Effect of incremental levels of red blood cells on growth performance and carcass traits of finishing pigs

Posted in: Meat Quality, Production by admin on July 26, 2011 | No Comments

 Three experiments were conducted to determine the effect of incremental levels of red blood cells (RBC; 0 to 4%, Exp. 1; 0 to 2%, Exp. 2 and 3) on growth performance and carcass traits of finishing pigs. Dietary treatments were formulated to meet or exceed the nutrient requirements of barrows and gilts gaining 350 g of lean BW gain per day and were formulated to contain 0.52% apparent ileal digestible (AID) Lys for barrows and 0.59% AID Lys for gilts. In Exp. 1, barrows and gilts (2 replicates of barrows and 2 of gilts; 4 pigs per pen) were fed 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4% RBC. Initial BW (mean was 84.6 and 82.42) and final BW was 118.7 and 120.0kg for barrows and gilts, respectively. Two barrows and 2 gilts per pen were randomly selected and slaughtered for collection of carcass measurements. Experiment 2 was similar to Exp. 1, except 0, 1, or 2% RBC were added. Initial BW was 82.5 and 79.2kg, and final BW was 125.5 and 119.8kg for barrows and gilts, respectively. Each dietary treatment had 4 replicates per sex with 4 pigs per pen. One barrow and 1 gilt per treatment replicate were randomly selected and slaughtered for collection of carcass traits and viscera weights. Experiment 3 was similar to Exp. 2 except only barrows were used, and the initial and final BW were 86.0 and 133.4 kg, respectively. Each dietary treatment had 4 replicates with 3 pigs per pen, and all pigs were slaughtered for collection of carcass traits and viscera weights. In Exp. 1, final BW, ADG, and G:F were decreased linearly as RBC addition increased, but ADFI was not affected. With increased RBC addition, average backfat increased and fat free lean decreased. There was a quadratic effect on dressing percentage (DP); the 2% RBC addition increased DP, but the 3 and 4% additions decreased DP. The RBC addition had no effect on any remaining carcass measurements. In Exp. 2, there was a quadratic effect of RBC addition on average backfat; the 1% RBC addition decreased backfat, but the 2% addition returned backfat to the level of the control pigs. There was no effect on any other response variable. In Exp. 3, with increased RBC addition, average backfat linearly decreased and large intestine percentage increased. There was no effect of RBC addition on any other response variable. Our data indicate that feeding 3 or 4% RBC decreases growth performance of finishing pigs. However, feeding 1 or 2% RBC to finishing pigs had no detrimental effects on growth performance and increased DP in one experiment. 

For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/

Antibiotic-free pork production can be profitable

Posted in: Meat Quality, Production, Welfare by admin on July 14, 2011 | No Comments

As the market for pork becomes more and more differentiated, retailers and processors are looking for opportunities to meet the demand from consumers for products which meet their aspirations in terms of welfare, food safety and the environment.  This trend is well-developed in Europe where there is a wide range of pork categories such as outdoor reared, antibiotic free and organic.  Now antibiotic-free pork production is increasing significantly in the USA.  The question for producers is whether any loss in production efficiency and the additional costs involved are offset by the price premium received. European experience suggests that the additional cost per pig is in the region of $5.24.  However, a paper presented at the recent American Association of Swine Veterinarians by Darwin Kohler, James Schneider, and Chad Bierman demonstrated that removal of antibiotics on one farm did not lead to a significant loss of performance.

“The use of antibiotics in livestock feeds is meeting with increasing opposition,” note the authors. “The controversy revolves around the level of antibiotic fed to livestock for non-therapeutic use, which in turn causes an increase in bacterial resistance in humans and known allergic reactions or toxicity.”  The consumers of meat products today are asking for a more ‘natural’ food product.

European opposition has been stronger than in the US.  A ban of over-the-counter antibiotics was implemented in Sweden in 1986, Norway in 1992, Finland in 1996, Denmark in 1998, and Poland and Switzerland in 1999.  Current EU regulations state that antimicrobials used in either human or in veterinary therapeutic medicine are prohibited from use as feed-additive growth promoters in livestock.

