Saudi poultry integrator Arasco Foods invests in software

One of the leading poultry businesses in the Middle East, Arasco Foods, has signed an agreement with MTech Systems to purchase computer software for its integrated activities. The agreement provides a full suite of modules covering parent stock breeder production through to hatchery, broiler growing, processing and logistics operations.
“We shall be providing a complete vertical software solution for Arasco Foods in Saudi Arabla,” said Jim Johnston, director of MTech Systems Europe. “Arasco will be implementing our full suite of modules right through to transport of finished goods to market.  Interfacing with the group’s existing SAP ERP system, our software will provide key performance information, costings, volume forecasting and production planning.’
John Ross, president of Arasco Foods, said the new solutions and software would automate all their data and procedures in just one system, helping to enhance their competitiveness and future development.
“Our aim is to upgrade the data and be able to access it easily and timely which will be reflected in the financial control and monitoring, in planning quality and in helping us to make the right decision at the right time,” he stated.
Ross added: “The MTech software will give us the visibility we require in performance reporting, costings and forward planning that will assist us greatly in driving efficiencies to improve our overall business performance.”

Perdue Farms: Probiotics effective in keeping chickens healthy

Using probiotics as an alternative to antibiotics in poultry production has proven to be effective in keeping chickens healthy, according to Dr. Bruce Stewart-Brown, senior vice president of food safety, quality and live operations at Perdue Farms.
While the company still uses antibiotics in some flocks to control parasites and treat illnesses, it has reduced its use of antibiotics. Perdue Foods has removed all antibiotics from its chicken hatcheries. The company also stopped using antibiotics for growth-promotion purposes and offers no-antibiotics-ever brands Coleman Natural and Harvestland. To replace antibiotics, the company has looked at probiotics.
"As we took antibiotics out of the feed, we put some other things in, such as probiotics," Stewart-Brown told North Carolina Public Radio. "We've increased the amount of probiotics by five times over the past five years. It's a significant part of our program."
Probiotics, a form of bacteria, can crowd out harmful microbes that cause a chicken to be sick.
Stewart-Brown admitted he was once skeptical about the use of probiotics. While probiotics are a more expensive means of keeping birds healthy, he said they are effective, as chickens that were administered probiotics stayed healthier and grew faster than those that had not been treated with probiotics.
"Eight years ago, I would have said that they're not working in poultry. They're not very useful. Today, I'm saying that they are useful. Expensive, but useful,” he said.

OSI Group lays off 340 Husi workers

Still suffering from the fallout related to a food safety scandal in July, OSI Group will not be able to resume Husi Food Co. operations that were halted after Husi employees allegedly repackaged expired meat and poultry and sold it with false expiration dates. As a result, 340 workers will be laid off.
OSI has begun implementing a worker redundancy plan (WRP) at Shanghai Husi Food Co. The WRP has been reviewed by local government and the trade union and this announcement relates only to Shanghai Husi workers.
OSI has notified affected workers and advised them of their available options. Since July 21, most of these employees have been on paid leave. “It was our expectation that they could resume their work as soon as possible.  Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, this will not be the case,” the company said in a statement.
Over the past two months, Shanghai Husi has experienced significant financial and customer losses and the authorities’ investigations are ongoing. It is very unlikely that production will be resumed soon, the company stated. A small number of staff, however, must be retained in order to assist with the ongoing authorities’ investigations – as such, Shanghai Husi cannot be fully shut down at this stage.
Of the 340 workers deemed redundant – 226 are directly employed by Shanghai Husi and 114 are contractors to Shanghai Husi.
“We are working closely with government agencies to ensure that severance payments will be made to these workers in accordance with all applicable laws, as well as company policies,” the company said.
“This is a difficult decision for a responsible employer like OSI. Besides the compensation package, we are also working closely with local government agencies to provide support to affected workers, including career development coaching, job search, and skills training.”

