WEDA holds 100 percent of shares of Weltec

WEDA, a global market leader in liquid feeds and pig management, now holds a 100 percent stake of Weltec, a manufacturer and operator of biogas plants based in Vechta, Germany. WEDA, Lutten, Germany, took over the shares, effective January 20, when Erich Stallkamp sold his stake in Weltec.
Stallkamp, Dinklage, Germany, will continue as a full component supplier to Weltec and will supply supplying the components of stainless steel digesters, stainless steel storage tanks, pumping, stirring and separation technologies.
The global biogas market is growing, and Weltec will continue with the construction and operation of biogas plants as well as the supply of plant components.

AgriGo establishes large integrated pig farm in Belarus

Israeli company AgriGo has established an integrated pig farm in Belarus, a complex project with an investment scope of EUR17 million. The farm has a total area of 20,000 square meters of structures and 7,000 square meters of wastewater treatment reservoirs, and has an expected production capacity of approximately 3,000 tons per year live weight.
Funding for the project was facilitated by Bank Leumi of Israel and Ashra, an Israeli government-owned insurance company.
The project is a full integration which contains a farm of 1,200 sows that comprises all stages of pig breeding and fattening, a water treatment system for the treatment of wastewater and compost production, as well as a feed mill that provides feed for the integrated farm and all the adjusted formulas to the different ages and growing stages of the pigs. A genetic laboratory was also established within the framework of the project for pig insemination and improvement of the future inner growing herd. In addition to the planning and implementation of the project, AgriGo was responsible for the supply of approximately 1,200 sows, which form the core herd of the farm.
The company has a unique technique in the creation of climate-control systems which isolates the growing structures from external conditions and enables livestock - poultry, cattle, swine or fish - to grow under optimal conditions, which in turn generate profitable returns for investors.
Thus, this pig farming is performed using advanced technology developed by AgriGo, enabling the client to enjoy optimal pig farming performance even in the extreme cold temperatures known to Belarus.
"The uniqueness of the project is in the complete integration, starting from the genetic herd improvement stage in the breeding process, through feed, growth and marketing, to wastewater treatment, purification and reclamation for field irrigation," said Ophir Levy, CEO and founder of AgriGo.
AgriGo specializes in design and implementation of turn-key projects as well as modular projects of animal protein.

FAO releases ‘Tackling climate change through livestock’ study

The FAO's new report "Tackling climate change through livestock," provides updated estimates of the global pig sector's contribution to global warming, as well as potential measures to reduce emissions.
This new report, which updates its 2006 report "Livestock's long shadow," concluded that GHG emissions by the livestock sector could be reduced by up to 30 percent through a wider adoption of existing best practices and technologies in feeding, health and husbandry, and manure management.
In pig production, precision feeding, breeding, and better animal health care are areas to reduce emissions due to feed production and manure management. Some highlights include:

• Pig supply chains are estimated to produce 0.7 gigatonnes CO2-eq per year, approximately 9 percent of the livestock sector's emissions.
• Feed production contributes 60 percent of the emissions arising from global pig supply chains, and manure storage/processing 27 percent. The remaining 13 percent is from a combination of post-farm processing and transport of meat 6 percent, direct and indirect energy use in livestock production three percent and enteric fermentation 3 percent.
• For feed emissions, N2O resulting from the application of synthetic and organic fertilizers in feed crop production accounts for 17 percent of total pig emissions, while CO2 from the use of energy in field operations, crop transport and processing, and the manufacture of fertilizer and synthetic feed materials accounts for 27 percent. An additional 13 percent of the total emissions are from land-use change driven by increased demand for feed crops. 
There is a significant potential to reduce emission from the livestock sector, across all species, systems and regions, with the greatest potential for cuts found in low productivity ruminant livestock systems in South Asia, Latin America and Africa.
The potential for achieving emissions reductions are mainly based on technologies and practices that improve production efficiency at animal and herd levels. Efficiency gains could therefore be achieved by improving practices, and do not necessitate changing production systems.