Based on experience in Sweden and expert opinions, the likely performance effects of removing antibiotics and the cost implications are shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Technical assumptions of antibiotic ban

Trait                                        Most likely change

PSY                                         Decreased 1 pig

Weaning age                             Increased 1 week

Wean to 25kg                          Increased 5 days

FCR 25-114kg                                    Increased 1.5%

Pre-wean mortality                   Increased 1.5%

Grow/finish mortality                 Increased 0.49%

Net additives cost                     Increased $0.25/pig

Total cost/pig                            Increased $5.24/pig

Today, one form of antibiotic free (ABF) pork production is beginning to be used in the United States, note the authors.  It is based on no birth-to-market antibiotic use of any kind, no growth promotants, no natural or artificial hormones, no ionophores, no animal proteins and no animal by-products. “Can antibiotic free (ABF) pork production be more successful in the United States than indicated in Table 1?” they ask.

Case study farm shows little effect on performance

The case study reported in the paper is a 1,000-sow farrow to finish conventional confinement system.  This system has been closed to live animal introduction since 1996.  Management was interested in pursuing ABF pork production.  Small amounts of antibiotic had been used or needed in their herd, and a premium was being offered for antibiotic free pork.  Pigs are vaccinated for Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and the herd is PRRS stable.  Gilts are raised internally and there is an off-site boar stud.  Since December 2004 no antibiotics, growth promotants, or animal by-products have been used in pigs from birth to market.  The farm maintains records of inoculations, illnesses and injuries, treatments, etc.  Very few pigs require treatment.  If prohibited medication is used in treatment, the pigs are marked for identification and are sent to conventional markets.  “Products such as zinc, copper, probiotics, enzymes, botanicals, enzymes, mannan oligosaccharides, egg antibodies, oil of oregano, and organic acids are allowed to be used in place of antibiotics in the ABF program,” explain the authors.  “However, these products are not necessary in this herd and are not in use as replacements for antibiotics.”

Table 2 shows the sow herd performance before and after ABF.  The ABF program does allow for antibiotic usage in the sow herd.  Antibiotic usage in the sow herd changed little over the six-year period.  Comparisons of traits between the ‘before ABF’ and ‘after ABF’ periods are both positive and negative and show no consistent advantage to the use of antibiotics.  Pigs had received an antibiotic at birth before ABF.  The expectation would be an increase in pre-weaning mortality. An increase from 8.2% to 9.9% did occur but was not reflected in pigs weaned per mated female per year.  Adjusted 21-day litter weaning weight is 13 pounds (5.9kg) heavier after ABF with an increase in pounds weaned per sow per year of 8%.  Only pre-weaning mortality was in agreement with the negative predictions shown in Table 1.

Table 2: Sow herd performance before and after ABF production

                                                            Before ABF                After ABF

                                                            Jul 02 – Dec 04                      Jan 05 – Jun 07

Average total pigs/litter                  11.4                             11.4

Average pigs born alive /litter                     10.4                             10.6

Pre-wean mortality (%)                   8.2                               9.9

Average age at weaning                            18.2                             20.5

Farrowing rate                                            93                               91.6

Litters/mated female/year                           2.56                             2.52

Pig wnd/mated female/year                        23.8                             23.8

Table 3 shows the herd’s finishing performance before and after ABF. Although previous reports show poorer performance with ABF production, few differences are noted here.  Only feed conversion showed a noticeable drop in performance.

Table 3: Finishing performance before and after ABF

Grow finish trait                                             2002 – 2004                2005 – 2007

Av. Lwt. of pigs entered (kg)                                18.2                             21.1

Av. Lwt of pigs sold (kg)                                      114.5                           118.4

Av. days to market                                               114.6                           115.2

Av. daily feed intake (kg/day)                    2.22                             2.36

Av. daily gain (g/day)                                            839                              839

Feed conversion ratio                                           2.65                             2.69*

*Feed conversion adjusted to common entry and sale weight

The only significant difference is in FCR and the authors calculated this to add $0.68 to production cost.  Finisher death loss was slightly higher after ABF resulting in a cost increase of $0.07 per market hog.  Average drug cost before ABF of $0.18 per market hog resulted in a saving after ABF.  Pigs were no longer sold grade and yield during the last three years therefore carcass yield and percent lean were assumed to be unchanged.

