Europe’s struggling livestock farmers gain support

In Brussels on September 7, Europe’s agriculture ministers agreed a support package worth EUR500 million (US$559.3 million) as an immediate aid to EU farmers experiencing serious economic difficulties.
“This package will allow for EUR500 million of EU funds to be used for the benefit of farmers immediately,” said Jyrki Katainen, vice president, after an extraordinary Council of Agriculture Ministers. “This is a robust and decisive response. This response demonstrates that the Commission takes its responsibility towards farmers very seriously and is prepared to back it up with the appropriate funds. This is particularly important, given other competing budgetary demands.”
Although the scale of the difficulties varies between Member States, the Ministers recognize the difficulties being experienced by European farmers in some sectors, particularly in dairy farming, as the result of the ban on imports from the EU, the end to milk quotas, and drought across much of the continent in recent months.
Their response aims in the short term to address the cash flow difficulties farmers are facing, stabilize markets and, in the longer term, to review the functioning of the supply chain.
Most of the package will be provided to all Member States in envelopes to support the dairy sector, with regard to the states and farmers that have been most affected by the market developments.
Copa and Cogeca -- the associations representing European farmers and agricultural cooperatives -- have reacted to the proposed aid package by saying it falls far short of the requirements to remedy the drastic situation hitting agriculture markets caused mainly by the Russian crisis, which is costing EU producers EUR5.5 billion (US$xx billion) annually.

Support for the pig meat sector

With the aim to stabilise the European pork market, the Commission is to propose a new Private Storage Aid (PSA) scheme for pig meat.
Furthermore, a specific part of that enlarged promotion budget for 2016 will be reserved for the pig meat sector. There is a proposal to reform the promotion policy to raise the co-financing rate and to include generic pig meat promotion in the internal market among the products eligible for this support.
Copa and Cogeca welcomed the PSA scheme for pig meat but called for higher compensation and the inclusion of pig fat and lard. They also want export insurance covering trading risks to be included in the new promotion programme.
Germany’s pig producers’ organisation, ISN, is highly critical of the new PSA proposal, saying the previous scheme last year did not work as it held back price rises when the market began to recover, and that it was a waste of money and devalued the product.

Livestock production, climate change and public perception

There is an awareness gap in the public’s recognition of the livestock sector’s role in contributing to climate change and, globally, people are twice as likely to identify transport as a major contributor to climate change.
The finding comes from a survey conducted by UK’s Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, into global public opinion on meat and dairy consumption. It goes on to argue that the public must be made aware of livestock’s production’s contribution to climate change and that without a change in public attitudes to meat consumption, achieving climate change targets will be impossible.
There is a major gap in the international community’s plans to tackle change, the report’s authors say, and that that gap is livestock production. The livestock sector is responsible for nearly 15 percent of global emissions – similar to that produced by powering all the cars, trucks, planes, trains and ships in the world, yet it is conspicuous by its absence from international or national strategies to reduce emissions.
Industry initiatives enough?
The report goes on to argue that, even with ambitious supply-side action to reduce the emissions intensity of livestock production, rising global demand for meat and dairy produce means that emissions will continue to rise.
Shifting global demand for meat and dairy produce is central to achieving climate goals, the authors say. However, recent analyses have shown that it is unlikely global temperature rises can be kept below two degrees Celsius without a shift in global meat and dairy consumption. Reducing demand for animal products could also significantly reduce mitigation costs in non-agricultural sectors by increasing their available carbon budget.
Yet, there is a strikingly little effort to reduce consumption of meat and dairy products. While beef and dairy are responsible for the most emissions, accounting for 65 percent of the total greenhouse gases emitted by livestock, the scale and growth rate of pork and poultry production mean that their emissions are not exempt from concern.
A number of factors, not least fear of backlash, have made governments and environmental groups reluctant to pursue policies or campaigns to shift consumer behavior, and a lack of attention afforded to the issue among policy-makers and opinion-formers contributes to the lack of research on how best to reduce meat and dairy consumption.
Consumer attitudes key
The online, multilingual survey explored public attitudes on the relationship between meat/dairy consumption and climate change.
It found that consumers with a higher level of awareness were more likely to indicate willingness to reduce their meat and dairy consumption for climate objectives. Closing the awareness gap is therefore, likely to be an important precondition for behavioral change.
Those actors most trusted to inform consumers on the links between livestock and climate change are generally “experts” and environmental groups, although important differences exist between countries, the study found.
Climate change is generally secondary to immediate considerations of taste, price, and health and food safety in shaping consumers’ food choices. This has important implications for the design of strategies to moderate meat and dairy consumption. Those strategies that emphasize co-benefits, for example health and expenditure, and do not require consumers to compromise on enjoyment are likely to be more successful.
Some of the greatest potential for behavior change appears to lie in emerging economies, the study revealed. Respondents to the online survey in Brazil, China and India demonstrated high levels of acceptance of human-induced climate change, greater consideration of climate change when choosing meat and dairy, and a greater willingness to modify their consumption behavior than the average of the countries assessed. This is encouraging, the authors note, as these countries are among the most important for future demand for meat and dairy products. 