Global pork sector outlook strong in latter half of 2013

The global pork sector has experienced a stable first quarter in 2013, with supply and demand more or less in balance, which has resulted in stable prices, according to a recent report from Rabobank.
“In the second quarter of 2013, the already difficult market will be further hampered by numerous import bans that startled the industry in the first quarter of 2013,” says Albert Vernooij, Rabobank analyst. “Without questioning the legitimacy of these trade distributions, these will further limit possible upside of the market, which can be characterized by the combination of lackluster demand and rising supply. The only positive note is that pig herd expansion will be postponed or herds will even decline, which together with the forecast declining feed costs, will likely result in better margins at both the farmer and industry levels.”
However, at the farmer level, the lower than expected hog prices limited the earlier upswing of margins where it was hoped for.
China, the US and Russia saw pork prices drop due to increased availability which more than offset the slow developing demand. In China, production recovered more quickly than earlier forecast, while in the US the expected production decline did not commence as productivity continued its steady growth and exports slowed due to the strengthening of the US dollar. In Russia, new capacity and higher imports resulted in surging supply. Prices stabilized in the EU, pressured by the declining demand and exports, while in Brazil an unexpected increase was experienced in January, followed by a lower than normal seasonal decline.
With the growing importance of Chinese and Russian pork imports, combined with the growing export dependency in the US and EU, it appears the seasonal trends in the pork market in the Northern Hemisphere are reversing with strong export demand and high prices in the second half of the year and a difficult market in the first half. If this development continues, Rabobank believes the impact will be huge for the pork industry in the Northern Hemisphere. This will be apparent not only in the changing seasonal price development, but also in the carcass valuation, which differs between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere and between spring and autumn.
In line with this possible structural development, the second half of 2013 offers better prospects, with forecast large production drops in the EU resulting from the implementation of the sow pen regulations in January and the expected seasonal growth in import demand in China.

Adisseo’s second annual pig conference tackled global issues

In 2012, EU exports reached approximately 2 million tons, essentially towards China and Russia, commented Jan-Peter Van Ferneij from the Economic Department of IFIP (the French Swine Institute), at the Adisseo 2^nd annual pig conference.
Philippe Greau gave a special focus on this big development of pig production in Russia. His is the Production Manager at Velikolusky Svinovodchesky pig integration complex, 400 km from Moscow. In only 10 months, the construction of a 5,000-sow unit has been achieved. They have used the latest technology and equipment coming from Northern Europe and Canada to optimize the technical performance and compensate for a lack of available workforce.
This unit is one of the eight complexes planned for 2016 to produce 1 million pigs with a fully-integrated chain. The project belongs to a private investor who has invested in the land, a feed mill, slaughter and processing units, and 800 shops to sell pig meat under his own label.
Pierre Cozannet, Enzyme Research Manager at Adisseo updated the audience on gut health, and on what pig nutritionists can learn from human nutrition research. Gut health is a balance between three components: diet, the gut itself and microbiota. He explained why the main keys to improving gut health are feed formulation, with special consideration on the levels of fermentable fiber and protein, feed additives and the environment. He showed how feed additives have a potential action on hindgut. Among them, enzymes play a major role. NSP enzymes are favorable for gut health, through their effects on the physical barrier and the antigenicity of diets.
Marie-Pierre Létourneau-Montminy, from Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, explained why calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) requirements for pigs need the development of a modeling method able to predict pig performance over a range of situations. Although animal trials are essential, they are not sufficient because Ca and P metabolism is complex, and a multi-criteria approach is necessary.
The complexity of P utilization by pigs cannot be evaluated by simply using traditional methods. That is why Marie-Pierre Létourneau-Montminy works on mechanistic modeling to simulate the digestive and metabolic fate of absorbed P and Ca. The aim is to get robust equations allowing more precise formulation of pig diets with Ca and P more exactly specified in accordance with production objectives.
A focus on rapeseed meal in the pig production was then presented by Pascal Leterme, from Bunge Global Innovation, Spain. He demonstrated that the composition is variable according to genetics and origin. In particular, for the low glucosinolate content varieties, the protein quality can vary depending on crushing plants. He concluded that, in a well-balanced diet, rapeseed meal can be introduced up to 20 percentin feeds for weaned and growing pigs.
Nathalie Quiniou, nutritionist at IFIP presented updates on nutrient requirements of entire and immunocastrated males. Compared with castrated pigs, the gain in bodyweight of these animals follows a different pattern: they gain more muscle and less fat, which explains why they require diets with higher amino acid content and a lower energy/lysine ratio.
Concerning immunocastrated pigs, she demonstrated that pigs progressively change from entire males to castrated animals after the second vaccination (at a bodyweight of about 85kg). A recent trial conducted by IFIP showed that, for this type of pigs, feed restriction is not necessary.
Pierre-André Geraert concluded: “In swine production, dealing with variability is critical in all modes of production around Europe and Russia in terms of production of entire male and castrate pigs, in terms of quality of raw materials and their processing, in terms of gut health and the environment and in terms of response to minerals such as Ca and P. All players need to have the tools to deal with this variability For example, rapid NIR analysis of raw materials and the possibility to use a large variety of raw materials with better knowledge of their nutritional value will greatly help to reduce day-to-day variation and allow the achievement of better profitability."
Adisseo plans to hold a third Swine Conference in February 2014 in Paris.