ABF premium gives bigger margins

Additional ABF premium was calculated as the difference received in harvest price by this herd versus other similar herds and selling grade and yield to the same market that this herd had been selling to before ABF.  Using this method, the additional ABF premium was estimated to be $4.26 per head in 2005 and 2006.  “The ABF premium tends to inversely fluctuate with the base grade and yield price and is much higher today when market prices are lower than in the previous two years, note the authors.  “Current additional ABF premium for November 2007 is $16.62 per head.”   Overall, taking the differences in performance and costs into account, there was a net average benefit of $7.89 for ABF production compared to the period when antibiotics were used.

Little or no differences in production numbers were observed on this farm.  The increase in cost of production has been shown to be $0.32 per head.  “Success is attributed to the use of appropriate genetics, maintaining a closed herd and maintaining a high level of biosecurity to keep pathogens out,” say the authors.  “Good management in areas of proper husbandry, nutrition management, environmental control, prompt treatment or removal of sick pigs and attention to detail is essential.”  Not only does this case study illustrate the feasibility of ABF production, but it demonstrates significant profit potential in today’s niche markets, they conclude.

Alberta Pork tackles labour shortage

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Over the last few years, the availability of skilled labour, or indeed any labour at all, has been an increasing challenge faced by the Alberta pork industry.  The only solution for most producers is to recruit foreign workers, but the process is long and cumbersome, resulting in a delay of up to 12 months before a new employee arrives.  Alberta Pork has been working with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development (AARD) and Service Canada since the Fall of 2007 to address producer concerns over this issue.

“As with all the livestock industries, the pork industry’s success is vitally dependent on experienced managers and technicians as well as inexperienced people who wish to pursue a career caring for pigs,” says Stuart McKie, Policy Specialist with Alberta Pork. The lack of available employees in Alberta is not a crisis unique to the pork industry, he notes. “It has come to the point where businesses are cutting back their hours of operation due to a lack of staff. Unfortunately, the livestock industry does not have this as an option except to close its doors completely. Without a dependable labour supply, production units can suffer either in productivity or possibly compromise animal welfare – two unacceptable solutions to this crisis.”

The main delay is the time taken to obtain a Labour Market Opinion or LMO, a prerequisite to hiring a foreign worker. Applications to the Foreign Worker Recruitment Branch of Service Canada have been taking up to 30 weeks to process due to the large numbers received – over 80,000 applications over the last 12 months.  However, more recently, processing times have been reduced to about half that time.  Following discussions with Service Canada, it has agreed to review applications from producers who find themselves in a crisis situation with regard to labour.  “The process involves Alberta Pork handling completed LMO applications from producers,” explains Stuart McKie.  “They are then checked to ensure applications are correct and complete prior to forwarding them to Service Canada, providing a means of ‘quality control’, so that all applications are of the required standard.”

The applications are prioritized according to their urgency, with non-urgent applications going into the regular Service Canada administration system and urgent applications being dealt with on a case-by-case basis.  Bernie Peet of Pork Chain Consulting Ltd has been contracted to assist with this project and is carrying out the day-to-day work on behalf of Alberta Pork.  Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development has provided funding assistance. “Producers are encouraged to plan ahead and apply for an LMO in plenty of time, even if they don’t need a worker immediately,” stresses McKie. “The LMO is valid for six months and there is no fee to pay, so it’s best to have one tucked away for a rainy day.”

With a number of producers going out of business over the past year, some foreign workers have needed help to find new employers, although this still requires an LMO to be obtained because work visas are specific to the employer, the employee and the job.  “There’s no shortage of people wanting to employ a worker that’s already here because it’s a quicker process,” says Bernie Peet. “However, the waiting time for an LMO has been the sticking point, but, working with Service Canada, we have been able to rush these through so that the foreign worker has not been left without a job or had to leave the country.”  Visa applications are processed at Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) at Vegreville, which is currently taking about a month, he notes.

