of how it will change its antidumping decision to come into compliance with WTO rules is expected in July.
"China represented a 700,000 metric ton market for U.S. poultry at the time the antidumping duties were imposed, and is potentially an even larger market for our products in the future," Brosch said. "We are grateful to this administration for pursuing our rights in this case."
But there have been some very significant disappointments and we have learned some difficult lessons over the past 20 years. Using examples of cases in Mexico, the European Union and South Africa, Brosch said the first lesson is "that enforcement of trade agreements must become more automatic and timely."
For example:


• The United States' case against Mexico was instituted nearly two years ago, after an antidumping case which was also brought on the very dubious "weight-based cost of production" theory. At present, the NCC does not have a panel to hear the case. NCC believes there is a significant problem here of enforcement that needs to be addressed.
• The U.S. poultry industry asked that the EU be taken to dispute settlement as there was no scientific basis for the EU's trade barriers on U.S. poultry imports which began in 1996. For reasons that have never been explained, the United States and the EU have taken no actions to form a panel over the past four years, and there is no indication that the U.S. government is pursuing enforcement of the case at present.
• Another longstanding problem has been with enforcement of our right against the unfair and protectionist practices of the Republic of South Africa (RSA). Because the United States has not challenged the RSA at the WTO and enforced the U.S. poultry industry's rights, the U.S. poultry industry has been entirely shut out of the South African market for 15 years.The U.S. poultry industry believes this must be addressed before Congress would be justified in extending the African Growth Opportunity Act programs.


"With respect to the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP)," Brosch continued, "Our major goals are to get a strong commitment on enforcement, in particular in the area of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures.  Our second major ambition is to see that the long-protected Canadian market is finally opened to trade, which should have been opened to free trade as a result of NAFTA.  If TPP is truly a free trade agreement, then there should be free trade in poultry between the United States and Canada, not just one-way market access for Canada.
"We are frankly less sanguine about the prospects for poultry under the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement with Europe.  The ban currently imposed by EU regulations on importation of U.S. chicken because of our safe and proven use of chlorinated water as an antimicrobial is not based on sound science and is inconsistent with WTO rules.  TTIP would only be of use to our industry if the negotiations resulted in the removal of these SPS barriers that Europe has had in place for nearly 18 years."

British pork sales decline 4 percent March-May 2014

British shoppers’ spending on pork was down 4 percent from March to May when compared to the same period during 2013, according to the latest Kantar Worldpanel data. The fall in sales was driven by declining expenditure on chops/steaks and leg roasting joints.
Despite lower prices for these cuts, this did not translate into greater purchasing as volume sales also suffered, most notably on leg roasting joints, where sales fell by just over 20 percent, according to the British Pig Executive (BPEX). Leg roasting joints, however, were also subjected to a decline in promotional activity toward some consumers, particularly those shopping with the hard discounters, switching to chops/steaks. Despite these switching gains, volume sales of chops/steaks also fell. The one sector that continues to perform well is mince, which according to BPEX enjoyed volume growth 20 percent when compared to the same period a year ago.
Spending on sausages was up 2 percent over the latest period, compared to a year ago. While growth came from all categories, standard sausages contributed some two thirds of the actual growth in value sales. The growth in the standard tier was driven by increased prices across most retailers, which did not impact on volume performance. Expenditure on bacon was flat year-on-year, with a 3 percent drop in volume sales being offset by an equal increase in prices. Shopper spending on ham was up 6 percent, driven in the main by increased volume sales in the discounters, where prices were down some 5 percent when compared to the same three-month period of 2013.

Bacon served at US restaurants, foodservice outlets up 6 percent

Bacon consumption in the United States continues to climb, as an estimated 1.1 billion servings of bacon had been eaten in U.S. restaurants and foodservice outlets during the year ending April 2014. The figure shows an increase of 6 percent when compared to the previous 12-month period, according to the NPD Group, a leading global information company.
Pork bacon not the only bacon growing in popularity
While bacon of all varieties has proven to be popular, pork bacon accounts for much of the bacon consumption. However, beef, chicken duck and turkey bacon have also been capturing more attention.
The pork bacon category grew in the year ending April 2014 with a 2.3 percent increase in units shipped in spite of dollar volume increases due to higher pork prices, according to NPD’s SupplyTrack, which tracks every product shipped from a critical mass of leading broadline distributors to each of their foodservice operators.  Although bacon types other than pork hold a very small unit share, turkey and chicken realized single-digit unit growth in the year ending April 2014 period while beef bacon units increased by double-digits and duck by triple-digits.
“The growth in bacon consumption at foodservice outlets is reflected in the dollar and unit growth in bacon shipments from the broadline foodservice distributors,” said Annie Roberts, vice president, NPD SupplyTrack.  “Among the key drivers of bacon unit growth are more consumers visiting restaurants for breakfast, and new and innovative bacon menu offerings, including new types of bacon.”
Growth strongest at quick service, family dining restaurants
Quick service and family dining restaurants represent the largest dollar and unit share of the bacon category, and these two channels increased units and dollar volume shipped compared to a year ago, reports NPD. Units and dollars shipped to some non-commercial foodservice outlets, like preschools and daycare centers, increased by double-digits.
“Beyond the obvious popularity of bacon among restaurant consumers, we’re seeing pockets of opportunity for the bacon category at other foodservice outlets that are less obvious,” said Roberts.  “There is definitely room for bacon, in whatever form or type, to grow.” 