World pork production up 1.9 percent in 2012

There was approximately a 1.9-percent increase in the world pork production in 2012, reaching 110.8 million tons, according to a report by the Union of Producers and Employers of Meat Industry.
Roughly 7.4 million tons of pork has been introduced onto the global market, 3 percent more than in 2011. This increase was caused by the improvement achieved in disease control among animals in Asia and increased slaughter in many developed countries, according to the report. The reduction of the pig population in the U.S. is expected to result in increased levels of pig slaughter and growing pork production globally. A drop in production is to be expected in EU member states, which are introducing regulatory changes to accommodate new environmental and animal welfare requirements in 2013.
About 90 percent of the 2012 increase in pork production is likely to occur mostly in developing countries, particularly in Asia: South Korea, Japan and Vietnam. China's 2.5 percent increase is owed to government support. A stagnant consumption trend in countries traditionally exporting pork, such as Canada, the U.S. and EU member states, will result in a growing meat supply, which, given the strong demand throughout the world, will contribute to increased trade in this type of meat, said the report. Most of pork imported in 2012 was in China, Russia, Ukraine and Mexico. There was a decrease of import to Argentina, Korea and the Philippines. The U.S. noted a record amount of 2.4 million tons of pork exported in 2012 (3 percent more than in 2011). Competitive prices in EU countries also favored an increase in export (2.3 million tons). Increased export also appeared in developing countries: Brazil, Chile and Mexico.
Eurostat's forecast predicts a 0.4 percent decrease in the overall gross pig production figure for 2012 in EU-27, compared to 2011. The predicted 2012 figure is 252,698 pigs. EU pork exported in 2012 amounts to approximately 2.196 million tons of pork, which is 1 percent more than in 2011. Maintaining an increase in the pork trade dynamics has been possible due to the increased global demand for this type of meat, mainly in Russia, China and Japan.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, pig production is likely to remain relatively unchanged (268 million pigs), but higher prices of feeds will result in lower weight of slaughter animals. The European Commission's forecast says that factors such as new regulations in the area of animal welfare for pigs in the EU are likely to adversely affect production; however, experts emphasize that animal welfare translates into good quality and taste of the meat obtained. 