The second part of the Alberta Pork project is to establish a “database” of foreign workers that is available to producers so that they can select suitable individuals.  This is being done by attending overseas Job Fairs, interviewing potential candidates and selecting the best for consideration by producers.  In April, Murray Roeske, Alberta Pork’s Field Services Specialist and Bernie Peet took part in a three-day job fair organized by AARD and held in the city of Manila, Philippines.  Marvin Salomons and Scott Dundas of AARD coordinated the event, which included three other employers from the food processing industry.  More than 1,400 Philippine job seekers attended the venue. Food processing employers interviewed 904 qualified candidates and made 241 job offers on-site. A total of 157 selected job applicants were interviewed on behalf of Alberta pork producers by Peet and Roeske over the three days. “The qualifications of these potential employees were found to be excellent, with a majority of them having a Bachelors of Science in Agriculture degree or are Veterinarians,” comments Murray Roeske.  “As English is the second language in the Philippines, all of the interviews were conducted in English and therefore, on-farm communications should not be a problem.”  Bernie and Murray returned to Alberta with 111 potential resumes and these are now available for review by producers.

Assisting the process in the Philippines was a recruitment agency called Golden Horizon, which has developed a good working relationship with Philippine government organizations and the Canadian Embassy in Manila.  This has helped with processing times for visa applications and working with this company has also proved very cost effective in the applicant selection process.  Once a candidate has been selected, Golden Horizon ensures that the process of obtaining the work visa goes as quickly as possible, shortening the time taken to get a worker into Canada.

Further job fairs, in Mexico and Europe, will be attended in the near future, in order to maintain and develop a pool of potential workers for the industry.  One objective of these overseas missions is to understand the processes involved in obtaining a work visa, especially the potential hold-ups, with the objective of reducing processing times. This involves contact with the Canadian Embassy and organizations in the country being visited that have an influence on the process. “We want to raise our profile and name recognition as a responsible employer, while working to make the process as efficient as possible,” explains Stuart McKie. 

If you would like more information about the Foreign Worker Project or help with recruiting a worker from overseas, please contact Stuart McKie on (780) 491-3527 or Bernie Peet on (403) 782-3776.

Alberta Pork gratefully acknowledges the assistance and financial support for this project given by AARD and especially the help given by Marvin Salomons, Scott Dundas, Alan Dooley and Ab Barrie.

Photo captions:

1. Registration-1 – A throng of hopefuls waiting to register at the job fair in Manila

2. Murray Roeske – Murray Roeske of Alberta Pork interviews a candidate at the job fair

Scientific review will help to define new pig transport standards

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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is currently in the process of revising existing regulations on the transport of animals, which have not been substantially updated since 1975. However, industry practices have changed considerably since then and new scientific research has given us a better understanding of what is required to ensure the humane treatment of animals during transport. 

The World Organization for Animal Health will also soon adopt the first ever global standards for the transport of live animals, including pigs.  Ensuring that transport industry standards meet international norms is critical for a country like Canada which exports about half its annual production – including nearly 10 million live hogs a year.

Drs. Al Schaefer and Clover Bench, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientists in Lacombe, Alberta have been coordinators of a review of the existing recommendations, standards, laws and regulations on pig welfare during transport, to compare them with current scientific literature that started in 2005.  This review will help ensure the upcoming changes to Canada’s Livestock Transport Code of Practice are based on scientific data to improve the welfare of animals and, subsequently, maintain or improve meat quality.

“The events that affect animals, like transport stress, are linked directly to actual outcomes in meat quality, food safety and animal welfare,” notes Dr. Schaefer. “Stress causes a number of physical changes in precisely the things that affect food flavour and quality.”

His team specifically examined loading density and journey duration standards (including rest periods and the supply of food and water) in The Recommended Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Farm Animals –Transportation and the Canadian Health of Animals Act. The review also examined recommendations and regulations in a number of other countries, including the USA, Australia, Ireland, the UK and other EU countries.

