VIV Europe news: EGGS! a success

The program, arranged by VIV and sponsored by WATT, involved presentations by leading international experts in the areas of economics, egg-quality and genetics. The significant common theme was the interrelationship of nutrition, economics, disease and management in achieving optimal efficiency.
Albert Vernooij, of Rabobank and Peter van Horne of the LEI Institute considered the economic future of the egg industry from their respective commercial and academic perspectives.
Their key messages included: the increasing need for balanced protein in diets to feed a burgeoning world population; that future rates of expansion will be higher in Asia and Latin America compared to Europe and North America; international trade in shell eggs will be confined to specific regions and the factors influencing expansion will include considerations such as sustainability, welfare, food safety and production costs.
Dr Jac de Wit of the Animal Health Service Deventer, reviewed the causes of shell abnormalities. These included nutrient deficiencies, exposure to disease, mismanagement and improper housing. As many factors interact synergistically to exacerbate shell abnormalities and fecal staining, the need for appropriate and diligent diagnosis using advanced technology was stressed in relation to determining the causes of problems and their resolution.
Frans van Sambeek, of the ISA Division of Hendrix Genetics, provided an update on genetic selection for improved performance. He noted that recent emphasis reflected industry trends to longer production cycles.
He continued that geneticists are adjusting their criteria for selection to include persistence in egg production, livability, behavior in both confined and non-confined housing and egg quality. The selection of lines is now based on the application of DNA markers to identify birds with a genetic predisposition for desired traits. Genomic selection will expedite progress in attaining enhanced performance from egg-production flocks at the commercial level.
The Power Point slides presented by the speakers will be posted with the permission of the participants on the VIV Web site.

How to destroy an industry?

In the International Egg Commission International Egg Market Annual Review a distinguished economist and consultant to the IEC Professor Hans-Wilhelm Windhorst documents the effect of a ban on cages in the EU. What has occurred is an obvious application of The Law of Unintentional Consequences. During the period 2002 through 2007, egg production in the EU fell by 2.5%. This aggregate figure disguises the fact that the loss in domestic output was considerably higher in countries that followed directive 1999/74/EC in advance of the 2012 implementation date.
According to Dr. Windhorst the problem has been exacerbated by a number of prominent supermarket chains in Germany refusing to stock eggs derived from caged flocks. In Germany and Austria all cages will be banned from 2010, hastening the demise of conventional flocks. The German Bundesrat (legislature) has waivered over whether to allow or ban colony cages. Farmers who invested in this system in anticipation of the ban on conventional cages are now faced with being excluded from major markets and will not in any event recover a premium for their additional costs. It is anticipated that by the end of 2009 the total number of hens in Germany will be reduced by 6 to 7 million.
The cost of replacing conventional cages with non-confined systems in the EU is estimated to be $10 billion. Raising capital to replace egg production facilities is regarded as unlikely given the current restrictions on loan capital to agricultural enterprises. The longer the delay in deciding on alternative systems, the greater will be the escalation in cost and the eventual impact on profitability. Read the full blog on AnimalAgNet.com.

New technology extends egg product life

Sanovo has introduced post-pasteurizing modules applying wave technology for extended life products. The new application can achieve high levels of bacterial inactivation compared to traditional pasteurization.
An added advantage is that the functional properties of eggs are not impaired. Wave technology exposes egg liquid to an electromagnetic force which produces an electric field. Rapid reversal in the electric field polarity generates kinetic energy, which is expressed as a heating effect. Intermolecular friction inactivates bacteria without affecting the inherent beneficial properties of egg liquid since the process is carried out at sub-coagulation temperatures.
The technology has been tested under commercial conditions in the EU. Products processed with Sanovo wave technology tested 17 weeks after processing show a total plate count less than 10 CFM per gram.

Water’s effect on egg performance studied

Don Bell, poultry specialist emeritus of the University of California-Riverside, has recently published his analysis of water consumption on performance and profit in the egg industry.
The effort compared 11 participating companies with 160 flocks comprising 17.5 million laying hens hatched between 2002 and 2005. Data relating to water intake were tabulated to determine how water consumption impacted hen day production, egg mass, egg weight, mortality and feed consumption.
Water consumption was weakly correlated with egg mass to egg weight and to feed consumption. There was no apparent correlation between water consumption and mortality or hen-day production.

