US poultry industry supports Russia trade bill passage

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Russia and Moldova Jackson-Vanik Repeal Act of 2012, which repeals legislation that creates challenges to the U.S. taking full advantage of Russia’s ascension to the World Trade Organization. The vote of 365 to 43 would establish permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with Russia if a similar bill is passed by the Senate and signed by the president, according to the U.S. poultry industry, which has said it supports the move.
The National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association and USA Poultry & Egg Export Council said they commend the House for their quick action in passing the legislation, and encourage the Senate to act similarly. “The U.S. poultry industry applauds the House of Representatives for an overwhelming, bipartisan vote to grant PNTR status to Russia, a move that will spur job creation, boost economic growth and be budget neutral at the same time,” said the groups. “We urge the Senate to follow suit after (U.S.) Thanksgiving and get a bill to the president’s desk by the end of the year.”
Granting permanent normal trade relations to Russia will assure that the U.S. has equal accession to general tariff reductions, market opening measures and the ability of U.S. interests, such as poultry, to seek trade relief, if necessary, through the World Trade Organization, according to the groups. “Since Russia already officially entered into the WTO last summer, PNTR will ensure that poultry companies can take full advantage of new business opportunities, that Russia’s commitments in the WTO are enforced and that American businesses are on an equal playing field in the Russian market,” said the organizations.
“Continuing to export $300 million of poultry to Russia annually will provide better incomes for more U.S. workers and additional poultry to be produced by a growing number of family farmers across America.”

China cultivates Z-type Beijing duck

The Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences has successfully cultivated a Z-type Beijing duck that possesses a high feed-turnover efficiency rate, low skin fat, good meat quality (including low meat fat) and a strong immune system, according to reports.
China is the world’s largest breeder of meat ducks; the stock of meat ducks in China was 1.525 billion in 2011, with 3.94 billion slaughtered, making up 80 percent of the global number of ducks sent to the slaughter. In addition, China’s duck market is significant; more than 3.5 billion ducks are consumed every year. However, because the local ducks are mostly high-fat type and have a low feed conversion ratio, none of them are suitable for processing food products. This causes many of China’s markets to turn to foreign companies for the fulfillment of their needs. For example, the British Cherry Valley Ducks Company produces 80 percent of ducks used in the Chinese market.
According to researcher Shui-sheng Hou, the Z-type duck’s birth may allow Chinese companies to more effectively compete with their foreign counterparts.

Environmental Protection Agency denies ethanol waiver requests

The Environmental Protection Agency has denied requests from some U.S. state governors and associations for a waiver of the current production requirements for corn-based ethanol, according to reports.
Sources that requested the waiver said the 2012 U.S. drought made the Renewable Fuel Standard untenable. "The worst drought in half a century has made a bad situation worse," said National Chicken Council President Mike Brown in October. "Record high and extremely volatile grain prices have been the norm since the introduction of the Renewable Fuel Standard and have greatly impacted our cost of production, severely harming our economic well-being."
The National Corn Growers Association has said that it supports the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to deny the Renewable Fuel Standard waiver request. "We believe Administrator [Lisa P.] Jackson appropriately recognized petitioners did not properly prove severe nationwide economic harm had occurred thereby creating no justification for a waiver of the RFS," said association President Pam Johnson. “The ethanol industry plays a pivotal role in job creation throughout the country, supporting over 400,000 jobs nationwide. This includes many in ethanol plants in rural America. The RFS advances the use of domestically produced renewable fuels, encourages new technologies and enhances U.S. energy independence.”
A coalition of livestock, poultry and dairy organizations, however, expressed disappointment with the decision. “We are extremely frustrated and discouraged that the EPA chose to ignore the clear economic argument from tens of thousands of family farmers and livestock and poultry producers that the food-to-fuel policy is causing and will cause severe harm to regions in which those farmers and producers operate,” said the coalition. “How many more jobs and family farms have to be lost before we change this misguided policy and create a level playing field on the free market for the end users of corn? It is now abundantly clear that this law is broken, and we will explore remedies to fix it.”
The American Feed Industry Association has also called for further action in the wake of the Environmental Protection Agency's denial of the waiver. “AFIA will call on Congress and the Administration to not let this issue be ignored," said President and CEO Joel G. Newman. "Congress must pass and implement an RFS temporary trigger mechanism based on the USDA-calculated corn stocks-to-use ratio. This solution is recommended in H.R. 3097, the Renewable Fuel Standard Flexibility Act, introduced by Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R, Va.) and Jim Costa (D, Calif.) with bipartisan support from more than 30 members of the House."

USPOULTRY Foundation awards $24,910 grant to Texas A&M

Texas A&M University's department of poultry science has received a $24,910 student recruiting grant from the USPOULTRY Foundation.
“The generous support provided by the USPOULTRY Foundation enables the department of poultry science to recruit and retain exceptional students through programs and activities that are student focused, promote all facets of the poultry industry and provide learning opportunities over a broad spectrum of topics," said Dr. Jimmy Keeton, interim head of the department. "It is our goal to prepare students in such a manner that they not only succeed, but also become leaders in this global industry."
The USPOULTRY Foundation board recently approved student recruiting grants totaling more than $160,000 to the six U.S. universities with poultry science departments and 15 other institutions with industry-related programs. The foundation provides annual recruiting funds to colleges and universities to attract students to their poultry programs.

