Friday, February 27, 2015

VIV Turkey to see largest opening in 2015

    The 7th VIV Turkey, which will run June 11-13, 2015, is opening larger than ever this year. Considered the leading international trade fair of its kind in the region, VIV Turkey is a UFI (The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry)-approved event and recognized as the International Poultry Trade Fair of Turkey.
    Supported by the leading Turkish poultry associations and organizations, VIV Turkey occupies an important position in poultry industry as a meeting point in Istanbul for Turkish companies wishing to enter new markets and non-Turkish companies wishing to enter Turkish market. 
    Countries expected to participate in VIV Turkey include Argentina, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, The Netherlands, Tunis, Turkey, Hungary, Malaysia and the U.S.
    VIV’s Feed-to-Meat concept covers the entire animal protein chain, from primary production to finished products. VIV Turkey represents all parts of the meat production process

VIV Russia brings Feed-to-Meat concept to Moscow

    VIV Russia will carry on the Feed-to-Meat concept to Moscow, May 19-21, 2015.
    VIV Russia will showcase the industry’s developments by the Feed-to-Meat concept. Feed to meat brings together supply and demand within the complete animal protein chain. The driver behind the chain concept is that animal feed and animal health are vital for meat quality and safety. VIV Russia will focus on every step in the meat production process, presented by the world’s key players in the industry.
    Consumer attitudes and behaviors toward food are rapidly changing on a global scale. Demands for healthy, convenient, fresh and safe products are increasing. Packaging is becoming more important with the selling process as fresh foods are expected to be conveniently packaged and easy to store.
    Animal production and processing is facing a difficult time. After mad cow, classical swine and avian influenza, consumers are skeptical and want guarantees about the meats they eat. Meat safety can only be guaranteed if every step in the meat production chain is carefully monitored and controlled.
    To stay current with these developments, today’s meat business is about improving:
    • yield
    • quality
    • hygiene
    • traceability
    • portioning
    • performance
    • profitability
    • efficiency
    • transparency
    Meat producing and – (further) processing companies adapt and improve their production processes to meet demands. International food quality institutions developed standards for quality assurance and secured traceability. The trend is towards systems that cover the entire food chain from primary production to finished products: from feed to meat

China's Guangdong province bans live poultry sales

  • Andrea Gantz
    Live poultry sales in China's Guangdong province have been banned, although live sales will be allowed for the Lunar New Year.
    From WATTAgNet:
    Authorities in the Chinese province of Guangdong have banned the sale of live poultry for one month due to an increased number of H7N9 avian influenza infections in humans.
    The ban of live poultry sales was issued after 50 H7N9 cases were found in 15 of the province’s major cities. To date, 36 percent of the samples collected from live poultry markets and wholesale stores in Guangdong have tested positive for the H7N9 strain.
    While the ban of live poultry sales will be suspended in Guangdong for a month, the sales will be permitted on February 19 for the celebration of the Lunar New Year, which is viewed as the most important festival on the Chinese calendar.
    "There is no feast without chicken. It is a must for locals to eat freshly slaughtered chicken during the Lunar New Year, for good luck and taste alike," Zhang Lihong, a housewife, told the newspaper.
    However, authorities are concerned that according to tradition, the Chinese travel to their birthplaces carrying the birds on trains and buses which will be overcrowded during the holiday period.
    In 2014, 111 human cases of this virus strain were registered in China, of which at least 20 were fatal, but it was unconfirmed whether the victims were exposed to live birds that were carriers of the virus or a rare infection that could have occurred among humans.

As Japan’s poultry ban ends, Indonesia eyes other Asian markets

  • Andrea Gantz
    The Indonesian poultry industry hopes the end of Japan's ban on Indonesian poultry will also help trade in other markets.
    From WATTAgNet:
    As Indonesia prepares to ship poultry to Japan after the lifting of a 10-year ban, the Indonesian poultry industry also has its eyes on other Asian markets.
    As Japanese buyers are known for their strict quality controls, industry sources said the move could be seen a seal of approval for Indonesian chicken, which could help it reach other Asian markets.
    Japan had banned the import of Indonesian poultry around ten years ago over avian influenza concerns, but agreed to resume the imports after a visit by trade delegates to updated facilities eased those fears, said Nurlaila Nur Muhamad, director of agriculture and forestry product exports at Indonesia's trade ministry.
    "The first Japan poultry shipment is now imminent," Muhamad told Reuters. "We have a chance at exporting to other countries, not only Japan ... The first choice is Asia."
    Hit by scares over chicken meat safety in 2014, Japan was open to further diversifying its poultry supplies beyond China and Thailand, signing an agreement with Indonesia in August that is expected to be worth up to $200 million a year. In 2003, before the ban on shipments, Indonesian cargoes accounted for less than 1 percent of the total value of Japan's poultry imports.
    Currently worth more than $4 billion annually, Indonesia's domestic poultry sector also has plenty of potential to grow as the world's biggest Muslim population has been consuming more poultry as the economy has improved. Indonesians are expected to consume more chicken in 2015 than in 2014, according to analysts.