Loading density standards

At lower space allowances, pigs encounter higher ambient temperatures, decreased ventilation and air quality, as well as insufficient space to lie down in transit. At the other end of the spectrum, increased space allowance reduces vehicle temperature and increases ventilation, but it can also increase the incidence of fighting and aggression in transit.

Overcrowding can result in increased mortality rates, food safety concerns, and reduced meat quality (primarily the incidence of pale-soft-exudative (PSE) meat).  Space allowances above 0.45-0.5 m²/100 kg pig can increase skin damage and the incidence of dark-firm-dry (DFD) meat.

Proper pig density can offset the effects of high temperatures by providing adequate ventilation through vehicle vents, regulating heat production within the vehicle, and providing animals with adequate space to accommodate their size, behaviour and positions during transport.

“The effect of extremely hot and extremely cold conditions during transport and its effect on loading density also needs to be studied in greater detail,” say Dr. Schaefer. “This is of particular importance in Canada due to the extremes in temperature which are experienced throughout the country and over the course of a year.”

Travel duration

The scientific literature has yet to reach a consensus on maximum transport times or the precise impact of rest periods during transport, both of which can affect meat, points out Dr. Schaefer. In fact, he says, there is one school of thought that says short journeys may be more detrimental – for instance higher mortality rates due to animals being unable to adjust to transport stress – than for longer ones and every effort to attenuate such stress during short transport journeys should be made.

The loading and unloading of animals is the most stressful component of livestock transport. Unloading animals for rest periods mid-transport may increase the stress experienced by transported animals.  “Research on loading and unloading during long distance travel and the methods used to load and unload animals is urgently needed from the point of view of animal welfare and meat quality,” says Dr. Bench.  “Further studies need to determine if it would be better to allow animals to remain on the transport truck and continue their journey, with access to food and water on a ‘higher standard’ vehicle, or if it would be better to transport them shorter distances on a ‘basic’ vehicle and unload them for a rest period with access to food and water.”

“As consumers globally increasingly demand higher standards for the welfare of animals both in their rearing and transport, we must maintain the highest standards of animal welfare or risk losing market share to countries that have implemented increasingly rigorous regulations,” concludes Dr. Schaefer.

Photo captions: 

Al Schaefer – Al Schaefer, from Lacombe Research Station, one of the authors of the transport review     

Trucking pigs – Livestock transport practices have changed and regulations are in need of updating   

News and Views – Saskatchewan slaughter plant remains on track

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The Chair of the Saskatchewan Slaughter Plant Initiative says that efforts to bring a new primary pork processing plant to Saskatchewan remain on target for a projected September 2009 opening.

Partners in the project include Saskatchewan First Nations, the Saskatchewan Pork Development Board and Big Sky Farms.  The proposed new plant will be located in Saskatoon’s north industrial area and have an initial capacity of one million head per year, expandable to two million head on a double shift.

Initiative Chair Jim Ramsay says an extensive evaluation shows the plan is economically feasible and that it is a sound business concept. “We took an extra month to make sure that we had full consideration of the pressures that are in the industry and we reworked the numbers a couple of times over just to make sure we had a good conservative view of what was happening to see if this was based on sound business principles,” he explains. “Our plan was to get things going into the summer, possibly into the fall with opening in September of 2009 and we have not had to adjust those dates as of yet.”

Ramsay says the business development process focused on marketing and there is interest being expressed by potential marketing partners.  He notes discussions aimed at securing the 100 million dollars needed to finance the first stage of development are underway and remain on track.

News and Views – Safeway makes welfare moves

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North America’s third largest grocery retailer, Safeway, has taken steps to improve animal welfare in its food purchasing decisions of pork and poultry. It will increase the amount of pork sourced from production systems that do not use gestation stalls by 5% per year over the next three years to a total of 15% in 2010.