Pig industry leaders look to India as new market

Plans to open the door to a potentially lucrative new pig market in India were revealed at the EuroTier Show in Hanover, Germany, November 13.
International pig trade veteran Chris Jackson, of the British Pig Association, who has been investigating and promoting interesting markets for the pig sector for the past 25 years, told Pig International that he was intending to visit the country in December to survey opportunities to export pig genetics to India and help the country build up its fledgling pig business.
Jackson said people would be surprised about the number of pigs already produced there, in spite of the fact that a major percentage of its population followed the Muslim religion and did not eat pork.
“I really do believe there are some great opportunities there, especially for modern genetics, new management systems and up-to-date production methods, as well as the pig health and food safety sectors,” he said.
His optimism was shared by at least one pig breeding company also exhibiting at the international event, which describes itself as the top event for animal production and boasts of more than 2,000 exhibitors from some 50 different countries this year.
Paul Anderson, international sales director for JSR Genetics, said his company was also sending out a team to India to study the market. In fact, it is so optimistic that it has already appointed an agent in the country.
“We are sure there are some opportunities for us over there, especially as the government recently announced plans to set up 16 nucleus units,” he said.
Other pig producing countries are expected to follow in the near future, especially as the region was described as a possible “rising star” by the respected pig industry observer Dr. Mike Varley at the international pig conference in Hanover November 12.

International Pig Veterinary Society Congress success in Korea

The 22nd International Pig Veterinary Society Congress held its opening ceremony at 8 a.m. on June 11 in Jeju, Korea — the first time this congress was held in the Asian country — with the theme of "Happy Pigs - Healthy People," focusing on pig diseases, pig health and animal welfare.
Dr. Dan Tucker, the event's Tom Alexander Memorial Lecture speaker, said that pig health underlies both pig welfare and public health. For better pig health, the industry should apply new technologies into combating diseases, with a trend of future research and development for scientists, veterinarians and producers.
The keynote lecture was given by Dr. Julio Pinto, the Food and Agriculture Organization's animal health officer, which highlighted swine emerging diseases. Pinto discussed how to see and combat those diseases by using the philosophy of “One Health": consider pig diseases, environment, management and public health as a whole, instead of treating all each issue separately.
The three-day congress consisted of 12 lead lectures and 277 concurrent oral sessions, covering the topics of diseases, pig production/nutrition/breeding, food safety, animal welfare, public health and other related issues. Satellite symposia were also held simultaneously by sponsors, including Boehringer Ingelheim, Bayer, Pfizer, MSD Animal Health and Merial. More than 3,000 visitors from over 60 countries attended the congress. “It is the biggest congress we’ve ever had in IPVS history,” said Dr. Won Hyung Lee, president of International Pig Veterinary Society Congress 2012. “We are glad to see that all the visitors and exhibitors feel satisfied with the congress.”
The next congress will be held in Cancun, Mexico, and three countries are bidding to host the 2016 event: Brazil, China and Ireland.

Pigs and the Environment report highlights industry's impact, responsibilities

The International Meat Secretariat has published a report, "Pigs and the Environment," highlighting the global pig industry's effects on and responsibilities towards the environment, as well as changes that certain countries have already started to make.
Sixteen countries, which collectively account for 78 percent of the world's pig meat production, provided data for the report. There is a broad range of measures outlined, including more efficient use of feed, water saving, manure handling and storage and bioenergy generation. “During our discussions it became clear that pork producers and processors in a wide range of countries have been investing in new and often innovative ways of using resources more efficiently to produce high-quality meat protein," said report author Mick Sloyan, chairman of the International Meat Secretariat pork committee and director of the British Pig Executive. "In addition, they are often managing the byproducts of production and processing a positive way, for example, to generate alternative energy sources and replacement inputs such as fertilizers. It was also clear that there is a strong commitment to accelerate these developments in order to meet the growing demand for meat in a sustainable way.”
The report, which uses data taken from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, will be updated as new data becomes available. The organizers of the report also hope to expand the number of countries involved.