Contract cleaning employee dies in accident at Tyson Foods plant

SHV awaits Ukraine approval on Nutreco bid, extends offer period

CropEnergies suspends production at UK bioethanol plant

  • freeimages.com
    CropEnergies says it will suspend production at its British unit Ensus because of low bioethanol prices.
    From WATTAgNet:
    German bioethanol producer CropEnergies says it will suspend production at its British unit Ensus because of low bioethanol prices and the strong British pound against the euro.
    CropEnergies said the shutdown is expected to lead to restructuring costs of EUR40 million (US$45.5 million) for 2014-15.
    "This decision has been made due to the current difficult situation in the European bioethanol market which the dramatic drop of oil prices in the last few months has exacerbated," CropEnergies said.
    The company said the production plant will be brought back online as soon as market conditions allowed. The plant is one of Europe’s largest bioethanol plants, with annual production capacity of 400,000 cubic meters of bioethanol and 350,000 tons of dried distillers grains with solubles. At full production, the plant can consume more than 1 million tons of feed wheat annually. This means the shutdown could free up more of the country’s wheat for export.
    "British feed grain is currently in strong demand in the Middle East and Asia following the export restrictions imposed by Russia and Ukraine and I think the British will find a ready market for their wheat supplies," one German grain trader said in a report.
    Bioethanol prices has reached a record low of EUR417 per cubic meter on January 15, down from EUR470 one year ago.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

UK free range egg producers to study reducing 2nd quality eggs

Sonstegard Foods plans to build layer farm in SD

National FFA Organization students attend 2015 IPPE

BPEX using thermal imaging to assess pig housing

UK H5N8 avian influenza outbreak resolved, reports OIE

AFIA supports lifting US trade embargo with Cuba

Sanderson Farms incentives offered by Cumberland County, NC

  • Andrea Gantz
    The commission of Cumberland County, North Carolina, voted 4-3 in favor of offering tax incentives to Sanderson Farms.
    From WATTAgNet:
    The commission for Cumberland County, North Carolina, on February 16 voted 4-3 to offer a $2.5 million incentive package to Sanderson Farms, which had hopes of building a poultry processing plant in the county.
    Meanwhile, a similar incentives package was approved by the Robeson County Board of Commissioners, also in North Carolina. While Robeson County had earlier been identified as a possible site for the potential Sanderson Farms plant, Robeson County officials did not disclose to which company it was offering the incentives, identifying the vote simply as “Project Apple.”
    Cumberland County had earlier denied incentives to Sanderson Farms, but after the election in November 2014 changed the membership of the commission, and after hearing that Sanderson would not pursue Cumberland County after the incentives were initially denied, the commission revisited the issue.
    The measure in Cumberland County passed by a 4-3 vote, while Robeson County’s Project Apple passed by a 5-1 vote.
    Cumberland County’s vote follows a February 2 public hearing on whether to offer the incentives to Sanderson Farms. The hearing drew both proponents and opponents.
    The Cumberland County site being considered for the $95 million Sanderson Farms plant is in the currently vacant Cedar Creek Business Center in the community of Fayetteville.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

AFIA’s Safe Feed/Safe Food program updated to comply with FSMA

Russia has 1M tons of wheat to export

Global animal feed market reports available

  • freeimages.com
    Several new reports on the global animal feed market are available.
    From WATTAgNet:
    Several new reports on the global animal feed market are available.
    The reports include data and analysis that examine the global wheat seed industry, animal feed testing market, amino acids market, feed vitamins market and antioxidants market.
    The new reports are:
    • “2015 Deep Research Report on Global Wheat Seed Industry,” from Market Research Reports Inc.
    • “Global Animal Feed Testing Market (2014 - 2020),” from Research and Markets
    • “Global Feed Amino Acids market - Growth, Trends And Forecasts (2014-2020),” from Mordor Intelligence
    • “Global Feed Vitamins market - Growth, Trends And Forecasts (2014-2020),” from Mordor Intelligence
    • “Global Feed Antioxidants market - Growth, Trends And Forecasts (2014-2020),” from Mordor Intelligence

Major UK retailer launches boxes of double-yolk eggs

Avian influenza hits 2nd commercial poultry farm in California

Research offers new insight on infectious bronchitis vaccination

Tambov Turkey project progresses with arrival of equipment

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Agreement reached in West Coast port labor dispute

Perdue sued by contract grower, calls suit a 'publicity ploy'