Cargill introduces neonatal pig nutrition program

Cargill’s animal nutrition business has introduced a global nutrition program to help improve piglet livability. The program is designed to help pork producers increase the life expectancy of their pigs through an advanced feeding program that targets neonatal nutrition.
Initial research has indicated that Cargill’s neonatal pig nutrition program can increase piglet livability as much as six percent.
“With average global piglet livability of about 82 percent, the mortality of young pigs is a critical challenge for producers around the world, even in the most advanced operations,” said Brooke Humphrey, Cargill Animal Nutrition’s global swine technology director.  “At Cargill, we have discovered ways to leverage piglet nutrition and feed processing to help increase livability through our advanced formulation system.”
The program focuses on improving neonatal nutrition – helping piglets increase weight during the first 28 days of life. Mortality during the neonatal phase— from birth until weaning—often runs as high as 18 percent. With the right smell, taste and mouth feel, the new program helps maximize feed intake, which studies show directly impacts weight gain and overall livability.
Available in liquid or dry feeds, the neonatal program has demonstrated the capability to help increase livability (counting stillbirth and pre-weaning deaths) and overall health. In some cases the average birth weight has gone up from 1.3kg to 1.7kg – and the average weaning weight has gone from 6.5kg to 8 kg. Feed preference and intake is strong – and the stool quality is high. The program includes research from CAN’s MAX formulation system – a unique software modeling program that can formulate customized feeds to help optimize animal health, growth and customer profitability.
The new neonatal nutrition feeds will roll out regionally over the next 12 months.

West Liberty Foods purchases Quantum Foods assets

West Liberty Foods, LLC, a leading turkey producer, co-packer, private-label manufacturer and foodservice supplier of sliced deli meats and frozen meat products, has closed on the purchase of nearly all of the assets of Quantum Foods. The deal, announced on June 23 by West Liberty Foods, was valued at $12.7 billion.
Quantum Foods, a producer of value-added fully cooked poultry, pork and beef products, in February filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It had previously shut down its plant in Bolingbrook, Illinois, but West Liberty Foods hopes to be able to resume operations at the Bolingbrook plant within the next 30 days, according to a press release issued by the company.
“This is an exciting step forward for West Liberty Foods,” said Ed Garrett, president and CEO for West Liberty Foods. “This acquisition will enhance our offerings and benefit our customers, employees, and owners. In addition, we will be able to bring back jobs lost when Quantum Foods shut down its business.”
West Liberty Foods has three other locations in West Liberty, Iowa, Mount Pleasant, Iowa and Tremonton, Utah, which recently underwent a $13 million expansion. The company is headquartered in West Liberty.

Bachoco seeks acquisitions to grow US operations

Bachoco, the largest chicken producer in Mexico, is in search of acquisitions to grow its operations in the United States and gain a larger share of the global chicken market. Bachoco presently has 700 production and distribution facilities organized into nine complexes throughout Mexico, with a presence also in the United States, according to the WATT Global Media Top Companies database.
“We are in search of and hoping for alternatives for increasing our participation in the U.S.,” Daniel Salazar Ferrer, chief financial officer for Bachoco, told Bloomberg News. “We have to increase our critical mass to have a better competitive position.”
Bachoco presently holds two percent of the U.S. chicken market, after purchasing United States poultry producer O.K. Foods in 2011. The Mexican poultry company also in 2013 acquired Morris Hatchery’s breeding assets in Arkansas,which has a capacity of about 350 thousand laying hens that produce hatching eggs. 
Based in Celaya, Mexico, Bachoco has 35 percent of Mexico’s poultry market, and about 2 percent of the United States broiler market. The company ended fiscal year 2013 with a loss in net income but record net sales.

2015 IPPE exceeds 435,000 square feet of exhibit space

The 2015 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE), slated for January 27-29, 2015,  has already surpassed 435,000 net square feet of exhibit space and is on target to reach its goal of 450,000-plus net square feet. Comprised of the three integrated tradeshows – International Poultry Expo, International Feed Expo and International Meat Expo – the 2015 IPPE has secured more than 890 exhibitors as of the beginning of June and is on pace to have 1,200 exhibitors by January.
“More than 80 percent of the show floor has already been booked, and this includes our expansion into Building C. The 2015 IPPE will offer an excellent location for businesses to collaborate, network, learn about new products and services, and discuss and resolve common issues facing industries represented at the show. We anticipate more than 28,000 attendees, and the merger of [American Meat Institute] and [North American Meat Association] creates a new dynamic which should further increase our attendance,” stated Charlie Olentine, IPPE show manager. 
The global annual poultry, feed and meat industry trade show will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The expo will highlight the latest technology, equipment and services used in the production and processing of feed, meat and poultry products.  IPPE will also feature dynamic education programs addressing current industry issues, combining the expertise from the American Feed Industry Association, AMI and U.S. Poultry & Egg Association. 
2015 IPPE show hours
Tuesday, January 27, 2015: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Thursday, January 29, 2015: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Spain’s Uvesa adopts Pas Reform innovations for new hatchery