Mixed expectations from European livestock sector

Despite an expected 1.5 percent global increase in meat production this year, levels of optimism among Europe’s farmers vary strongly from country to country.
The preliminary results from the latest German Agricultural Society (DLG) Trendmonitor survey, conducted twice each year across four EU member states, and which questions 2,350 farmers, has found differing outlooks depending on the respondent’s home country.
In Germany, the current business situation is described as stable, however, expectations for business development have “clouded over”, the DLG notes. Similarly, producers in Poland and the UK view their situation as stable, but are more optimistic about how their businesses may develop. The two countries are less sensitive to exports and have been less affected by the Russian import ban than Germany. Good harvests in Poland and the UK, and corresponding downward pressure on feed prices is leading farmers in these two countries to be “cautiously optimistic.”
Livestock farmers in France, however, are reported to be less satisfied with their current situation, with the country’s pig producers particularly hard hit by the Russian export ban. Expectations are also said to have “clouded over.”  The sustained backlog in modernizing the French meat processing industry has led to losses on international markets and so fewer export opportunities, the DLG says.
Investment intentions
The DLG notes that 54 percent of those questioned in the UK plan to invest over the next 12 months, while 50 percent of those questioned in Germany and Poland have investment plans. In France, investment plans are shrinking.
In Germany and the UK, the main targets of investment are to optimize current production, while in Poland farmers are planning to expand. In France, livestock producers are looking to cut costs and are seeking greater co-operation with other producers.

Science behind intensive livestock systems to come under spotlight

The latest science behind intensive livestock systems will be the focus of a workshop held as part of the British Society of Animal Science (BSAS)'s 2014 annual conference. Exploring the potential effects on animal health and welfare, speakers will discuss system design and the technology and techniques being made use of in large-scale systems.
As part of the conference's wider aim to examine the role of animal science and technology in global food production, the workshop also will identify areas where more work needs to be done to address concerns over how food is produced.
Planning for intensification
"In the face of growing world populations, diminishing resources and changing food demands, we have to look at alternative food production systems," says BSAS chief executive Mike Steele.
"Understandably, intensive production raises concerns for many, but it's important to look behind the emotive arguments to see if we have the technology to address those concerns, and if not what can science do to help overcome them.
"It is right that livestock production systems are properly scrutinized and if we decide large-scale scale systems are not for us, we need to think about where animal science and technology goes next to help us produce secure, sustainable food."
Aimed at farms, veterinarians, researchers and policymakers, key presentations over the two days will focus on how technology is helping in poultry, sheep and dairy production, as well as where science needs to develop to help farm businesses be profitable and productive in 2020.

IPPE Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit: Enabling environmental initiatives