Pig meat producer Danish Crown to close slaughterhouse

The pig meat producer committee at international food producer Danish Crown has recommended that its slaughterhouse in Esbjerg, Denmark be closed at the end of August this year.
At the same time, Danish Crown said it plans to invest in building up capacity at some of its other facilities in Denmark to ensure optimum capacity utilization. “We have seen a slight decline in the supply of pigs for slaughter to our Danish abattoirs and we are reacting accordingly," said the company’s production director Søren F. Eriksen. "Making difficult decisions such as this is part of being financially responsible. We monitor developments in the competitive situation on the global market closely, and if we are to retain slaughterhouse jobs in Denmark, where production costs are far higher than in our neighboring countries, we must ensure that our capacity is tailored accordingly and that we are continually optimizing and streamlining production."
The supply of pigs for slaughter has fallen by a few percent, so concurrently with the closure investments in capacity are being made at a number of other Danish Crown departments in Denmark, according to Eriksen.

Pig industry must address capacity, relationships to meet demand

The international pig industry will be able to meet the global food demands of the growing population over the next 28 years and beyond, but it must address the issue of slaughtering capacity and look to transforming relationships between pig meat suppliers and retailers, according to former Pig International editor and respected industry observer Peter Best.
Best presented the Royal Agricultural College 100 Club's annual fellowship in pig research report, "Is the pig industry capable of meeting global food demands 2020/2030." He said world pig meat demand could grow by nearly 50 million metric tons in the next two decades, and international agencies see pig meat accounting for almost 155 metric tons of the 410 million metric tons of all meats required worldwide by 2030. Right now, three quarters of pig meat consumed worldwide is produced in China, Europe and the U.S.
“They are the top consumers and also the largest producers; each of them is virtually self-sufficient, or even a net exporter," said Best. "By 2020, the combined pig meat output of the Big Three could reach 100 million metric tons for the first time. “For the global pig industry to produce another 50 million metric tons by 2030 is achievable when judged entirely on technical considerations at pig-unit level, given the industry’s resources of genetics, feeds and management."
Best said he discovered "real optimism" in the pig industry, which he believes is more than ready to face up to the challenges of the future, but for world production to progress substantially, national pig industries that still include a large backyard portion must find a way of replacing those animal number quickly as the backyard disappear. Insufficient slaughter capacity could slow the rate at which pig production expands and will depress prices, he said. In addition, the relationship between pig meat suppliers and food retailers could be transformed as both segments consolidate and integrate, with producers and processors taking control of the retailing of their pig meat.
Overall, Best said the pig industry must strengthen its voice so that it can be heard at the highest levels when new international regulations or initiatives are discussed and, more locally, whenever there is an opportunity for constructive dialogue with consumers.
Full copies of the report (£20 including postage and packaging) are available from info@rac100club.com. 

World Pork Expo 2012 releases schedule of events

The 2012 World Pork Expo has released its schedule of events and activities, including the trade show, tours, seminars and other activities slated during the three-day event.
The Expo trade show will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 6, and Thursday, June 7, and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, June 8. Business seminars and PORK Academy will be held on Wednesday and Thursday. The Junior National swine show and America’s Best Genetics Showcase will take place throughout the Expo, with breeding stock sales continuing on Saturday, June 9, from 8 a.m. until approximately noon.
The show is expected to attract nearly 20,000 producers and industry professionals to the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa.