Food safety top concern for Chinese poultry producers

She Feng, president of the China Broiler Alliance, is convinced that industrialization of the Chinese poultry industry should be promoted. 
The Chinese poultry industry is still struggling with the consequences of the past food scandals that have impacted it since 2012, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. More than 220 poultry producers gathered September 20-21 during the 3rd International Poultry Forum China in Beijing, organized by WATT Global Media and Shanghai LyJa Cultural Media Co., to discuss solutions for this problem and many others.
Speakers at the International Poultry Forum agreed that globalization is having an impact, so they need to work harder to educate the public to eliminate misunderstandings and to raise the interest in positive advertising on behalf of the industry.
Chinese poultry industry needs to act on opportunities
But the situation goes beyond that. She Feng, general manager of Beijing Huadu Group Co. and chairman of the China Broiler Alliance (CBA), said that they were there “to discuss the Chinese broiler industry, which has shown a very rapid development in recent years.” Chicken ranks second after pork as the most- consumed meat in China, and chicken has been showing a strong demand. “Broiler producers should take advantage of this opportunity,” said She, but “we need to work out solutions to eradicate problems, fight diseases and build a new CBA.”.
Preparation for risks to poultry industry crucial
Wang Zongli, deputy director of the Animal Husbandry Department, Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, said that it is “crucial to be fully prepared for risks in the future.”
Apart from the food safety scandals, the Chinese poultry industry is also recovering from the H7N9 avian influenza scare, but there is a lot of room for improvement, and producers are hoping to accelerate the recovery.
The Chinese government is also being instrumental in this process. For instance, there is a “high investment in the Animal Disease Control Center established in 2004,” said Yang Lin, officer of the center, with enough staff for all the required tasks. The government has established animal disease control systems from production to slaughter, and it is being more cooperative with international organizations such as the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and World Health Organization (WHO), among others.
Animal health is of particular interest to producers in China, since investment in veterinary medicine for one chicken is 10 times higher than in the U.S.
The industry is aware of all of the many problems that affect them, including environmental protection, export markets and consumer awareness.

Sanderson Farms becomes election issue in North Carolina

A proposed Sanderson Farms chicken processing plant in Cumberland County, North Carolina, has become an issue in a county commission election that will be held November 4. Four candidates seeking to open seats on the commission were asked about their support for the proposed plant during a September 20 forum.
None of the four candidates expressed a direct support for the proposed $113 million plant, which would be located at the vacant Cedar Creek Business Center in Fayetteville and would employ more than 1,000 people.
However, the level of their opposition differed among candidates, the Fayetteville Observer reported. The question was asked: “Do you support the Sanderson Farms project? Why or Why not?”  Juanita Gonzalez, a Republican, and Larry Lancaster, a Democrat, responded they were not. Republican Michael Boose stated that he did not yet have a firm opinion on the matter, as he still wants to gain more information.
Democrat Charles Evans, the incumbent, said he had initially favored the proposed poultry plant, but if a vote were to come today, he would vote against it because he also felt he needed more information. Evans had voted against a tax incentive package for Sanderson Farms, and added, “My vote remains the same until it’s proven to me differently that environmental concerns are met – that people don’t have to wonder about a number of things.”

UK poultry industry to come under spotlight of NFU

How the UK poultry industry has attempted to meet growing demand for British chicken over the last five years is to be the focus of a study by the country’s National Farmers Union (NFU).
Poultry farmers will be encouraged to reveal how, or if, they have been able to invest in their own businesses to grow the domestic poultry meat industry. The information should better position the NFU in ensuring that the industry has an opportunity to grow in the context of current planning legislation and the taxation regime.
The NFU last conducted a similar survey in 2009, which revealed that the industry had been suffering from poor returns over the previous decade, and this in turn had led to poor capital investment. The 2009 survey revealed that the average age of broiler sheds in the UK was 24 years, with 60 percent of sheds over 20 years old.
The survey is being led by poultry farmer and NFU Poultry Board member Kinsey Hern.
He commented: “As a growing industry, we need to ensure we have a robust and fair planning system so farmers can replace their old, existing sheds with minimal red tape and bureaucracy. At the same time, they also need to be able to expand their businesses to meet a growing demand for quality British chicken meat.
“It will be particularly interesting to see what impact ‘horsegate’ and the subsequent sourcing of British poultry meat by retailers has had on the nation’s stock of broiler sheds.”

Salmonella detection tools developed by researchers

Researchers at the USDA-ARS Egg Safety and Quality Research Unit, Athens, Georgia, have developed powerful tools for detecting Salmonella. The project is part of the the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) comprehensive research program encompassing all phases of poultry and egg production and processing.
The project “Rapid Molecular Pathotyping of Major Salmonella enterica Serotypes Based on Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Adenylate Cyclase (cyaA) Gene,” was led by Dr. Michael J. Rothrock Jr. and Dr. Jean Guard.
Detecting Salmonella in various stages of the food production system is complicated by the vast number of Salmonella serotypes and the variation of characteristics even within a serotype. Simple methods are needed by the poultry industry to track isolates of Salmonella through the production system so that more effective interventions can be implemented.
Rothrock and Guard recently completed a research project in which they developed reagents and protocols to rapidly detect and identify some of the major serotypes of Salmonella and differentiate different isolates within a serotype. Utilizing single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of two different genes, they were able to detect 89-100 percent of a panel of Salmonella isolates from environmental, poultry production and processing settings. SNPs are discreet areas in a gene that vary between isolates of similar bacteria and can be used to identify those bacteria. This work demonstrates the power of using SNPs to quickly and accurately distinguish between isolates of Salmonella and can serve as a valuable tool for Salmonella control in the poultry industry.