For corporations to make progress on environmental sustainability, regulatory compliance is important but just one part of the picture. The private sector has recognized the importance of sustainability, and many businesses acknowledge the government has a role in setting policy framework and enabling environmental initiatives. In turn, the Environmental Protection Agency has begun a project founded on greater engagement with industry, said Jeff Potent, environmental protection specialist for the EPA's Office of Wastewater Management, during his presentation on corporate responsibility at the Animal Agriculture Sustainability Summit, held during the 2014 International Production & Processing Expo. The Office of Wastewater Management is developing a Livestock Water Quality Blueprint that relies heavily on partnerships, discussion and cooperation to optimize environmental outcomes.
"Traditional approaches to risk reduction and pollution control can only go so far to deliver the long-term and broad environmental quality we seek. Regulations have their place, but they are limited. We want to broaden the way we engage with industry," Potent remarked. 
While the blueprint of a strategic plan for 2014-2018 is still being drafted, Potent shared some of its key initiatives to reduce nutrient pollution through better manure management. He also discussed a number of other collaborative projects that are underway, such as the production of a best management practices video on reducing water quality impacts being developed by U.S. Poultry & Egg Association. Further, plans call for collaboration with hog producers on a record keeping program that would be beneficial not only for regulatory compliance but also as a tool for reducing costs and risks and providing feedback to customers. 
The "four P's" of sustainability-people, planet, poultry and progress-are interdependent and must all be balanced to understand the complexity of any issue under the sustainability umbrella, observed Paul Helgeson, sustainability manager for GNP Company, during his presentation on "Feed Ingredient Sourcing: A Hot Spot for a Life Cycle Analysis." One way of doing this is to look at the life cycle of a product, identifying each step to determine which step a company can directly control and which step it might be able to influence or modify. 


A large portion of the carbon footprint at GNP is incurred from growing corn and other feed, while packaging and operations are also significant components. Engaging with suppliers is essential for making sustainability inroads in these complex areas, Helgeson observed. He also suggested that looking at problems in more than one way will ultimately help in reaching solutions. Seek input from "lumpers," those who see the big picture and the connections between different components, and from the "dividers," those who can break difficult challenges into solvable steps.
In her presentation on "Consumer/Public Engagement: What Drives Your Message," Carrie Mess, a dairy farmer and blogger from Wisconsin, explained that consumers want to get information from people they can trust, which in the case of animal agriculture typically means the farmers themselves. She shared the importance, though, to offer a "warts and all" look at agriculture instead of trying to gloss over controversial topics. On her blog, "The Adventures of Dairy Carrie," Mess has posted pictures of calves guaranteed to get a favorable response on the cuteness meter but has also posted real pictures of farm operations depicted during a massive snowstorm and how this affected the farm's animals. Social media lets her reach others in agriculture-and many outside of it-who are seeking a trustworthy source of information.
"I'm telling my story, the story of my farm, instead of letting other people tell it for me," Mess said, adding that by doing this she gains a lot of "influence" in informing the non-farming community about the cattle industry and animal welfare issues. Mess shared her approach of reaching consumers, which conveys the message that farmers are "caring people" and letting consumers know they have choices when they go to the grocery store. "We can influence the buying decision through conversation," Mess noted.

Ayrstone announces new distribution partners

Ayrstone Productivity, a leader in wireless farm networking, announced that HTS Ag and Feedlogic now offer its complete line of outdoor Wi-Fi technology products.
The availability of the company's products at these businesses is one more convenient way for farmers, ranchers and livestock operators to have access to fast and easy outdoor Wi-Fi coverage. Customers may also continue to purchase products online.
"We're excited about the opportunity to work with HTS Ag, an industry-leading precision ag provider and consultant group, and Feedlogic, a leading supplier of intelligent farming solutions for livestock production," said Bill Moffitt, president of Ayrstone Productivity. "We are confident that Ayrstone customers will benefit from our new partners' expertise and support."
Moffitt said the company plans to continue to expand distribution opportunities in the coming year. Its flagship product, the Ayrstone AyrMes Hub2n, allows all farm-connected Wi-Fi devices to be viewable and used just like they are a part of the Wi-Fi network in the home. Customers can easily access devices more than seven miles away on their home Wi-Fi networks, including remote cameras, switches, gauges, weather stations, and signals from tractors, combines and sprayers. Ayrstone products also are capable of enabling the collection and monitoring of precision ag data from cab components and helping customers take full advantage of the data generated by these tools.