Pig producers should adopt technology to increase efficiency

The adoption of new high-tech technology is the key to enabling pig producers and other farmers to increase efficiency and production to meet the expected future growth in global demand for food, according to Ken Boyns, director of market intelligence at the UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.
One of the keynote speakers at the organization’s recent Outlook 2012 conference in London, Boyns said he believes pig producers and farmers generally will be able to meet the growing demand for protein and other foods if they are allowed to use the latest high-tech tools that are being developed by researchers. “The big question is what sort of technology farmers will be allowed to use and whether all countries will adopt similar measures to ensure fair competition between producers,” said Boyns.
When discussing new technology and its position as key to the long-term future of agriculture, Boyns said there is an urgent need to refocus the debate on the benefits high-tech developments offer consumers, rather than how they can help farmers or processors. Farmers, he said, should venture beyond the farm gate and collaborate more closely with the supply chain and consumers.
Another speaker at the conference, Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board pig industry analyst Stephen Howarth, told a special break-out session for the pig sector that UK pig prices are on the rise again, with cull sow prices recently reaching their highest level since October 2008 after a post-Christmas fall. Sow productivity is also increasing, thanks to a younger breeding herd, better genetics, better health care and the British Pig Executive campaign to reach the so-called two-tonne sow (enabling pig farmers to produce 2,000 kg of pig meat per sow per year by 2013) — this upward trend is expected to continue until at least 2015.
The UK industry is also likely to benefit from the expected contraction in sow numbers and production across the rest of the European Union when the partial ban on sow stalls and regulations to enforce group housing becomes law in January 2013, said Howarth. 

International Pig Veterinary Society Congress to highlight key industry topics

More than 3,000 delegates from some 70 countries are expected to attend the 2012 International Pig Veterinary Society Congress in Jeju, Korea, from June 10 to June 13.
It will be the first IPVS congress to be held in Asia since 1994 when it was held in Bangkok, Thailand, and will consist of keynote lectures, satellite symposia, oral presentations, poster sessions, social programs and a variety of tour programs. “Pork consumption in the Asian region is expected to increase, and in order to meet the growing needs of pork consumers, we must strive to grow our industry while at the same time improve pig health and produce safe pork."
The event will cover every aspect of the pig industry, including economically important diseases, new and exotic diseases, production management, feed and nutrition, genetics, welfare and pork safety. It will also include a keynote lecture by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations' chief veterinary officer, Dr. Juan Lubroth, which will highlight factors affecting the emergence of new diseases in swine. Lubroth previously served at the FAO as the head of the infectious diseases group/emergency prevention system.
This year’s Tom Alexander Memorial Lecture will be delivered by UK-based Dr. Dan Tucker, who is senior lecturer in veterinary public health and pig medicine at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Veterinary Medicine, a Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge, and is actively involved in public health and infectious disease-related research pertaining to pigs. The theme of his presentation will be “Happy pigs and healthy people: Exploiting technologies for mutual benefit.”
See www.ipvs2012.kr for more details on the congress and to register. 

World Pork Expo early registration opens March 15

Early registration for the 2012 World Pork Expo, scheduled for June 6–8 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, opens on March 15.
The National Pork Producers Council-sponsored event will highlight the industry's latest technologies, offer business seminars and show breeding stock to the expected 20,000 attendees. “The World Pork Expo has become a must-see event for pork producers and allied industry throughout the world,” said Doug Fricke, director of trade show marketing for the National Pork Producers Council. “Interest in this year’s expo is high, with some of the official World Pork Expo hotels already sold out. It’s never too early to make travel plans and register to attend so you don’t miss out on everything World Pork Expo has to offer.”
The expo tradeshow is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 6, and Thursday, June 7, as well as from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, June 8. The breeding stock sales will continue on Saturday, June 9, from 8 a.m. until they’re completed (at approximately noon). By registering in advance, attendees can receive a $10 World Pork Expo early registration discount and free expo alerts via e-mail. Online registration can be completed at www.worldpork.org. 

Pig industry professionals study global demand, profitability at Alltech seminar

A recent Alltech Pig Solutions Seminar focused on performance versus profit as pig industry professionals looked at global population growth, a change in demand and the challenges of meeting that demand while continuing to do business.
“A change of focus is required,” said Patrick Charlton, Alltech’s European regional director. “Seventy percent of the growth in global meat demand will come from Asia. Who will produce this meat? Europe has held its ground in terms of technical development and ability, but Brazil and the U.S. continue to have the lowest cost of production. It’s time for all regions to find the performance-profit balance to be able to provide for this new population dynamic and keep pork as the number one global animal protein.”
Of the 110 industry professionals surveyed at the seminar:

