Italian authorities' seizure of illegal eggs welcomed by egg trade association

The seizure of illegal eggs and meat by the Italian authorities has been welcomed by the Italian meat and egg industry association, Unaitalia.
Authorities seized 30,000 eggs from a poultry farm near the southern city of Bari and 1,000 kg of unlabeled meat from a butcher's shop in Altamura in Italy. The meat and eggs were ready for sale, but they lacked necessary documentation detailing their origin, date of production and "best before" data. The two companies concerned were fined EUR4,000 (USD5,558).
The action was welcomed by the president of Unaitalia's egg committee, Ruggerro Moretti, who said, "Initiatives, such as these, help the egg market to overcome the current crisis and protect it from goods that are not traceable."
He continued: "Initial data on table egg production for 2013 show a contraction of more than 2 percent on the year before [2012], while imports have risen enormously by in excess of 108 percent. Because of this, it is essential to protect national production from fraud. We hope that these controls will be the first of many."

Pas Reform, Occhiodoro Hatchery partner on poultry farming

Italy's Occhiodoro Hatchery is looking to expand its position as a supplier of premium eggs, layers and high-quality day-old chicks with a renewed investment in Smart hatchery technologies from Pas Reform.
The hatchery's recent investments include SmartSet Setters with Pas Reform's SmartTray 150 setter tray incorporating Microban antimicrobial technology; a web-based SmartCenter hatchery information system; and the upgrade of the existing hatchers with CO²-level controllers, also integrated to deliver real-time data through SmartCenter.
"We are finding already that automated incubation programs and the careful monitoring of CO² levels in our setters is producing significant benefits in terms of chick quality," said hatchery manager Achille Cristiani. "SmartCenter makes it very simple to create ideal conditions for every breed-type, while at the same time simplifying and improving hatchery and incubation management processes, thanks to the remote monitoring and intervention that is possible using SmartCenter via a Smartphone or iPad, from any location."
Occhiodoro Hatchery said it plans to further increase production with additional SmartSet and SmartHatch incubators in the future.

Avian influenza cases in Italy resolved

Six outbreaks of H7N7 avian influenza in Italy have been resolved, the World Organisation for Animal Health reported. The outbreaks were initially reported from a layer-hen farm on August 10 and confirmed on August 14.
Control measures used included stamping out, quarantine, movement control, screening and disinfecting the infected premises.
At least 584,900 birds either died from avian influenza or were euthanized. There was also one human H7N7 infection case, reported on September 2, which was not fatal. 

Mexico, Italy hit with new outbreaks of avian influenza

A new outbreak of highly pathogenic H7N3 avian influenza hit Mexico on August 12, the World Organisation for Animal Health reported. The Mexican outbreak follows another outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza reported August 11 in Italy.
An estimated 360,000 birds have been affected at a layer farm in San Juan de los Lagos, Jalisco, Mexico, but no dead or slaughtered birds have been reported. As of August 12, measures such as low-risk poultry vaccination and nationwide surveillance were being deployed.
Meanwhile, a form of highly pathogenic avian influenza was reported at a commercial hen farm in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The grower quickly notified health officials of the suspicious clinical signs that allowed the disease to be detected in a timely manner. There are 4,000 dead birds and 128,000 more that are susceptible.
A 3 kilometer protection area has been established around the farm, as well as a surveillance area of 10 kilometers. Tracking and depopulation procedures are being carried out, and other diagnostic tests are being done.

Italian hatchery partners with equipment supplier

Italy's Occhiodoro Hatchery is consolidating its position as a supplier of premium eggs, layers and high quality day old chicks with a renewed investment in hatchery technologies from Pas Reform.
Established by Guiseppe Occhiodoro in the 1960s, the family owned and operated business first adopted Pas Reform incubation technologies more than 50 years ago. Today, the company produces around 5 million varied breed day-old-chicks a year, including Red Shaver, Naked Neck Red and Grey, Grey Kabir, Red Kabir, White HI-Y and Red Color Pac, for the domestic market.
The hatchery's recent investment includes SmartSet Setters with Pas Reform's SmartTray 150 setter tray incorporating Microban antimicrobial technology, a web-based SmartCenter hatchery information system, and the upgrade of the existing hatchers with carbon dioxide-level controllers, also integrated to deliver real-time data through SmartCenter.
In an operation that covers nearly 35 hectares, Occhiodoro works in every aspect of poultry farming, from egg production and breeding, to the production of organic feed, with policies to safeguard bio-security throughout the company's operations.
"We are finding already that automated incubation programs and the careful monitoring of carbon dioxide levels in our setters is producing significant benefits in terms of chick quality", says hatchery manager Achille Cristiani. 

Aviagen Italia invites customer to tour UK operations

Aviagen Italia invited long-time customer La Pellegrina to visit its UK operations in Scotland for a behind-the-scenes facilities tour.
The visit allowed the two companies to discuss the latest in research and development and Italian poultry industry challenges. For example, "in Italy, ventilation, especially in winter, is a big issue," said Aviagen Italia General Manager Claudio Ambrogio. "With such warm summers, weather variations can be extreme which means balancing the right levels of ventilation over the year is difficult. We were able to demonstrate some of the solutions used in Scotland for effective winter management."
Attendees said they hope to take what they learned and apply it to their own operations.