Economist says protein prices down in 2014, but profits to rise

While the weather in the Corn Belt has not been ideal this year, analysts are still expecting a record-high corn crop. Dr. Thomas Elam, economist, FarmEcon LLC, forecast at the Farm Journal/Watt Grain and Meat Outlook webinar the average farm price for corn at $4.50 per bushel for the 2013-2104 crop year, a drop of over $2.25 per bushel from 2012-2013. This expected decline in the corn price, along with a drop in the Decatur soybean meal price from $455 per ton in 2012-2013 to $400 in 2013-2104, will result in a feed cost drop that will cushion the bottom line impact of what Elam expects to be record-high protein production in the US in 2104.
Total U.S. production of ready-to-cook beef, pork, turkey and chicken peaked at 92.7 billion pounds in 2008. Production dropped in 2009 as the result of high grain prices and a sluggish economy. In 2014, Elam predicts that ready-to-cook pounds of meat and poultry will set a new record high of 93.9 million pounds. He predicts that production of ready-to-cook turkey pounds will increase by around 7.4 percent and broiler volume will increase by 5.4 percent.
The volume increases for broiler and turkey meats will result in declines in the wholesale prices of these meats, but the industry will stay profitable. Elam projects the national frozen tom turkey price will average $0.98 per pound in 2014, down from $1.05 in 2013. He predicts the national broiler composite price will average $0.92 per pound in 2014, down from $1.01 in 2013.
Beef prices are expected to continue to rise in 2014 as total beef production falls by 7 percent, according to Elam. The average Texas Panhandle Slaughter Steers, Choice 1100-1300 pounds, is predicted by Elam to rise to $1.30 per pound in 2014, from the 2013 estimated average of $1.25 per pound.

Animal handling guidelines updated

The American Meat Institute Foundation released an updated version of the "American Meat Institute Foundation Recommended Animal Handling Guidelines and Audit Guide: A Systematic Approach to Animal Welfare." 
The foundation's animal welfare committee collaborates regularly with guideline author Temple Grandin, Ph.D., professor of animal science at Colorado State University, to determine what changes and clarifications are needed based upon real-world use. The audit underwent a major overhaul in 2010 when a transportation audit was added. The audit was fine-tuned in the August 2012 edition and adjusted even further in the July 2013 edition.
A number of changes are detailed on page four of the new document. A clarification has been added that farrowing on trucks should be counted just as calving and lambing are. A new category called "ambulatory disabled animals" has been added to Core Criteria Six of the Transportation audit to track animals that can still walk and are not severely injured, but appear lame and have some impairment of movement. Under Core Criteria Two of the Sheep Transportation Audit, an omission of "compartments gated" was corrected.
The new edition has received an updated certification from the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization. The guidelines were the first and remain the only association-authored animal welfare guidelines certified by the organization.
"We are proud of our guidelines' long history in encouraging continuous improvement in animal handling and welfare in meat packing plants and of our continuing effort to make this a living, breathing document that is improved and refined based upon new knowledge and real-world experience," said Robb Elder, Ph.D., director of HACCP, Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance at Seaboard Foods, and animal welfare committee chairman at the American Meat Institute.
The updated guidelines are available on the Animal Handling website. 

Industrial animal production report to be reviewed

Dr. Robert S. Lawrence, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, has announced the center is conducting an assessment and analysis of the continued relevancy of the original Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production recommendations to address the public health, environment, animal welfare and rural community problems caused by industrial food animal production. The commission's report, Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America, was released five years ago. The results of the John Hopkins Center's analysis will be released this summer.
"Serving as the principal investigator for the Pew Charitable Trusts grant funding the commission was one of the high points in my time as the center's director," said Lawrence. "The talented and diverse group of commissioners conducted the most thorough investigation of the problems associated with and caused by industrial food animal production ever carried out. Their recommendations remain valid and the urgency to implement them fully grows each day."
The Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production was a two-year study funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts through a grant to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Its charge was to review the dominant industrial farm animal production system and to develop consensus recommendations to solve the problems they found.
"If the last five years has shown us anything, it is that the public is more engaged than ever in the food system," said Robert Martin, former executive director of the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production and currently a senior policy advisor at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. "Consumers want to know, and have the right to know, how and where their food is produced and what, if any, risks are associated with that process."
In 2008, commissioners determined that the negative effects of the industrial food animal production system were too great and the scientific evidence was too strong to ignore. They called for significant changes to be implemented in four specific areas: public health, environment, animal welfare and economics of rural communities.
The commission's recommendations were:
1. Ban the non-therapeutic use of antimicrobials in food animal production to reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance to medically important antibiotics and other antimicrobials.
2. Define non-therapeutic use of antimicrobials as any use in food animals in the absence of microbial disease or documented microbial disease exposure.
3. Treat industrial farm animal production as an industrial operation and implement a new system to deal with farm waste, especially liquid waste systems, to replace the inflexible and broken system that exists today and to require permitting of more operations.
4. Phase out the most intensive and inhumane production practices within a decade to reduce the risk of industrial farm animal production to public health and improve animal wellbeing (i.e., gestation crates, restrictive veal crates and battery cages.)
5. Aggressively enforce the existing anti-trust laws applicable to food animal production and where, needed, pass additional laws to provide a level playing field for producers.
6. Reform and expand animal agriculture research, as well as increase funding.
The Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production consisted of 14 commissioners from fields including public policy, veterinary medicine, public health, agriculture, animal welfare, the food industry and rural society. The commission assessed the current state of industrial animal agriculture based on site visits to production facilities across the country; consultation with industry stakeholders, public health, medical and agriculture experts; public meetings; peer-reviewed technical reports; staff research and commissioners' own expertise.
Members of the Commission were: former Kansas Governor and Archivist of the United States John W. Carlin, chair; Dr. Michael Blackwell, former dean of the college of veterinary medicine, University of Tennessee/Knoxville, vice chair; Brother David Andrews, former director of National Catholic Rural Life; Fedele Bauccio, president and CEO of Bon Appetit Management Company; former Kansas Congressman and United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman; Dr. Alan M. Goldberg, professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Dr. John Hatch, Kenan professor emeritus, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health; Dan Jackson, cattle rancher; Dr. Frederick Kirschenmann, Distinguished Fellow, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University and President of Stone Barns, New York; Dr. James Merchant, former dean, University of Iowa College of Public Health; Dr. Marion Nestle, Paulette Goddard professor, Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, New York University; Bill Niman, cattle rancher and founder of Niman Ranch, Inc.; Dr. Bernard Rollin, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Colorado State University; and Dr. Mary Wilson, Associate Professor Harvard School of Public Health, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