US turkey poults up in October

U.S. turkey poults hatched during October totaled 23.3 million, up 4 percent from October 2011 numbers, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest report.
Poults hatched were also up 9 percent from the September 2012 total of 21.4 million poults. The 22.7 million net poults placed during October were up 6 percent from the number placed during the same month in 2011, according to the report. Net placements were up 9 percent from the September total of 20.8 million.
Turkey eggs in incubators on November 1 in the U.S. totaled 27.3 million, down 1 percent from November 1, 2011. Eggs in incubators were up 1 percent from the October 1 total of 27.0 million eggs, according to the USDA.
For more U.S. poultry information and statistics, see www.wattagnet.com/marketdata.html. 

Oils in chickens' drinking water may reduce Salmonella contamination

University of Georgia researchers have tested an essential-oil blend of thyme, eucalyptol and oregano that, when fed to chickens in their water source, may help prevent Salmonella contamination, according to their study.
The product, Mix-Oil, is a highly concentrated blend developed by the Italian company Animal Wellness Products. Mix-Oil has been on the market since 2004 and is used for all animal species, including commercially raised fish. The University of Georgia study found the chickens fed Mix-Oil in their water had higher weight gains, lower feed conversion rates and lower mortality rates than chickens protected via the traditional methods. They also drank as much water as they did before the Mix-Oil regimen and more water than chickens that were given lactic acid to prevent Salmonella, according to the researchers.
"Chickens consume less water when one of the organic acids, lactic acid, is used because they don't like the taste of it," said Walid Alali, a food safety scientist with the university's Center for Food Saferty. "It can also inflame the chicken's intestines and, over time, it can damage the farm's water pipes." He said that Mix-Oil reduced Salmonella contamination in the chickens just "as well as lactic acid, and it improved the performance of the chickens."
Mix-Oil costs around $500 per 20,000-bird chicken flock to control Salmonella in chickens and improve performance. The researchers' next step will be to test Mix-Oil on a commercial poultry farm. "We have proven the concept," said Alali. "Now we have to take this to the commercial level and see how it performs on an actual farm. We are trying to control Salmonella in the poultry industry both at the pre-harvest level, on the farm and at the processing plants. This is what we call farm-to-fork control. The industry does its job, and grocers and consumers control what happens after that."

Poultry product innovation receives recognition at EuroTier

Amongst winners for use in poultry production were: Aeroscalder from Marel Stork Processing, Galli-Luxmeter from Hato BV Lighting, Automatic Dung Belt Control from Big Dutchman International, and Anta Phyt BLT from Dr. Eckel.

More than 300 submissions across sectors were made for this year’s EuroTier innovation awards, originating from 182 exhibitors from 23 countries — an all-time high for the event. The winning entries were judged by an independent panel, which awarded five gold medals and 19 silver medals. Among winners for use in poultry production were:


• Gold. Aeroscalder, from Marel Stork Processing. The Aeroscalder bypasses the problem of high water and power use associated with traditional methods of scalding. The Aeroscalder passes water enriched with hot air at high speed over carcasses. This results in savings of up to 75 percent for water and 40 percent for power. The air/water mixture is generated directly next to the spray chamber so that the overall system requires less space than previous equipment and machinery. Scalding conditions are monitored by sensors, and as the carcasses have no direct contact each other via the water, cross contamination is eliminated.
• Silver. Galli-Luxmeter, from Hato BV Lighting. Poultry’s vision is different to that of humans, notably perception of light intensity at various wavelengths. This is particularly important given the new light sources that are being adopted. Traditional bulbs have emitted light primarily in the red to infrared range; however, the main spectrum for new light sources is largely in the green to ultraviolet range. The setting and checking of light intensity in poultry houses using normal lux meters does not correspond to birds’ light sensitivity. The Galli-Luxmeter measures according to the sensitivity of poultry, contributing substantially to achieving the correct lighting in line with welfare requirements.
• Silver. Automatic Dung Belt Control, Big Dutchman International. Dung belts run inconsistently when loaded unevenly, making correction of pre-tension necessary to stop the belts from tearing as a result of rubbing against the guides. In modern systems, belt repair or replacement is labor-intensive, and so in practice it is common to adjust them manually via a set screw when running is inconsistent. However, this is often forgotten, and the result is damage to the belt. Moreover, inconsistent running has tended to increase with newer ways of keeping layers, and so automatic correction via the dung belt control should help to keep this problem to a minimum.
• Silver. Anta Phyt BLT, from Dr. Eckel, is a feed additive based on phytogenic substances and carriers with prebiotic action, which has been developed with scientific research. The product has been subjected to a rigorous licensing procedure and offers the promise of action against pathogens, so lessening the need for antibiotics. Not only does it improve animal health, but helps to protect the environment. Although developed for poultry, with modification, it can be used in other species.