Grupo Uvesa, one of Spain’s leading broiler integrators, is building its new green field broiler hatchery with the most advanced SmartPro single stage incubation, climate control and hatchery automation systems from Pas Reform. The new hatchery will be located at Tudela in the Navarra region of Spain, 300 kilometers west of Barcelona.
The Grupo Uvesa hatchery will incorporate 25 SmartSetPro setters, using Pas Reform’s space-saving honeycomb; 162 SmartTrays, for the highest number of hatching eggs per square meters and incorporating Microban antibacterial technology; and 24 SmartHatchPro hatchers. In addition, Pas Reform is designing and installing a climate control system, including a hatchery-specific heat recovery system, to maximize efficiencies and reduce costs while maintaining biosecurity throughout the facility and creating an optimized environment for producing quality day-old chicks.
Comprehensive automation in the new hatchery will include SmartTransfer for the simultaneous transfer of up to 34 setter trays and a complete candling and transfer line, with automatic unloading, stacking and de-stacking. An automatic separator will deliver hatched chicks, without remnants of shell, to the next stage of processing. A double SmartCount counting and boxing system, incorporating Pas Reform’s innovative new Vision Technology, will count and box chicks after inline sexing and high-pressure washing machines will ensure the thorough cleaning of all trays, baskets and boxes between hatch cycles.
Running behind every aspect of hatchery operations, Pas Reform’s advanced SmartCenterPro Hatchery Information System will integrate the control of incubation, HVAC (climate control) and automation systems to a single user interface, recording all key data and generating batch reports to assist the hatchery manager in the full optimization of hatchery performance.
As a leading producer of poultry products in Western Europe, the Spanish poultry sector has grown considerably in recent years. With a substantial share of this growing market, UVESA’s general director, Raúl Gómez Arranz, said that investment in a new hatchery is a logical move for the company, which is committed to deploying the latest, most advanced incubation technologies in its operations.
“In our search for the most innovative solutions for a new green project, we have visited hatcheries in several Western European countries over the last five years -- and seen the level of equipment and results that are being delivered by Pas Reform’s hatchery technologies,” Arranz said. “We were impressed by [Pas Reform’s] technological advancements and while we did look initially at working with separate suppliers for incubation and hatchery automation systems, we found that Pas Reform was very able to combine both and truly deliver a complete hatchery solution for UVESA.”
We see many advantages to working with a single supplier for all systems,” added Rodrigo Garcia, UVESA’s hatchery manager. “Aside from streamlining development by working with just one engineering team for this project, we will see advantages once the hatchery is in operation, by being able to integrate incubation data with climate control data and hatchery automation data through the new SmartCenterPro system.
“The combination of optimizing incubation profiles to achieve the shortest hatch windows, while integrating these hatch window measurements with the uniformity frequency distribution of day old chicks from the SmartCount technology will open new horizons for the hatchery in the years to come.”
Jaume Santaularia, Pas Reform’s representative in Spain, stated: “We have been gaining market share over the last five years in Spain with installations at Crusvi, Aviagen, Avilesa and Avigan Teralta. This new green field hatchery with Uvesa is an important development to our positioning in the Spanish market - and moreover an exciting one, as it showcases all our specialisms, incubation, climate control and hatchery automation, in a truly future-focused new hatchery environment.”
Erwin Prinzen, Pas Reform sales director, concluded: “Western Europe is a region of great importance to Pas Reform’s strategic growth plans. Over the last few years, we have built several new green field projects in the region, among them new hatcheries for ISA in the Netherlands and Tetra, in Hungary.
“This new project for UVESA is a further and unique opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities as a total hatchery solutions provider, with the full integration of incubators, climate control and hatchery automation systems. We are delighted to have been commissioned – and look forward to placing UVESA’s state-of-the-art new hatchery as an important reference site for Pas Reform in Western Europe.”

Man dies at Sparboe Farms construction site

A man building a barn at a Sparboe Farms site near Litchfield, Minnesota, has died from injuries sustained after falling about 28 feet on June 21. Ruben Rodrigo Esquivel Solis, 23, Okabena, Minnesota was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the Star Tribune, Solis was putting tin on top of the roof of the barn, when a board broke and caused him to fall to a concrete floor below. Meeker County emergency personnel were called to the plant around 6:30 p.m.
Solis was not an employee of Sparboe Farms, but rather an employee of Pro-X Builders Inc. Pro-X, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was contracted to build barns for the leading egg producer.

Parent stock management lessons learned at Arbor Acres school

The sixth week-long Arbor Acres school for customers from Russia and Kazakhstan recently took place in the Netherlands. The school has become an important annual event in the region as a platform to improve knowledge and share experiences from a wide range of parent stock management backgrounds.
The aim of the school is to provide a mix of theory and practical support. Eight attendees from four companies, stretching from the Black Sea to Siberia, took part in this year’s school, including Agrokomplex, Bashkirsky Broiler, Elinar Broiler and Sayanski Broiler.
Key topics covered were parent stock (PS) management, ventilation and biosecurity. Two full days of training took place at the Barneveld College, supported by practical sessions on ventilation for PS and broilers by Dutch companies PTC+ (Jos Mulder) and Koudijs (Henk Rodenboog). The group also took time to see the theory put into practice at three state-of-the-art broiler farms in the Netherlands.
Dr. Zoltan Marton from the Aviagen Global Veterinary team highlighted the importance of providing birds with the cleanest possible environment for expressing genetic potential. In order to prevent pathogen challenges one must keep in mind biosecurity protocols in every part of the production process.
Craig Morton, Aviagen global product director, talked about research and development using proven techniques, coupled with the latest available technology, with the overall aim of developing products to suit different environments, such as the challenging conditions of the CIS. Dejan Bosanac, Arbor Acres technical service manager, shared management advice with the delegates, focusing on the importance of attention to detail in stockmanship.
Attendee Tatiana Pastuchova commented: “The new perspectives presented here gave us ideas that, hopefully we can turn into practice and reach the results many other Russian Arbor Acres customers have already achieved.”

Broiler Budushego delivers first 1.5 million Cobb chicks

The hatchery of Broiler Budushego has delivered its first 1.5 million Cobb parent stock chicks in Russia — just five months after hatching the first chick.
“Opening the Russian hatchery has greatly reduced travelling time to our customers which is reflected in excellent results,” said American hatchery director Don Sewell. “We are losing less than 0.1 percent of chicks on arrival at the farm, and 14-day mortality is below one percent.”
The hatchery benefits from the latest technology and well-trained staff. Quality assurance officer Yulia Pavlova personally inspects all day-old chicks and ensures that they arrive at the farm after safely complying with the high quality standards set by Cobb worldwide.
Pavlova stated: "Having begun work in production, I know how important it is to have quality chicks arriving on the farm and this motivates me even more to deliver the highest quality to our customers."
Elinar Broiler was the company receiving the chicks that passed the 1.5 million landmark. Marina Bushueva, production director of Elinar, commented: "This is the first flock coming from Broiler Budushego and the quality of the day-old chicks looks fine. I would expect a low mortality and low sexing error rate, just like the previous shipments from Cobb, and there is really no difference between the quality of chicks we’ve received from Europe and from Russia. This flock will hopefully also reach the great production results we always achieve with Cobb breeders.”