Livestock, poultry groups warn House energy committee of Renewable Fuel Standard’s harmful impact

Seven livestock and poultry groups submitted comments to the House Energy and Commerce Committee on the negative effects the federal Renewable Fuels Standard has had on agriculture, including the high cost of feed facing livestock and poultry producers.  The comments answer several questions posed by the Committee on the impact of the Renewable Fuel Standard.
"The RFS has been the major driver in increasing corn use for ethanol production, and causing corn stocks to decline to crisis levels," the comments state. "In a market-driven world, ethanol would be priced competitively with gasoline. That has never been true in the entire history of the industry."
Additionally, the groups submitted a study to support their comments titled "The RFS, Fuel and Food Pricews, and the Need for Reform," completed by Dr. Tom Elam of FarmEcon. The study examined the extensive impact the Renewable Fuel Standard has had on food and fuel prices.
The groups appreciate the work of the committee in seeking input from our producers and look forward to working with the committee on reforming the Renewable Fuel Standard.
The comments and study were submitted on behalf of the American Meat Institute, National Turkey Federation, American Sheep Industry Association, Milk Producers Council, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council and the North American Meat Association.
The documents were presented to Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., and Ranking Member Henry Waxman, D-Calif. 

British news site launches campaign on medicine

British news site Farmers Weekly launched a campaign called "Making sense of medicines," supported by the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance and the National Office of Animal Health. The campaign addresses the responsible use of veterinary medicines and features Gwyn Jones, a British dairy farmer who chairs the European Platform for the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture. 
The campaign will run for six weeks to help equip livestock producers with the latest thinking on medicine use to ensure the industry continues to have access to the medicines that are fundamental to running productive, high health and welfare systems. It will be supported by various online resources including a quiz.

WATT launches AnimalAgNet group on LinkedIn

Stay up-to-date on the latest poultry, pig and animal nutrition research and trends by joining WATT’s AnimalAgNet group on LinkedIn.
This group is an extension of the WATTAgNet.com website and is designed to be a forum for research, discussion and exchanging ideas on the global animal agribusiness market.
Have a production issue or nutrition question? WATTAgNet’s agriculture editors and experts are here to help you enhance your bottom line and raise healthy, ethically treated livestock. Multiple points of view are welcome and we encourage active participation on the trends and news shaping the animal agribusiness markets.
To keep the conversations going and to stay abreast of the latest news and research, we invite you to also join us on:
AnimalAgNet/WATTAgNet on Facebook
@WATTPoultry on Twitter