• 80% believe that 30 pigs weaned per sow per year is realistic.
• Opinions were divided over whether the carbon footprint of pork will become increasingly important over the next decade, with 69% agreeing that it will be increasingly important and 20% disagreeing.
• 88% of attendees agree that managing herd health is one of the industry’s biggest challenges.
• In terms of programmed nutrition and metabolic imprinting, 23% think that it will impact greatly on feed efficiency alone and 44% think that it will impact greatly on feed efficiency, pig health and product quality.
• Attendees were divided again on the issue of feed costs, with 57% agreeing that low feed costs are a thing of the past and 35% disagreeing with this statement.
• 35% think that the recent contamination scares in China will result in more stringent regulations enforced on feed suppliers, animal producers and processors.
• 29.5% also think that the contamination scare will make consumers more aware of potential contaminants within the food chain.

JSR’s 22nd Technical Conference preparing pig producers for ‘Next Agricultural Revolution’

JSR Genetics director Dr Grant Walling – “We need to share our knowledge and expertise.”

In spite of consistent technological advances and a confident belief that pig production is well placed to meet the challenge of increasing global demands, there remain many unknowns that the pork production sector must still try to address.
This message emerged from the 22^nd Annual Technical Conference arranged by JSR Farms, “The Next Agricultural Revolution” – and it left delegates with plenty of food for thought.

Known, unknown issues
Speaking at a briefing before the event at Nottingham University’s Sutton Bonnington Campus in England, Lord Christopher Haskins, former rural adviser to Tony’ Blair’s government and non-executive director of JSR Farms, adapted a quote from Donald Rumsfeld, former US secretary of Defence, when he said that there were the known knowns (things we know about), known unknowns (things we know we don’t know) and unknown unknowns – and predicted they would all have a bearing on agriculture and how it evolved.
Of the known issues, the pig sector understands the increasing demand for food and that new technology will continue to advance and increase efficiency to help meet these challenges.
Climate change and agricultural reform are known unknowns, commented Lord Haskins. “These are happening, but as yet we’re uncertain of the outcome.”
Of the unknown unknowns, Lord Haskins listed global conflict, natural disasters and a breakdown of animal health. There was also the question of sustainability.

Canada’s pig crisis
Opening the conference, Lee Whittington, president and CEO of Canada’s Prairie Swine Centre in Saskatchewan, commented that outside influences were the key reasons for Canada’s pig industry crisis.
Following 25 years of significant growth, Canada’s pig sector was battered by global recession, the loss of a substantial export market and legislation governing environmental issues, green energy and country-of-origin labeling.
In 2007, the Canadian pig industry accounted for less than 2% of world pork production, but provided 20% of world pork exports at 1.03 million tonnes. Today it is a very different story.
The Canadian pig industry also lost about 20% of its sow herd since 2006 and that has quashed investment in trade and research.
“However, what we knew then and still know today is that Canada remains one of the most efficient places to produce pig meat in the world,” said Whittington. “We have the infrastructure, the technology and capacity for growth and the flexibility to adapt to change going forward. What we didn’t know was how politics and foreign exchange rates could affect our industry and they have had a very negative impact on our whole industry.”
A significant “unknown” was the effect of U.S. country-of-origin labeling, COOL, legislation on Canada’s weaner market. The industry had established a significant export trade for 7kg pigs, which fuelled massive expansion.

Lee Whittington, president and CEO of Canada’s Prairie Swine Centre – “Canada remains one of the most efficient places to produce pig meat in the world.”

“These pigs were shipped as 7kg piglets to Midwest farms, fed on American corn, reared by American producers, and processed by American packers. They were a valuable product for us and the U.S. pig sector, but once COOL came in they were devalued and this coupled with falling currency rates meant the trade just collapsed,” said Whittington.