A broiler’s gut microflora helps determine performance

“The composition of the microbiota determines the long-term performance of any production system,” said Dr. Stephen Collett, associate professor, Poultry Diagnostic Research Center, University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. He explained that sometimes research into the impact of antimicrobials on bird performance isn’t really providing data that mimics what happens in modern production systems.
“We tend to think of our systems as all-in-all-out one-step programs,” he said. But, Collet explained to the audience at the “Optimizing the gut environment for improved performance” webinar sponsored by MSD Animal Health that with current production practices, there is carryover of intestinal microflora in the house from one flock to the next.
In research on microbiota management with antibiotics, he explained that these trials are based on a single grow out cycle, but this isn’t how the industry raises birds. “This creates what I call the house flora effect,” he said. What is present in the house helps to create the gut flora, which creates the house flora, which ultimately carries over to the next flock. This occurs to a greater extent on built-up litter, but Collett said that it occurs in spite of any cleanout or disinfection of the house.
Collett said that there is an interaction between the nutrients in the feed and the microflora, and also between the host organism and the microflora of the intestinal tract. He said that producers should try to accelerate the chick’s acquisition of a mature microflora, because the mature microflora gives better flock performance and provides resistance from enteric disease.
Seed, feed and weed
Collett expressed some reluctance in using the "seed, feed and weed" slogan to describe his recommendations for optimizing gut microflora in broilers. He said he wanted to convey the complexity of the interactions and interrelationships between the microbes in the gut and litter and the diet, house management, and other factors. He worried the slogan might not convey this. Having said that, Collett explained that the three components of his recommended plan of action are well described by seed, feed and weed.
Seeding the chick
Because parent stock are maintained during lay on restricted feeding programs, the gut microflora of the hens is not ideal. Microflora from the hen is vertically transmitted to the chick on the shell of the egg and in the embryo itself, according to Collett. Seeding the chicks with a competitive exclusion product or a direct fed microbial can provide the chicks with beneficial microbes and give them the chance to establish a healthy mature gut flora earlier in their lives.
Collett called built-up litter “six inches of competitive exclusion” and said that if the previous flock had a healthy intestinal microflora, the built-up litter will help the new chicks develop a mature microflora. Collett still said that even on built-up litter, direct fed microbial products are useful parts of a gut health program.
Feeding beneficial microbes
Organic acids and enzymes provide two means of “feeding” gut microflora. Acidification of the water supply with weak organic acids serves to “feed” certain bacteria. He said that the acids are bacteriostatic, not bactericidal, and that they promote the growth of beneficial microbes like lactic acid bacteria.
Collett said that the acidification of the gut will be enhanced by the beneficial microbes themselves. He said that the short chain fatty acids produced by bacterial fermentation also acidifies the gut, and in this way the beneficial microbes help create an environment where they can out-compete other microbes like clostridia that need a higher pH to thrive.
The acid treatment can be used continuously or strategically, during the first week the birds are in the house, during times of stress or after antibiotic use. Collett prefers using organic acids in the water, versus incorporating them in the feed.
Supplementing the diet with enzymes will help the bird digest and absorb the non-starch polysaccharides present in the ration in the small intestine. Without these enzymes, the non-starch polysaccharides can make it to the ceca where they serve as a food source for proteolytic organisms, like Clostridium perfringens, and increase the risk of necrotic enteritis.
Weeding out bad microbes
The weeding part of the program comes from the addition of antibiotics, essential oils or yeast cell wall products which help to eliminate the detrimental microbes and keep them from establishing themselves in high numbers in the gut. Collett described what he called the “third generation of yeast cell wall products” as Type 1 Fibrin Blockers and said that they block attachment of the detrimental bacteria to the intestinal wall.
The feed and weed portions of the program help to prevent the microflora from regressing if it becomes disturbed, according to Collett.
Bottom line benefits
A successful program promoting beneficial microflora in broilers will carry over from one flock to the next. Collett said that the microflora in the house won’t change in one flock; it can take several flocks, so performance may improve incrementally from flock to flock.
One manifestation of the better gut health will be expressed in improved bird size uniformity. More uniform flocks will lower processing costs and improve yields, according to Dr. Fernando Vargas, global technical director, MSD Animal Health. He presented data to demonstrate that managing the microflora in the bird and the broiler house can improve bottom line results all the way through the processing plant.

Sparboe Farms' egg pricing legal battle settled

A six-year legal battle involving a group of grocery chains and food vendors accusing egg producer Sparboe Farms of taking part in a scheme to hike prices on eggs has ended. The group of vendors has dropped its claims against the egg producer, while Sparboe Farms has dropped its claims that it was subjected to unwarranted boycotts.
U.S. District Judge Gene Pratter on June 18 signed off on the case. It is not known whether any money was exchanged between the two parties to get the litigation dropped, but both parties have agreed to pay their own legal fees and court costs.
With the legal allegations in the past, Sparboe, through its attorney, has reaffirmed that it did nothing illegal or immoral.
“Sparboe disagrees with the viability of plaintiffs' claims against Sparboe, denies any liability to plaintiffs and denies that it engaged in any improper or illegal conduct," Troy Hutchinson, an attorney representing Sparboe Farms, told Law360. "Sparboe is pleased to put the litigation behind it."
Companies involved in the litigation against Sparboe Farms included Safeway, SuperValu, Kroger, Hy-Vee, Albertson's, The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., H.E. Butt Grocery Co., Conopco., Giant Eagle Inc., Publix, Winn-Dixie, Roundy's Supermarkets, H.J. Heinz Co., C&S Wholesale Grocers, Kraft Foods Global, General Mills, Nestle USA, Kellogg Co. and Walgreen Co.