Illinois Livestock Symposium helps livestock producers focus on critical issues

The Illinois Soybean Association recently hosted the Illinois Livestock Symposium in Springfield, Ill., to generate dialogue about important issues the state's livestock producers face every day within their operation.
"It is important that we work together to support the livestock industry in Illinois. This event provided a great opportunity to collaborate and share information with each other," says Matt Henry, business development manager for The Maschhoffs, Carlyle, Ill.
The half-day, free event provided practical information on critical livestock industry topics, including responding to crises, employment best practices, meeting regulations and managing on-farm challenges. Featured speakers included Joe Miller from Rose Acres Farms, Brad Beaver from the Illinois Department of Agriculture, and Jake Nims from Frank & West Environmental Engineers.
During a panel discussion, participants talked about how to work through local pushback on livestock farms and the importance of gaining support from local government. Illinois Ag Director Robert Flider provided an update on happenings at the Illinois Department of Agriculture and discussed the importance of animal agriculture in Illinois. The symposium wrapped up with breakout sessions focused on business planning and risk management, keeping animals healthy and neighbors happy, and maximizing feed while minimizing costs.

Western US Agricultural Trade Association launches online media room

The Western U.S. Agricultural Trade Association has launched a comprehensive online media room with information and resources created specifically for members of the global press.
The media room includes association overview and background information, facts and statistics about Western food and agriculture, leadership bios and multimedia and tailored material for U.S. domestic and international press. “We want to make it easy for the world’s press to get timely and accurate information about the rich variety of food and agriculture products supplied by the Western U.S.,” said Andrew Andersen, the association's executive director.

Physical and virtual agricultural library free to public

Information is a valuable resource but it is being offered to the farming industry free by British Pig Executives, an organization for taxpayers involved in the pig industry.
British Pig Executives is part of England’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, which maintains a library, both physical and virtual, which is open for the industry and students to use.
Librarian Amy Cawood said, “The physical library contains a wealth of valuable documents, mostly covering livestock and meat science.
“I also have access to libraries across the globe and, time permitting, I may well be able to undertake searches if people are looking for something specific. In this case I may not always be able to get hold of a document, but at least I can determine if it exists.
“There are very few library services that cover this subject area outside the university sector. The archive also contains a great deal of information about the former Meat and Livestock Commission.
“If people would like to visit that can be arranged but it would have to be by appointment and I would have to fit it in with my working schedule.”
Anybody who would like to find out more about what is available should contact Amy by calling +02476.478.839, or by email, amy.cawood@ahdb.org.uk. There is also an online library catalog which is still under development but is freely available to anybody at library.ahdb.org.uk.

International feed congress announces speakers

The 4th Global Feed and Food Congress is the only global agrofood platform addressing all components of the feed and food value chain – “from farm to fork” – and has established itself as the leading global event of its kind. The tri-annual congress is organized by the International Feed Industry Federation with technical support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and is proudly hosted by the Animal Feed Manufacturers Association of South Africa.
This event coincides with the normal tri-annual timeslot of the Animal Feed Manufacturers Association Forum and will be hosted as a back-to-back congress during April 10-12, 2013 in Sun City, South Africa. Participants will include global leaders, dignitaries, and international participants from civil society, academia and industry.
Global leaders from various parts of the feed and food value chain will discuss the Global Feed and Food Congress’ theme ‘Safe Feed and Food for ALL.’ They will share their views on what is needed to provide safe feed and food for a growing population – and how to do this sustainably.
Featured speakers include: Thad Simons, CEO of Novus International; Berry Marrtin, Member of the Executive Board of Rabobank, Netherlands; Stephen Dowdle, President, PCS Sales of PotashCorp; Dave Buchanan, Business Unit Leader, World Trading Unit, Cargill; and Albert Tacon, Director, Aquatic Farms.

Arkansas may outlaw undercover farm investigations

The Arkansas Senate Judiciary Committee has tabled a bill aimed at outlawing undercover investigations of farms.
The bill would make it a misdemeanor to videotape livestock and poultry operations without permission from the owner. It would also make it illegal to apply for a job at a farm under false pretenses in order to gain access to the property. The committee also tabled a bill outlawing private investigations of animal cruelty.
Republican Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson, who sponsored the bill, told the Associated Press he deferred action on both measures on January 16 because he didn't realize how complicated the issue was. 