Pig feeding strategies
Coming in from another angle, Mick Hazzeldine, of Premier Nutrition, commented that although science has enabled nutritionists to fine-tune pig feeding strategies, they still need to be innovative with formulations and reevaluate nutritional densities.
“We know cost is our main concern, but it’s not the only consideration. These days’ formulations are more specific and defined and nutritionists need a far greater understanding of the raw materials they are using in diets,” said Hazzeldine.
“The energy value of wheat is between 55% and 60%, barley is around 20%, but what are the effects of fiber, hard and soft varieties, starch, viscosity and the rye gene? There is still a lot we don’t fully understand.”
The type of raw materials used in animal feed has also changed significantly as a result of increased competition from the human food sector and price sensitivity. Change also is being driven by the escalating cost of fats, which could mean a switch to lower nutrient density diets in the future.

Global pork production trends
Finishing on a positive note, Dr Grant Walling, director of JSR Genetics, commented that global pork production appeares to be in a fortunate position. It would have to increase output by 110% during the next 40 years to meet increasing demand, according to the UK government’s “Foresight Report” on the future of food and farming.
Although this sounds ideal, in reality most of this pork would not come from the current high-output Western pig industries, but from the large pig populations now developing in growing agricultural economies, such as China, Brazil and some African states.
Dr Walling said that to satisfy increased demand, Western pig production would need 55.7 pigs weaned per sow a year by 2050 – clearly an impossibility.
“We cannot carry on doing what we are doing. There are too many constraints – biological, environmental and legislative. Instead, we will have to invest our technology in these new industries and share our knowledge and expertise,” said Dr Walling.
“If countries like China, Russia and Brazil could achieve UK performance they could collectively increase output by at least 60%. On global scale that represents a 32.3% increase in world pork supplies, a significant contribution,” he added.
Biotechnology also has the ability to advance agriculture in developing nations at a far swifter pace that it has in the West, mainly because there is less resistance to novel technologies such as cloning and genetic modification.

South Korea pig meat imports to drop in 2012

South Korea's pig meat imports will drop by 16% in 2012 from their record high of an estimated 580,000 metric tons in 2011, according to reports.
The 2011 rise, caused by an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, is expected to ease off as the country re-establishes its herds. Roughly 3.3 million animals were culled in the aftermath of the outbreak. "The industry is steadily rebuilding," said USDA attachés in South Korea, noting that sow numbers are increasing by 20,000 a month. A rise of 15% in feed prices, year on year, caused by strong grain markets "has not discouraged farmers from rebuilding their herds, since swine and pork prices are at record levels."
Even with the drop, imports are still expected to remain above normal levels through 2012, at 490,000 metric tons. Pork imports for 2010 were 382,000 metric tons.

UK conference spotlights global pig industry

The future of food and farming, including new opportunities to revolutionize the global pig industry, is top of the agenda at JSR Genetics’ 22nd Technical UK Conference, “The Next Agricultural Revolution,” in September.The keynote speaker is the UK government’s chief scientific adviser Sir John Beddington, who will speak on genetic development and sustainable intensification within the pig industry, as well as its environmental responsibilities. Beddington recently commissioned the “Foresight Report,” a comprehensive review of food security, which warns that population growth and climate change will endanger food supplies in the future.
He will be followed by JSR managing director Dr. Grant Walling, who will present “Revolutionizing Global Pork Production,” which outlines his thoughts on the need for radical changes in the industry. "We are at a point where significant new technologies, with the potential to deliver the increased output we need to see in the pig industry, are not being used," said Walling. "We need to carefully scrutinize these technologies — whether they are breakthroughs in reproductive technology, cloning or GM — to take the next Herculean step forward, enabling food supply to keep pace with population growth."
Other presentations during the two-day event will include representatives from the pig supply industry, who also are facing challenges of keeping pace with rapidly changing industry demands. Magnus Westerkamp, managing director of Big Dutchman Pig Equipment, will discuss “How consumer demand affects the development of pig equipment,” while Mick Hazzledine, pig nutritionist at Premier Nutrition, will identify the major challenges in feeding pigs in a changing market place.