US Pig Producers Set to Expand

USDA’s September Hogs and Pigs report has shown that producers are in a mood to expand.

The breeding herd was 0.6 per cent larger than a year ago and the market hog inventory was up one per cent compared to 1 September 2010.

The desire to expand has been pushed further by the record hog prices this summer.

The Hogs and Pigs report shows that litters farrowed during June-August were down, but because pigs per litter were up, the summer pig crop also rose.

The USDA is predicting the number of sows to farrow in the autumn will be down but it also predicts that the December-February farrowings will be higher than a year earlier.

If the number of sows that farrow this winter is above the year-ago level, it will be the first time since March-May 2008.

In the UK, electronic recording of pig movements was written into legislation at the weekend.

However, there is a transitional period of six months for the phasing out of the paper-based forms and adjustment to online eAML2 forms.

Following a recent consultation, the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs intends to amend the existing Pigs, Records, Identification and Movements Order (PRIMO) 2007 to reflect the requirement of pre-notification of movements.

Following the recent scandals in China involving the use of clenbuterol in pig meat production and the arrest of more than 900 people, China has now banned the production, sale and use of clenbuterol tablets.

The tablets are often illegally added to pig feed and the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) said the decision was made after considering the risks and potential danger of the drug's excessive use.

In the EU, European Commission has called on Spain to take action to address deficiencies in the implementation of EU legislation on the welfare of animals at the time of slaughter.

The Commission said that Spain did not fulfil the obligations of the directive on the protection of animals at the time of slaughter or killing, and of the regulation on the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules.

The Commission is giving Spain two months to comply with its obligations. If Spain fails to fulfil its legal obligations, the Commission may refer the case to the EU Court of Justice.

Following several audits carried out by the Commission's Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) in Spain, continuous severe deficiencies were noted.

Particularly the FVO noticed a persistent ineffective implementation of requirements in relation to restraining and stunning of animals, the equipment used, requirements for inspection, as well as the corrective measures to be taken, and sanctions imposed, where shortcomings are identified.