UK livestock farmers concerned over soybean meal sustainability

According to a survey conducted on behalf of Trident, 48 percent of UK livestock farmers are concerned about the sustainability and long-term supply of soybean meal, with a similar number expressing concerns regarding the environmental impact of soybean meal production.
Half of the 500 farmers surveyed have considered alternatives to soybean meal, and 77 percent would probably buy such a feed if it was cost-effective and recommended by their adviser  but 28 percent aren’t aware that such alternatives exist.
“The long-term sustainability of our reliance on imported soybean meal is a very real concern for livestock farmers in the UK,” said Trident National General Manager Richard Cross. “But perhaps a bigger worry is that many farmers aren’t getting the information they need to successfully switch to alternative protein feeds. UK-produced distillers’ feeds and dedicated rumen-bypass protein supplements are both more cost-effective sources of the protein supplied by soybean meal, so there are options available for those wanting to change. What’s needed is a much more widespread awareness and understanding of how to use these feeds to reduce reliance on expensive imported proteins like soybean meal.” 

Symposim discusses Orego-Stim economic, zootechnical benefits

Meriden Animal Health recently participated in the symposium “Significant Effects of Herbs for Better Livestock Performance," with Dr. Gene Jin discussing the zootechnical results and economics of using feed additive Orego-Stim in both poultry and swine production.
Orego-Stim also gained support from experts who explained that the whole plant extract should be used as feed additive rather than just certain components, since there are different active components within the extract that work synergistically to improve the intestinal health of livestock animal.
The event was organized by Kasetsart University and The Thailand Research Fund in conjunction with the 15th AAAP Animal Science Congress, and was held at Thammasart University, Thailand. In addition to Meriden's Jin, speakers included Dr. Numtavan Bunyapraphatsara of Mahidol University and Amnart Poapolathep of Kasetsart University.

Defining, achieving sustainability in the livestock industry

The subject of sustainability cropped up again and again at the Biomin World Nutrition Forum. Sustainability – successfully satisfying the human need for food, feed and fiber – can be approached in a number of ways.
Frank Mitloehner of the University of California Davis, looked at the impact of livestock production on climate change.
He noted that, in California, people are really thinking about the impact of their food choices on climate change, and that everyone wants to know their carbon footprint. With this in mind, it is important for both consumers and producers to fully understand what their carbon footprint actually is. With consumers able to pick and choose from whom they buy, ignorance on the production side is ever less an option.
Mitloehner looked at emissions from various countries, comparing footprints, and pointing out the huge diversity in genetics and management practices from country to country that can lead to this disparity. However, in addition to varying practices, he also raised the need for a standard way of measuring carbon footprints, to ensure that like is compared to like.
The harmonization of methodologies has started, and the FAO has begun a benchmarking initiative.
While it may seem like commonsense once explained, many in the general public fail to understand how modern and intensive farming methods can reduce carbon footprints. The more that a single animal produces, the smaller the carbon footprint attributable to the amount of meat produced, and the opposite is true for animals with low productivity. Improved management of health, genetics, and fertility will lead to comparatively lower numbers of animals to feed to growing populations.
“The long shadow of livestock in not inevitable, but the result of long-standing neglect,” he said, adding that the global mitigation potential of technical and structural options is very large.
David J. Caldwell, this year’s winner of the Biomin Brain Award, detailed his work on how changes in meat production can reduce the use of antimicrobials. His talk followed two strands – the improvement of existing practices and the development of new technologies.
He cited the need to develop alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters along with the increasing use of vaccination in the US to tackle coccidiosis in poultry. Between 2000 and 2011, the percentage of birds vaccinated in the country against coccidiosis rose from 2.5 percent to 30 percent.

Conflict and contradiction?
Yet how can a company that flies participants from 75 countries to a single location reconcile this with offering a platform to those arguing that the livestock industry must be more sustainable?
There is no hypocrisy here. The company’s Andreas Kern explained that Biomin conducted a life cycle analysis for the entire event, and all emissions produced by the participants’ travel, consumption of electricity and food, and local transportation, were included.
To offset these CO2 emissions by a sustainable means, a 200 kVp photovoltaic plant will be installed at its new factory close to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. On top of this, all office and laboratory buildings in the new factory will receive an additional layer of insulation and a “green roof” system to reduce the energy needed to run the air conditioning system, helping the environment and reducing demand from the country’s electricity grid.