The company also said it will favour the purchase of eggs from cage-free systems, stating that it will more than double the percentage of cage-free eggs it offers to over 6% of its total egg sales within two years.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) applauded Safeway’s announcement. It has been in dialogue with the retailer since last November about improving its farm animal welfare standards.

News and Views – Consumer study reveals meat purchase preferences

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Early results from an ongoing consumer data project are yielding significant information on consumers’ meat purchase habits. Data on chicken, lamb, pork and veal shows that while price and value for money are important factors in driving consumer meat purchases, neither is the most influential. For all meat choices, the biggest driver is whether or not the entire family will enjoy eating the product.

Colin Siren of Ipsos-Reid, who collected the data using their consumer online I-Say Panel, notes that “one of the most intriguing findings, something that is common among chicken, pork, veal and lamb consumers, is the degree to which meat and specific cut preference is influenced by the type of dining occasion. This information is critically important for meat producers to understand, as it illustrates how their products are

positioned in the minds of their consumers.”

In addition to identifying other leading purchase drivers, such as taste, nutrition, product information, and reduced preparation time, the research shows that buyers value quality and are willing to pay for it. In fact, of all the meats, veal is purchased least on promotion. As well, organic or antibiotic-free meats, particularly chicken and pork, appear to have tremendous market opportunities.

According to Martin Gooch, coordinator of the project for the George Morris Centre, “with knowledge comes the ability to innovate successfully. The results of this study will allow members of the agriculture and agri-food sector to identify potential market opportunities and add value to their products.”

The three-year consumer data initiative is a joint effort from the Canadian Pork Council, Chicken Farmers of Canada, Canadian Sheep Federation, Ontario Veal Association and the George Morris Centre. The project is funded, in part, by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through their Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) program.

Natural pork provides niche market opportunity

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The economic pressures faced by small-scale pig producers have caused many to quit the business, unable to compete with larger, more cost efficient operations.  The alternative is to look for a niche market opportunity to add value to the pork in order to remain profitable.  Two years ago, George and Shelley Matheson, of Stonewall, Manitoba decided to downsize their 100-sow unit and focus on developing retail sales of “natural” pork.  Being only half an hour from Winnipeg, with 600,000 potential customers, they saw an opportunity to capitalize on the increasing interest in how food is produced. “When you sell direct to the public and people come to the farm, they are very interested in how the pigs are reared, the diets we are using, the ages of the pigs and the breeds,” George explains.

Although there is no official definition of “natural”, the Mathesons believe that it means operating a production system where pigs can fulfil their natural behaviour and are fed simple rations made on the farm from homegrown cereals.  Sows are kept outside all the year round and have small sheds with deep straw to keep warm in the winter.  They go indoors into conventional crates to farrow and, after weaning, the piglets stay inside until they are 50lbs, when they move into biotech barns with deep straw bedding.  Although most of the finished hogs are still sold into the commodity market, eight per month go to Interlake Packers at St. Laurent. There they are custom killed, butchered into retail sized cuts, the hams and bacon smoked and everything vacuum packed.  “We sell quarter, half or whole hog packs with 33, 66 or 132 pounds of pork and each has nine different cuts,” says George. “Good packing ensures the product will last at least a year.”

With many customers coming to the farm to collect the pork, the Mathesons are keen to show them the animals and explain how they are produced. “People are detached from agriculture these days, so they really enjoy seeing what we are doing and are very interested,” George explains. “They see the pigs outside or on deep straw and they like it.”  The Matheson also rear 1000 chickens on pasture each year, during the summer and say they are so popular, they could easily sell 10,000. “People tell us that the taste is very different from mass produced chickens,” says George.

In addition to selling directly from the farm, the Mathesons attend farmers’ markets and produce markets in the area. They recently participated in a seminar on buying food locally, which was attended by 140 people and try to attend as many local food-related events as possible. “Shelley is the marketing guru and has produced a leaflet on our products and is working on a website,” George says. “We want to increase the pork sales and eventually be able to sell all our pigs direct to the public.”  He believes that adding value in this way and producing feed from grain produced on the farm can be profitable. “We can definitely improve our marketing and Shelley has a good way of making our products sound attractive.”