FDA Salmonella enteritidis regulations finalized

The proposed FDA regulations to reduce the incidence rate of egg-borne Salmonella enteritidis infection among U.S. consumers have now been finalized after many years of drafting, consultation and comment. Dr. Margaret Hamburg, newly appointed as commissioner of the FDA, considers that "the action will prevent thousands of serious illnesses from salmonella in eggs."
Ironically, the regulations, which will require compliance within 12 months for units in excess of 50,000 hens, are largely redundant in the context of current procedures applied by the industry to detect and suppress SE. The USDA projection of 79,000 cases of egg borne SE is speculative and may well be based on extrapolation from questionable epidemiologic data. During the protracted "gestation" of the regulations, the industry has moved forward with egg quality assurance programs, including the UEP Five Star initiative.
All commercial producers follow NPIP procedures in relation to sourcing chicks and monitoring for SE. Rodent control programs have been upgraded on virtually all commercial farms, although problems still exist with high-rise units and with biosecurity in general. The industry has adopted vaccination as a preventive measure to reduce the risk of intestinal colonization and vertical transmission. Maintaining a cold chain from the time of packing through to the point of sale has been the most significant measure in reducing incidence rates of SE. This modality coupled with greater use of pasteurized product for food service and institutional markets and improved education on handling eggs have minimized the risks of transmitting SE through eggs.
The most important addition to the monitoring program mandated by the FDA regulations comprises a mid-cycle assay which is regarded as a significant improvement in detection of infected flocks. The previous approach of monitoring flocks at transfer and then at depletion left an extended period during which flocks might become infected and pass SE through eggs to consumers by the vertical route. One contentious but epidemiologically justifiable requirement is that eggs should be refrigerated at 45 F during storage and transportation "no later than 36 hours after the eggs are laid."
This does not represent any problem for in-line units where daily transfer from houses through packing and refrigerated storage is routine. The problem does arise with off-line units, especially cage-free and organic farms which contract to packers and producers. Eggs are stored in cool rooms at temperature ranging from 50 F to 60 F with collection frequencies of 5 to 7 days. Upgrading farm coolers and ensuring that transport vehicles have functional refrigeration modules will be required in a number of cases, which is to the benefit of consumers and ultimately the image of the industry.
A number of issues must still be resolved including the possible application of PCR technology to detect SE as an alternative to conventional enrichment and culture microbiology. The relative sensitivity and specificity of the two procedures has yet to be accepted by the FDA for environmental samples and egg pools. PCR offers possible benefits for screening flocks with respect to enhanced sensitivity of detection, increased specificity which reduces false positives and expediting results.

Poultry welfare auditor training scheduled for October

The fourth edition of the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization's poultry welfare auditor training course will be held in Raleigh, N.C., October 6-8.
The three-day course, co-sponsored by North Carolina State University's Department of Poultry Science – Extension, is the first step in reaching PAACO certification status for poultry (broiler, egg layer and turkey) welfare auditors.
Following course completion, participants move into a shadowing phase of training. Certification is granted after successfully completing two shadowed audits monitored by a PAACO-certified poultry auditor. To date, PAACO has certified over 110 poultry welfare auditors.

Singapore merchants offer proposal to contain H1N1

Poultry and egg merchants in Singapore in consultation with their Malaysian suppliers proposed a plan to contain the spread of HIN1 flu across borders by disinfecting poultry and egg-carrying vehicles entering the area as well as allowing Singapore drivers to take over the vehicles at the border, according to a news report.
Merchant associations in Singapore said they will bear any price increases in eggs and poultry if the plan materializes.
However, there is a scarcity of drivers as those holding a Singapore driving license cannot drive a Malaysia-registered vehicle. The associations, though, are hoping authorities will grant their workers temporary licenses to meet the need.

Ohio livestock measure slated for ballot

Ohio farm families joined lawmakers to support a measure that would help ensure animal well-being, consumer choice and the availability of Ohio-grown food, according to a Ohio Farm Bureau Federation release.
The Ohio House and Senate Agriculture Committees have passed joint resolutions that will allow Ohio to create a Livestock Care Standards Board to supervise how farm animals are raised.
The Ohio House approved the resolution by a vote of 84-13. The measure will be placed before voters in November.

Egg farmers ask for clarification of Proposition 2

The Association of California Egg Farmers has asked the state Legislature to enact clear standards for housing egg-laying hens as the mandates in Proposition 2, a ballot measure Californians approved last year, are vague.
Californian egg farmers are not sure how much space they need to provide the hens to comply with the proposition.
Debbie Murdock, executive director, ACEF, said the farmers need clear-cut housing standards to determine how they can comply with the law.
If the provision is violated, farmers face fines up to $1,000 per violation and/or a jail sentence of up to six months.

Shell eggs broken down 6% from 2008

During April 166 million shell eggs were broken, down 6% from April a year ago, but 3% above the 161 million broken last month, reported the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Shell eggs broken totaled 637 million dozen during calendar year 2009 through April, down 4% from the comparable period in 2008. To date, cumulative total edible product from eggs broken in 2009 was 835 million pounds, down 4% from 2008.

Egg proteins may help lower blood pressure, say scientists

Eggs may be beneficial in lowering blood pressure, according to research by Kaustav Majumder and Jianping Wu at the University of Alberta in Canada.
In a recent issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the researchers describe the identification of egg proteins that might have effects similar to ACE inhibitors, prescription drugs used to treat high blood pressure. Majumder and Wu identified several different peptides in boiled and fried eggs that act as potent ACE inhibitors. Their research showed that enzymes in the stomach and small intestine produce these peptides from eggs. Fried eggs had the highest ACE inhibitory activity.The scientists say, however, that it will take studies in humans to determine if the egg proteins do lower blood pressure in people.