Oregon has second case of highly pathogenic avian influenza

Ridley reports 33 increase in second quarter earnings

  • freeimages.com
    Ridley Inc. reported a 33 percent increase in earnings for the fiscal 2015 second quarter.
    From WATTAgNet:
    Animal nutrition company Ridley Inc. reported a 33 percent increase in earnings for the fiscal 2015 second quarter.
    The company’s adjusted earnings before interest and taxes for the quarter were $15.3 million, compared with $11.5 million for the same period last year. Adjusted EBITDA was $17.2 million, compared with $13.4 million last year, a 28.5 percent increase. Consolidated net income for the quarter was $10.5 million, compared with $7.3 million, an increase of 43.6 percent.
    Ridley’s U.S. Feed Operations reported 35.5 percent increase in operating income for the period on sales growth in most species segments. Ridley Block Operations reported a 4.6 percent increase in operating income, mostly due to strong sales in the beef cattle sector. Ridley Feed Ingredients saw an 80 percent increase in operating income, due to sales volume growth and improved product mix.
    Ridley's share of net income from its interest in the Canadian operations of Masterfeeds L.P. in the second quarter improved by $1.2 million, or 350 percent, over last year on strong sales growth and $700,000 in proceeds from insurance claims.

UK poultry, egg producers can expect lower incomes

3-step process produces biofuel, animal feed simultaneously

  • freeimages.com/MeiTeng
    Researchers have developed technology for simultaneous production of biofuel and animal feed.
    From WATTAgNet:
    Japanese researchers have developed technology for simultaneous production of biofuel and animal feed without the need for off-site processing.
    The process is called the solid-state fermentation (SSF) system.
    How does the SSF system work?
    • Non-sterilized whole rice plants are packed into a round bale in the field at harvest and wrapped in polyethylene, along with a mixture containing yeast, enzymes and bacteria.
    • After an incubation period during which sugars and starch in the plant are converted by the yeast into ethanol, the ethanol is recovered through a one-step distillation.
    • The silage that remains after processing can be used as animal feed.
    A paper detailing the study was published in the journal Biotechnology for Biofuels. The process yielded up to 12.4 kg of pure ethanol from each bale, after a six-month incubation period. The system produced 10 times the amount of ethanol that is produced from traditional silage production.
    Fermentation takes longer in this system, but no extra energy is required and the ethanol contains no insoluble particles.

ND bill would exempt hog, dairy farms from anti-corporate ag law

  • Andrea Gantz
    A bill under consideration in North Dakota would exempt hog farms from the state's anti-corporate farming law.
    From WATTAgNet:
    A lawmaker from North Dakota is advocating a piece of legislation that would exempt dairy and swine operations from the state’s anti-corporate farming law.
    Sen. Terry Wanzek, R-Jamestown, says that hog operations and dairy operations are in a serious decline in North Dakota, and is hopeful that the new legislation may save those industries and give a boost to the state’s agricultural economy. Dairy production in North Dakota has dropped 42 percent in the past 10 years, and swine operations are on a similar decline, according to the Bismarck Tribune.
     In addition to being a state senator, Wanzek is also a farmer.
    Under the legislation, domestic corporations and limited liability companies would be allowed to operate dairy and hog farms, as long as the operations do not take up more than 640 acres of land.
    North Dakota's law against corporate farming dates back as far as 1932. The law currently allows corporations with as many as 15 shareholders to own farms or ranches, under the stipulation that the shareholders are related.
    Wanzek began his legislative career in 1993 when he was first elected to the state’s House of Representatives. He was elected to the Senate in 1995 and served in that chamber until 2003. After a four-year hiatus, Wanzek returned to the Senate in 2007.

Poultry company applications being accepted for safety recognition awards

Monday, February 23, 2015

Hormel mulling acquisition of Applegate Farms, sources say

  • Freeimages.com/Fotochromo
    Hormel Foods is said to be in advanced negotiations to acquire Applegate Farms.
    From WATTAgNet:
    Hormel Foods is in late-stage talks to acquire Applegate Farms LLC, a privately held producer of organic hot dogs, bacon and sausages, to enhance its branded protein offerings, people familiar with the matter said.
    The potential deal could mean substantial growth for the Hormel Foods, which according to the WATT Global Media Top Companies database, is the fifth largest pig processor in the U.S. and Canada, and is the parent company of Jennie-O Turkey Store, the second largest turkey company in the United States.
    A deal for Applegate Farms could be announced within days, sources who asked to remain anonymous told Reuters. The value of Applegate Farms is said to be between $600 million and $1 billion.
    Private equity firm Swander Pace invested an undisclosed amount in Applegate Farms, headquartered in Bridgewater, New Jersey, in 2009. The company was founded in 1987 by current CEO Stephen McDonnell.
    Hormel Foods’ most recent acquisition came in August 2014, when the company finalized the purchase of CytoSport Holdings Inc., the maker of sports nutrition drink Muscle Milk.
    Hormel Foods is headquartered in Austin, Minnesota. Other Hormel Foods brands include Skippy, Spam, Dinty Moore, Farmer John, Don Miguel, Lloyd’s, House of Tsang, Chi-Chi’s, Saag’s, Stagg Chili and Doña María.

Europe's companies lead animal welfare ranking

Pilgrim’s sees double-digit net income improvements in 2014, Q4

Perdue Foods names Randy Day president