Editorial – Warnings about Global Feed and Food Price Rises Sound Ever Louder
The prolonged drought in the US this spring and summer is lowering harvest yield forecasts for maize and soya, and more organisations are warning about the very real prospect of rising feed and food prices.
This week, it has been the turn of the International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF) to voice its concern that the rise in feed and food costs will continue unabated for the foreseeable future, in large part due to the diversion of feed and food grains and oilseeds into biofuels. This will result in critical pressure on feed manufacturers worldwide and higher prices for consumers.
“The dramatic drought in the US has highlighted once again the rising prices of feed and food and it is clear that the production of biofuels is in direct competition with food supplies by using land and water that would otherwise be used to grow crops for human or animal consumption,” said Alexandra de Athayde, IFIF Executive Director.
She added: “If no virgin food or feed crops were used to produce fuel, we believe prices would come down again. Current policies aimed at subsidizing the production of grains and oilseeds based biofuels harm the consumer and threaten the sustainability of the feed and food chain globally.”
In the EU, the French poultry sector looks set for a major overhaul once the decision on the future of the French poultry processing company, Doux, is reached.
French Agriculture Minister, Stéphane Le Foll, and the deputy for Mayenne and mayor of Laval, Guillaume Garot, have met with members of parliament and chairmen of regional and general councils from all political parties to discuss the future of the Doux group.
The meeting aimed to achieve a coherent and concerted approach from all public authorities concerned with the economic difficulties of Doux before the decision of the Commercial Court of Quimper, which is expected shortly.
Once the decision of the commercial court is known, public bodies, state and local governments will work together to modernise the sector.
The ministry said that the challenge is how to build a new model for the poultry industry, which combines competitiveness, employment and environmental-friendliness.
It has been reported that Barclays Bank will take up 80 per cent of the shares in Doux.
In the UK, there have been calls on the Government to to reverse the European Commission’s decision to ban desinewed meat, which is already having serious impacts on the UK’s food industry and for consumers.
A new report from the the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee highlights the impact that the Commission’s decision to ban desinewed meat has had on the UK meat industry. One producer of desinewed meat has been forced to make almost half of its workers redundant, and consumer prices are forecast to rise as desinewed meat, traditionally used in value ranges, is replaced by more expensive cuts of meat.
Welcoming the report, the British Poultry Council commented that the misguided decision by the European Commission to reclassify this product threatened to cost British poultry companies up to £100 million.
Finally, turning to Bird Flu news, four new outbreaks of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in village poultry have been reported in Viet Nam during the second week of July. The US poultry industry has expressed its support for Mexican poultry producers as they wage their battle against H7N3 HPAI and has pledged its support to help them win that war.
Poultry Lighting the Theory and Practice
This is the first book to be dedicated to the lighting of poultry and will be heavily featured in next weeks Poultry Digital Magazine. It is written in two sections, the first is fully referenced and covers the science that underpins the lighting of poultry. The second section describes the practical approach to lighting for growing pullets, laying hens, broiler breeders, broilers, breeding and growing turkeys, ducks, and geese, and is written in a user-friendly style.
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Poultry Signals
Proper management starts with recognising signals in practice. The book Poultry Signals includes points of departure allowing for more animal-oriented procedures and is vital for poultry-keepers and anyone involved in poultry on a regular basis.
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Saving Energy Using 'Green' Renewable Resources
In the Spring 2008 issue of PoultryTech, an article on heat recovery was written to provide information on the potential savings from taking waste heat from refrigeration systems, writes Gary Floyd.
Meriden Exhibits at Indo Livestock 2012
INDONESIA - Meriden Animal Health Limited exhibited at Indo Livestock 2012 last week with their Indonesian distributor, PT Swadesi Candrasentosa.
Immunity is Key, Says Merial
UK - Bird health and egg production have improved and breed targets been beaten following the introduction of VAXXITEK® HVT+IBD in day-old chicks at the UK’s largest producer of colony eggs.
Aviagen Welcomes New Russian Customers
RUSSIA - Aviagen has welcomed a number of new customers in Russia at a specially arranged seminar in Yasnogorsk. More than 20 guests attended the seminar which focused heavily on getting the best performance from the Ross birds.
Ceva to Launch the “Perfect Pair” for Hatchery Vaccination at 24th World Poultry Congress in Brazil, August 5-9 2012
BRAZIL - Vaccinating against Newcastle and Gumboro disease has always been difficult for broiler producers because of the uncertainty created by varying levels of maternally derived antibodies (MDA) in chicks.
Cobb Premier Breeder Award to Major Russian Producer
RUSSIA - One of the largest poultry producers in southern Russia, GAP Resourse, has been presented with one of Cobb's awards for premier breeder performance.
Novus Research Scientists, Nutritionists Present Discoveries
US - Attendees at the 2012 PSA Meeting being held between 9 and 12 July at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, had the opportunity to learn the latest discoveries from Novus International, Inc. research scientists.
Aviagen Hosts EFFAB Annual General Meeting
UK - Aviagen, in cooperation with the University of Edinburgh, recently welcomed the European Forum of Farm Animal Breeders (EFFAB) to its Edinburgh offices for its Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2012.
New Upgraded Range of Exhaust Fans for Termotecnica Pericoli
ITALY - Following on the heels of the success of the recently upgraded EOS/EWS 53” range of exhaust fans Pericoli are pleased to re-introduce their full range of redesigned and engineered exhaust fans.
DuPont, Tereos Start New Natural Betaine Production Facility in France
FRANCE - The joint investment by the two global leaders results in the world’s first facility to produce betaine from vinasse.
NPK's Hard Car Unloader Reduces Unloading Time
US - The NPK Hard Car Unloader facilitates unloading packed, frozen or hardened bulk products such as DDGS, coke, ash, soybean meal, etc. from hopper bottom railcars.
Fossilshield Proven to Tackle Mites
UK - There are many red mite control products on the market, however, FOSSILSHIELD is a non-toxic diatomaceous earth and is unique in its ability to accept an electrostatic charge due to its high resistance to moisture.
2012 Harvests at Risk from Mycotoxins
UK - We knew it would happen, after a wet Diamond Jubilee, Wimbledon and concerns about the Olympics, this year’s harvest was bound to be at risk from mycotoxins.
AB Vista Launches Online Corn Quality Service
GLOBAL - AB Vista has launched a unique, fully automated, ‘real time’ global Corn Quality Service. The service uses Near Infra-Red (NIR) spectroscopy to predict quality of corn (maize).
Ross Distributor Holds 40th Japan Chunky Association Meeting
JAPAN - The long and successful relationship between the Ross distributor, Nippon Chunky Co Ltd and their customers was evident at the 40th Japan Chunky Association (JCA) Meeting held in Okayama City on 29 May. Over ninety senior customer executives and key members of the Aviagen international management team attended the annual association meeting.
AgriLamp: Working with Farmers to Increase Profits
GLOBAL - We all know the difference lighting can make to the average poultry farm in terms of energy use and cost reduction, but what if switching to AgriLamp lighting could not only reduce the running cost of your farm but also significantly increase your production?