FSIS appoints Doherty international coordination executive

Jane Doherty has been appointed to serve as international coordination executive for USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Doherty will serve as the overarching point of contact for all international matters including audits, equivalence, import and export coordination, inspections and strategic planning at FSIS. 
Doherty previously served as the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) director at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. She has an extensive background in international relations, food safety and public health and previously served as senior counsel for international relations at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

FAO-IEC egg seminar yields commitment to up egg production

The second joint Food and Agriculture Organization and International Egg Commission seminar drew egg industry leaders from numerous countries with all expressing a commitment to increase egg production and consumption. 
The second joint Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and International Egg Commission (IEC) seminar for egg producer organizations took place June 9-10 in Johannesburg, South Africa.  Members of producer organizations from Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe were joined by FAO and IEC members from Australia, Canada and South Africa for this two-day seminar, with representatives from each country presenting plans on how to increase egg production and consumption.
Topics such as egg and human nutrition, poultry health, housing systems, the role of egg producer organizations and financing for small business were discussed with a number of experts from the FAO and the private sector.
Building upon the success of the initial joint FAO-IEC Egg Capacity Building seminar held in Lusaka, Zambia, in September 2013, the seminar was held in conjunction with AVI Africa, the annual conference organized by the South African Poultry Association (SAPA) and the largest poultry exhibit in Africa.
Rhodnie Sisala, recently elected as chairperson of the Poultry Association of Zambia commented: “This program should continue in order to consolidate what has been learned and continue to share experiences across the Southern African region.  Our organization is keen to implement some of the ideas presented during the past two days.”
Dr. Vincent Guyonnet from the IEC commented: “The seminar was extremely positive, with the two-day event ending with each country presenting some plans of action to grow egg production and egg consumption in their local markets.  IEC members and FAO staff will continue to provide support to delegates and work together over the coming months to focus on fine-tuning these plans and identifying ways to finance these proposals and implement them.”
Dr. Olaf Thieme from the FAO said: “The inclusion of all stakeholders of the poultry values chains – including small and large producers – in the formulation of national action plans will be important for achieving a sustainable development of the poultry sector that will contribute to reduction of poverty and malnutrition.”

Ceva’s Childress named sales representative of year

Ceva's Keith Childress has been named Sales Representative of the Year by The Poultry Federation. 
Keith Childress of Ceva was named the 2014 Sales Representative of the Year by The Poultry Federation (TPF) during the association’s 55th Annual Poultry Festival. This award has been presented annually by The Poultry Federation since 1968 and is based on the nominee’s involvement and support of the association and the industry.
Childress has been active in the poultry industry for over 29 years. He started out his career as a service technician for a broiler company. He then moved to the supplier side of the industry and has been a sales representative, a territory manager, a U.S. marketing manager, a global marketing manager, a western U.S. sales manager, and is currently a territory business manager for Ceva.
Childress has been a member of The Poultry Federation since 1988 and has served as secretary, vice-chairman, and chairman of the allied industries membership group. He has been a strong and avid supporter of TPF’s Allied Industries Scholarship Program and has been the co-chair for the past four years. He has attended every TPF annual festival since 1964. His poultry customers speak highly of him because of his extensive knowledge and expertise, and his diligent efforts to assist his customers in every aspect of the grow-out process.Ce
The Poultry Federation is a tri-state trade organization representing the poultry and egg industries in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.

Japan establishes PEDv control measures

Japan’s Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry has established a set of measures against porcine epidemic diarrhea  (PED) virus that focus on thorough hygiene management at pig farms and the steady supply of vaccines. The ministry expects to have special manuals on the new measures printed in or around September.
Under the planned measures, areas hit by PED virus outbreaks would be designated by prefectural governments as special communicable disease control zones, where sterilization and other measures would be taken to prevent PED virus from spreading, according to a report from the Japan News.
Details of the special zone designation system will be worked out through discussions with industry experts. The ministry will also consider steps to help out farms hit by PED virus outbreaks.
After a seven-year absence, PED virus returned to Japan in October 2013. Since that time, more than 220,000 pigs have died in 38 prefectures in Japan. The amount of new PED virus cases has been decreasing in recent weeks, a ministry official said, but it continues to be a problem and the new PED virus control measures are hoped to further the battle against the virus.

US ag secretary: PEDv vaccine will be effective

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is confident a vaccine developed by Iowa’s Harrisvaccines will be effective in the battle against porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus. The vaccine is the first one to get approval from the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in controlling PED virus.
Speaking June 18, Vilsack said preliminary studies of the PED virus vaccine “have been promising” in controlling the virus, Reuters reported. PED virus has killed as many as 8 million pigs since it was first detected in the U.S. in May 2013.
"I don't want to say the virus will be eradicated but I think you will see we're on the other side of this," Vilsack said while speaking to agriculture industry members at the U.S. embassy in Paris.
Harrisvaccines' product became the first to win U.S. Department of Agriculture conditional approval, which means it can be sold over the counter but the company must continue to test its effectiveness. The USDA announced its approval on June 16.
"Hopefully by the end of the year we will be in a situation where we can say 'yes, folks, (the vaccine) works', start producing mass quantities of it so that farm producers around the world will not have to worry about this," Vilsack said.

BIVI: Continuing PRRS research has helped control pig virus

Significant strides have been made in controlling porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus since Ingelvac PRRS MLV vaccine was introduced in 1994, but there is still a lot of work left to be done in controlling the virus. Staff members from Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. (BIVI) discussed at World Pork Expo the advancements made in battling PRRS over the past 20 years, and how BIVI continues to be active in the fight.
PRRS research efforts ongoing
One of the ways BIVI has been helping control PRRS is through the funding of both collaborative and original PRRS research. The outcome of that research, BIVI officials said, has been advancements in the areas of biosecurity, disease transmission, immune management and disease monitoring.
“BIVI has continued to support PRRS research since the release of the first MLV PRRS vaccine in 1994. Our goal is to go beyond the bottle by creating a systematic process for PRRS control,” said Dr. Edgar Diaz, senior associate director, tech marketing at BIVI.
Developing field applicable information relevant to PRRS control has been a long term goal of BIVI. “Generating tools and processes, that when applied in a systematic approach, can mitigate the consequences of PRRS has been the primary focus of our collaborative research activities” said Dr. Reid Philips, DVM, PRRS technical manager at BIVI.
Results of collaborative research activities, such as the annual BIVI Advancement in PRRS Research awards, has dramatically improved knowledge in the key areas of epidemiology, transmission, biosecurity, and immune management in both breeding herds and growing pigs.
“We now know that key objectives of a successful PRRS control program include: limiting the source of new PRRSv isolates, preventing PRRSv  introduction,  reducing area spread of the virus and implementing protocols to mitigate the consequences of infection when it occurs,” Philips said.
BIVI’s commitment to research regarding PRRS control strategies is evident; however another key area of the company’s collaborative and original research has been focused to the development of tools that allow producers to measure the success of these strategies.  “Providing producers with the tools to track the effectiveness of PRRS control strategies by measuring health and performance, transmission of the virus, and tracking PRRS outbreaks in their system is important,” said Philips.
“By constantly evaluating the impact of interventions, we have learned that maintaining uniform immunity within a population is important,” said Philips. BIVI is currently recommending a two pronged approach of breeding herd mass vaccination and growing pig vaccination.“Vaccine can be used to achieve stability in breeding herds while minimizing the time required to reach pre-break production levels,” he said. “Additionally, growing pig vaccination impacts pig health and consequently performance, along with the shedding of wild-type virus.”
Communication, coordination key to effective PRRS control
The importance of communication, coordination, and collaboration, both within and between systems, has also been shown to be vital to the success of a PRRS control programs. Due to this, BIVI continues to be strong supporters of the Area Regional Control (ARC) concept and has partnered with University of California-Davis to further develop a tool, Bioportal, to help track the genetic diversity of the virus. Additionally, BIVI continues to have a PRRSolutions team who are specifically dedicated to help producers and veterinarians control PRRS.