The Matheson’s four children are also involved on the farm on a daily basis. “They all have their chores to do and this gives them an exposure to farming life, says George. “Most kids don’t know that the little pigs grow up so quickly and become pork and bacon!”  The children also help out showing visitors the animals and go to the farmers’ markets.

With the mainstream pork industry in such dire straights, selling direct to the public is an attractive option for some small producers, despite the additional work involved. It has an added benefit for the industry at large through helping the public understand livestock rearing methods and letting them talk directly to the people producing their food.

Photo captions:

Hannah Matheson – The Mathesons’ youngest daughter, Hannah, who helps with chores on the farm

Biotech pigs – George Matheson (right) and his son Austin with pigs in one of the biotech shelters

Manitoba Swine Seminar – Fresh markets still favourite for Chinese consumers

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Although packaged meats sold in supermarkets are beginning to catch on in Chinese cities, 85% of pork consumed in China is still purchased in open markets where the hogs have been butchered the same morning.  That was one of the findings that Claude Vielfaure, executive vice-president of Hytek Ltd., shared with producers attending Manitoba Swine Seminar 2008 in Winnipeg on January 31.

Vielfaure has visited China several times in recent years to meet with Hytek partners in the region.  His most recent visit was as part of a Canadian trade mission attending the World Pork Congress in Nanjing last September. The group also visited some hog farms and a major hog processing operation – the Yurun Food Industry Group – in Nanjing.

He reported that pork and pigs are a central part of Chinese culture.  The Chinese pictogram for “family”, he noted, is a picture of a pig under a roof. China, he said, accounts for 50% of world pig production. Total pork production – 53 million tonnes last year – is almost triple what it was 18 years ago.  At the same time, imports (400,000 tonnes last year) are almost double what they were 15 years ago.

Chinese per capita pig consumption is 39.6 kg, a third more than in the US and Canada and accounts for three-quarters of Chinese meat consumption.  However, Vielfaure reported that pork prices in China are soaring, with the price last August 77% higher than the year before.  “The government is making an effort to keep hog and pork prices down,” Vielfaure said, “but chronic low profitability turned into severe losses after corn prices jumped. To save on costs, many producers stopped vaccinating and forgot about biosecurity.  The result is that PRRS has become rampant.  While the government estimates that 20,000 pigs were lost, private estimates put the figure in the millions.”

Vielfaure reported huge potential for increased sow productivity in China through improved genetics and biosecurity and a decline in backyard producers.  There is also enormous potential for increased feed grain production. On the other hand, he noted, lack of infrastructure and availability of water are problems. Also, feed transport costs are substantial because the grain production is mainly in northern China while hog production is principally in the south.

The Chinese government, he reported, recently announced a 7 billion RMB program to address pork price inflation which includes subsidies for breeding sows, money for building new breeding systems, vaccination subsidies and a campaign to encourage a move toward more intensive, large scale production.

For Canadian companies in the hog production industry, Vielfaure identified opportunities in China for genetic suppliers and providers of feed manufacturing infrastructure.  The government’s push for better food safety practices will also diminish the importance of open markets and increase the sale of packaged meat

International Roundup – Tyson to supply pork for US Olympic athletes

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The US Olympic Committee (USOC) has decided to import lean proteins, such as pork, for its “Performance Nutrition” program for athletes at the Beijing Olympics. This decision is driven, in part, by concerns that such protein foods, if obtained in Beijing, may contain steroids, says the New York Times.

In preparing to take a delegation of more than 600 athletes to the Summer Games in Beijing, the USOC says it faces food issues beyond steroid-laced pork. In recent years, some foods in China have been found to be tainted with insecticides and illegal veterinary drugs, and the standards applied to meat there are lower than those in the US, raising fears of food-borne illnesses.
The USOC has tried to figure out how to avoid such dangers. It has made arrangements with sponsors Kellogg’s and Tyson Foods to ship 25,000 pounds of lean protein to China about two months before the opening ceremony. Local vendors and importers will be hired to secure other foods and cooking equipment at the Games.