Chr. Hansen posts €30 million profit for second quarter 2011/2012

Chr. Hansen posted €30.4 million (US$39.8 million) in net profit in the company's second quarter ending February 29, an increase from the €24.5 million (US$32.1 million) earned in the second quarter of the 2010/2011 fiscal year, according to Chr. Hansen's latest financial report.
The company saw organic growth in both its cultures and enzymes division (9 percent) and its health and nutrition division (11 percent) in the second quarter, but saw a drop in its natural colors division (3 percent). Revenue growth was greatest in South America, at 21 percent organic growth, while North America saw 14 percent growth; Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East and Africa saw 4 percent growth; and Europe remained fairly flat at 1 percent growth in the second quarter.
For the first half of the fiscal year, Chr. Hansen posted a net profit of €57 million (US$74.8 million) compared to 2010/2011's €48 million (US$63 million). "Based on the solid performance in the first half we have narrowed our organic growth target from 7–10 percent to 8–10 percent (excluding carmine price effect)," said CEO Lars Frederiksen. "The organic growth target including carmine price effect has been adjusted from 5–8 percent to 5–7 percent to reflect lower raw material prices for carmine. The profitability is still expected to improve compared to last year."

Feed products distinctions guidelines approved by European Commission

The European Commission and the Member States have adopted the final guidelines for distinctions among feed materials, feed additives, biocidal products and veterinary medicinal products.
The guidelines, according to the European Union Association of Specialty Feed Ingredients and Their Mixtures, also known as FEFANA, will clarify the decision-making process when determining the proper regulatory classification status of any feed product. The new transparency will allow both operators and control authorities to "manage product classification in a fair and predictable way," according to FEFANA.

Petition seeks to add farm animal welfare regulations to the Ohio constitution

Activists have proposed a constitutional amendment in the state of Ohio that would effectively overturn the November 2009 voter initiative establishing the state’s Livestock Care Standards Board as the final authority in establishing farm animal welfare regulations. The voter initiative passed by a two-to-one margin in November 2009.
The proposed amendment is similar to California’s Proposition 2. It would put restraints on the housing of calves, poultry and hogs and place certain restrictions on on-farm slaughter of livestock. Proponents of the constitutional amendment must collect 400,000 signatures to place the proposal on the November 2010 ballot.
The petition move was widely anticipated following the preemptive measure adopted by voters in 2009 establishing the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board. Petition supporters include local humane societies, the Center for Science in the Public Interest and United Farm Workers. The Ohio Veterinary Medical Association is expected to respond negatively to the petition.
Recently the American Veterinary Medical Association announced a policy position against using ballot initiatives to reform animal welfare. The association favors expert bodies to set animal welfare standards, stating, “veterinarians and animal welfare scientists, who have been professionally trained to responsibly advance animal care, should thereby be given substantial opportunity for representation on welfare boards.”
The State Agriculture and Rural Leaders Organization encourages development of welfare standards through legislative committee processes with expert input. This organization considers that “ballot initiatives are poorly designed for addressing complex issues” such as establishing standards for welfare.