New hatchery, poultry breeder trade group to be formed in Europe

A new industry association representing European hatcheries and poultry breeders is expected to come into operation on January 1, 2015. 
The Association of European Hatcheries (AEH), the Association for European Hatching Eggs (EPEXA) and the European Poultry Breeders Association (EPB) have been working to create the new and larger association, which will be known as the Association of European Hatching Eggs, One-Day Olds and Pullet Exporters in the EU Countries (ELPHA). The association members have approved the merger, and the joint association will come into being on in January 2015.
The decision to merge was announced at the EPEXA general assembly, held in June. President Jacque de Lange highlighted several challenges facing the region’s poultry industry, and called for more cooperation among the various industry players. Among challenges could be possible competition on the home market for hatching eggs and chicks from third countries as a result of bilateral trade agreements. 
In 2013, the European Union exported more than 920 million hatching eggs to third countries, of which 5 million were from turkeys. About 170 million one-day-olds were also exported, including 24 million layers and 14 million turkeys. 
Trade in hatching eggs, including the 1.1 billion hatching eggs traded within the EU, is worth more than EURO560 million (US$763.2 million). 

Missouri AG sues Tyson Foods over alleged fish kill incident

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster has filed a lawsuit against Tyson Foods, alleging the company unlawfully dumped untreated industrial wastewater into a Southwest Missouri stream that led to the deaths of at least 100,000 fish. Koster's lawsuit includes six counts against Tyson for the alleged pollution of state waters and violations of Missouri's hazardous waste laws.
According to Koster, beginning on May 16, the Tyson Foods facility at Monett, Missouri, discharged wastewater containing a highly acidic feed supplement into Monett's municipal sewer system. The discharge allegedly caused the city's biological wastewater treatment system to fail, and contaminated water containing a high level of ammonia flowed into Clear Creek, which Koster believes led to the fish kill.
Tyson acknowledges incident at Monett facility
Tyson Foods has acknowledged the incident, and issued the following statement: “We’re sorry about what happened and have started trying to make things right. Through newspaper ads, we’re publicly apologizing to the people of Monett and Pierce City, we’ve met with some community leaders and we’ve asked to meet with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to see how we can help improve Clear Creek. We’ve also taken a hard look at how we manage environmental matters at Monett and are improving our processes because we don’t want this to ever happen again.”
The lawsuit seeks penalties against Tyson, compensation for the damage to the stream and reimbursement for the state’s costs in investigating the incident.
"Missouri's waterways are among our state's most important natural resources," Koster said. "Tyson's conduct threatened the vitality of Clear Creek as a resource for Southwest Missouri. Tyson Foods must be held accountable for dumping pollution into the waterways of Southwest Missouri, and this conduct must not happen again."
Letter from Tyson apologizing for 'accidental release'
The newspaper ads referenced in Tyson's statement contain a letter signed by Tyson employees David Young, Monett complex manager; Becky Thomas, complex environmental manager; Ronnie Wooten, Monett manager, live production; Travis Scarrow, plant manager; and Kent Adams, feed mill manager.
The letter reads: “At Tyson Foods, we strive for excellence, but like most people, we’re not perfect and sometimes we make mistakes. And when we do make mistakes our company culture holds us accountable to do two things: do whatever we can to make it right and learn from the experience.
“That is the situation we faced with the accidental release last month of a feed additive into Monett’s water treatment system from our Monett complex.
“We can’t reverse what happened, so making it right has to begin now. First, we offer our sincerest apology to the citizens of Monett and Pierce City, the great State of Missouri and our own team members who also live in the communities affected.
“Water is a critical natural resource and we work to protect it at all of our locations. We will be having a conversation with Missouri Department of Natural Resources about how we might assist with improvements of Clear Creek. In addition, we’ll be looking at opportunities to partner with non-government organizations that work on ecology projects in Missouri to address issues in the creek. As we learn more and have these discussions, we’ll then be able to better determine how we can help resolve these issues. We’re committed to making amends.
"In the meantime, this we do know: Monett and Southwest Missouri are important to our company and to our team members who call it home. We pledge to continue to look for opportunities to invest in the communities and the people that make up this region.
"Most importantly, we will do everything in our power to make sure this mistake will never be repeated. We have scrutinized our protocols and processes, and we are improving training efforts.
"We have a long, proud history in Monett that has benefited its citizens and our company. It’s our hope that this can continue and together we can build a bright future.”

Tyson provides relief to Nebraska tornado victims, helpers

Tyson Foods has sent teams to Pilger, Nebraska, to prepare meals for those affected by the devastation from twin tornadoes that hit the community on June 16. The storms destroyed more than half of the town with a population of about 350, left two people dead and hospitalized at least another 19 people.
Teams from the Tyson Foods Fresh Meats’ operations in Madison and Dakota City, Nebraska arrived onsite the day following the destruction. Tyson’s Meals that Matter mobile relief truck was sent to Pilger from its home base in Springdale, Arkansas. The company is also sending a tractor-trailer load of bulk ice for distribution in the affected area.
Tyson’s Meals that Matter program, originated in 2012, includes a tractor-trailer with enough refrigerated space to store up to 20,000 pounds of food products for initial response, and dry storage to transport supplies to set up a feeding site and support for Tyson cook teams. The Meals that Matter operation is capable of feeding more than 10,000 meals per day to victims of disaster, first responders and volunteers. 
Tyson Foods will also be matching team member cash donations, up to $50,000, to Team Rubicon, a military veterans’ group that is also deployed to provide onsite assistance.

Petersime opens subsidiary office in China

Petersime employees, from left, Liu Haibo, Sandy Qi and André van Rij commemorate the opening of a representative office in Tianjin, China. 
Belgium-based Petersime, a global supplier of incubators and hatcheries, has opened a representative office in Tianjin, Heping District, China. The Tianjin office is Petersime’s third subsidiary, joining Petersime do Brasil and Petersime OOO in Moscow.
The newest subsidiary is officially known as Belgium Petersime Tianjin Rep. Office. It will be led by Chief Representative Sandy Qi, who has already more than five years of experience with Petersime’s products and services. The main mission of the office will be to provide local support to customers in any type of request – pre-sales, project discussions, and after-sales service, in close cooperation with the headquarters. In the near future, the office will also have a field service engineer and an incubation expert.
Other progress in China for Petersime
The company Songming Machinery Industry, located in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, has signed a distributor contract with Petersime. Led by General Manager T.J. Lim, Songming Machinery Industry has more than 20 years of experience in the poultry business and represents several international brands of poultry equipment. The company will take care of a successful execution of every hatchery project in China, including sales, installation, service, spare parts and parts repair.

The Poultry Federation names industry leader of the year

Dr. Michael Kidd, director, department head and professor at the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science and the Department of Poultry Science at the University of Arkansas, has been named the “2014 Industry Leader of the Year” by The Poultry Federation (TPF). The award has been presented since 1955 and recognizes the outstanding achievements of poultry and egg executives and their contributions to the industry.
Kidd is a poultry science graduate from the University of Arkansas and was a recipient of the Arkansas Feed Mill Scholarship. He has a master’s degree from the University of Arkansas and a Ph.D. from North Carolina State University. He has been a lab technician for Hudson Foods and a research director and research manager for Nutri-Quest, has consulted in over 30 foreign countries, and has over 355 peer reviewed manuscripts. He has served as president of the Poultry Science Association and department head at the Department of Poultry Science at Mississippi State University.
Presenting the award this year was TPF’s current board of directors and Marvin Childers, TPF president.
“Dr. Kidd has revitalized the Poultry Science Department at the University of Arkansas by increasing the number of students and increasing their participation. He has led efforts to have the department become more engaged with the industry,” Childers said. “Dr. Kidd supports the industry with research. In doing this, he is also developing future poultry industry leaders.”
Kidd and his wife Denise reside in Tontitown, Arkansas, and have three children.
The Poultry Federation is a tri-state trade organization representing the poultry and egg industries in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. 

Infrabaker International, JBT Corporation enter agency agreement

Infrabaker International, a company specializing in infrared applications for the food industry, has entered into an agency  agreement with JBT Corporation, a leading global technology solutions provider to the food processing and air transportation industries, with offices located in Chicago. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The agency agreement will further expand Infrabaker International ‘s agency network bringing the Infrabaker technology closer to its U.S. customers and combining this with JBT’s knowledge and expertise in integrated food processing solutions which include portioning, coating, cooking and freezing of meat, seafood and poultry products, as well as treatment of selected baked goods, vegetables, and ready meals.
“Infrabaker International provides a proven and patented infrared cooking system that complements and extends our integrated cooking solutions,” said Ken Jones, JBT general manager, freezing and cooking systems – North America.  “Several of our key customers rely upon Infrabaker International ovens to achieve a low total cost of ownership for selected applications. We believe this agreement expands our ability to respond to our customers’ needs for cooking innovation and improved operating efficiencies.”
The agency agreement is effective immediately in the United States. The technology will be available for demonstration in early July at the JBT FoodTech Food Processing and Technology Center (FPTC) in Sandusky, Ohio. The JBT Technology Center has available full scale spiral ovens and freezers, linear convection and impingement ovens and freezers, contact cooking systems, as well as slicing, portioning, coating and frying systems.

Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch boosts scholarship program

U.S. egg producer Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch has given $50,000 to the Saranac Promise Scholarship Program, a program aimed at helping graduates from the community school system in Saranac, Michigan, earn degrees from two-year and four-year colleges. The donation was presented by Terry and Greg Herbruck, both graduates of Saranac Community Schools.
One of the goals of the Saranac Promise program is to open the doors to higher education for Saranac graduates. By easing the financial burden of students, committee members and district staff hope more students will opt to further their education after high school.
“We want to provide all children with the opportunity to further develop their academic and/or vocational skills. We want to build a college-going culture in the community of Saranac so that every child can have the expectation and opportunity to attend college or a vocational school after high school graduation,” Saranac Community Schools Superintendent Maury Geiger told the Ionia Sentinel-Standard.
Geiger and members of the Saranac Promise Committee hope to offer limited scholarships to all 2016 graduates. In 2016, each graduate is expected to receive as much as $1,000 to further their education.
“Full implementation of the Saranac Promise is planned for the graduating class of 2017, with an annual scholarship of up to $4,000,” added Geiger.

Poultry genetics innovation highlighted at Ceva summit

Dr. Eduardo Souza, program geneticist for Aviagen, discussed topics related to poultry genetics at Ceva's Hatchery Innovation Summit Asia in Bali. 
Dr. Eduardo Souza, program geneticist for Aviagen, the world’s largest poultry breeding company, recently traveled to Bali to address attendees of the Hatchery Innovation Summit Asia. Held June 3-4, the event was sponsored by Ceva, a world leader in immune complex and vector vaccine technology.
Souza, who helps shape product development strategies as a key member of Aviagen’s research and development (R&D) operation, explored the latest technology and techniques applied to pedigree flocks to continuously deliver balanced performance improvements in broilers and breeders.
At the Hatchery Innovation Summit Asia, Souza drew on 23 years of experience as a poultry geneticist. He described how genetics information figures heavily in the routine selection of Aviagen’s elite lines. For instance, Aviagen’s genomics project focuses on identifying naturally occurring markers within the genome of elite birds and using those markers to help breed stronger and more productive birds through the current selective breeding program, which is a completely natural process.  Aviagen began using genomics in its commercial selection program in 2012 and became the first company to include genomic information as a critical additional source of information in the R&D breeding program.
“Genetics is crucial to the development of high-performance broilers and breeders because different regions require different traits in birds, and selecting those traits demands extensive knowledge, constant patience, and an unfaltering adherence to best practices,” said Souza. “To ensure poultry breeders see the best possible results, while safeguarding the health and welfare of their stock, we at Aviagen keep genetics at the very heart of our R&D operation.”
Souza joined speakers from around the world who discussed incubation, vaccination, hatchery organization and automation, and marketing. Attendees also learned about solutions for improving food safety and productivity in an era of volatile feed prices.
Souza began his career in 1991 at Brazil’s Agroceres Ross. He joined Aviagen in 1995 to head the broiler breeding program for the United States, where Aviagen invests heavily in research focused on delivering balanced progress in both broiler and breeder traits.

Marel Stork Poultry Processing celebrates 70-year milestone

Marel Stork Poultry Processing on June 14 observed its 70^th anniversary with a celebration at the company’s Airport Parkway facility in Gainesville, Georgia. More than 350 employees, North Georgia residents, industry dignitaries and elected officials attended the celebration, which included a picnic, children’s activities, tours of the facility and live music provided by the company’s own employees.
The day’s events were kicked off with a welcome and history highlights given by Einar Einarsson, president of Marel USA. Special guests Abit Massey of the Georgia Poultry Federation and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle praised the company for its long history and commitment to the North Georgia community and wished Marel Stork continued growth.
The company began when Grover S. Harben founded Gainesville Machine Company in Hall County in 1944 as a metal working job shop, specializing in welding fabrication and machining. Over the past 70 years, the company became focused on poultry processing equipment and systems design, sales, manufacturing and distribution. In 2008, the company became part of Marel, a multi-national provider of advanced equipment, systems and services to the fish, meat and poultry industries.
From its humble beginnings as a metal working shop, the Gainesville location has risen to being Marel's hub of activities in the North American poultry industry, employing about 230 people in its state-of-the art 250,000 square foot research, design and fabrication facility.
“Reaching a 70-year milestone underlines the company's success, growth and the competitive edge the company has achieved through the years. Through our employees' dedication, loyalty and relentless pursuit of perfection, the company has become a worldwide leader of advanced processing equipment solutions. With ever-increasing and changing challenges of the industry, Marel Stork Poultry Processing is in a unique position to take advantage of its strong market position, innovation drive and highly skilled and qualified workforce. We have a good reason to believe we will enjoy prosperous future and continue to grow for the benefit of our customers, employees and stakeholders,” said Einar Einarsson, president, Marel USA. 
Major milestones for the company over the last 70 years include:


• 1944 - Gainesville Machine Company is founded. The company is established as a metal working job shop, specializing in welding fabrication and machining.
• 1952 - Southern Equipment, a sales company, is established to market the products manufactured by Gainesville Machine Company.
• 1965 - Gainesville Machine Company is presented the Presidential Excellence in Exporting Award by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson on March 9.
• 1971 - Gainesville Machine Company is sold to the Chickmaster Corporation, and it's name changed to GAMCO in 1973. The same year GAMCO moves into a new 113,000 square foot building, allowing 13 departments at seven locations to move into one modern building.
• 1975 - Stork Acquisitions Corporation purchases GAMCO, and the name is changed to Stork Gamco.
• 1980 - The company's first computer, an IBM mainframe with MAPICS software, is installed.
• 1997 – Ground is broken on the total renovation and expansion of the existing facility, official opening one year later.
• 2008 – Stork Food Systems is purchased by Marel.

Poultry producer Foster Farms honored on 75th anniversary

Poultry producer Foster Farms celebrated its 75^th anniversary on June 16 while receiving special recognition from poultry industry leaders and government dignitaries. Held at the historic home of Foster Farms founders Max and Verda Foster, the event commemorated Foster Farms’ contributions to the poultry industry, consumers and to California’s Central Valley community.
California Poultry Federation President Bill Mattos commented: "Foster Farms brings a special kind of leadership to the poultry industry not only in California but across the nation. The company has been instrumental in pursuing initiatives that benefit consumers everywhere. They have helped to bring better definition to common labeling terms, such as ‘fresh’ and ‘natural.’ In 2009, they led a major campaign that effectively ended "plumping" - the practice of adding saltwater to fresh poultry - in California. They are also the first major producer in the country to be certified by American Humane Association."
Mattos went on to say "Foster Farms has stepped up to a leadership position in food safety. They have invested more than $75 million and developed a comprehensive farm-to-package program that attacks Salmonella at almost every possible point. ... Having worked with Foster Farms for more than two decades, I know they are the kind of company that is going to share their learnings with the rest of the industry, to create a safer food supply, even in the many areas where their products are not sold."
Earlier in the day, Mattos hosted a brief ceremony that included resolutions honoring Foster Farms, presented by Congressmen Jim Costa and David Valadao and signed by other federal, state and local officials.
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., issued a video message congratulating Foster Farms on its 75th anniversary. Feinstein stated: "Whether it's removing unhealthy additives from poultry, collaborating with the USDA or pioneering the idea of locally grown, Foster Farms prioritizes consumers. I have a willing and cooperative partner in Foster Farms."