The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) received follow-up report no. 39 on 26 August. According to the report, the outbreak occured in swine and in wild boar.

In the case of swine, a total of two cases were identified and 15761 were found susceptible to the disease. In the case of the wild species, six animals were affected by the ASF virus.

The source of the outbreak is currently under investigation.

 

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The lower net sales have been put down to lower sales volume caused in turn mainly by the labour market disputes in Finland and the cattle shortage in Sweden.

However, the company said that HKScan is advancing internationally, with half-year earnings burdened by challenges in market area of Finland.

The company said that profitability of the Group continued to develop in Sweden and the Baltics and especially in Poland.

However, in Finland, the industrial action in April/May had a considerable impact on earnings in the early part of the year.

Group EBIT for the entire first half of the year fell short of 2009 and stood at € 13.6 million compared to € 22.5 million in the same period in 2009.

The company has reaffirmed its earnings guidance given in the first quarter interim report. Full-year EBIT exclusive of non-recurring items is estimated to fall somewhat short of the level seen in 2009.

 

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Two short films are in production which will be available on the lovepork.co.uk website, one covering sausage production and the other a pork cutting demonstration.

The overview of sausage production has been done and will be posted in the next few weeks while filming has just finished on the other.

BPEX Butchery Development Manager Keith Fisher said, "The first doesn’t give recipes but explains the processes behind making a traditional butchers pork sausage.

"The cutting demonstration starts with a whole side of pork which is taken down to primal, or wholesale, cuts and then finally to cuts consumers would buy from the butcher or supermarket.

"It is highly skilled and ends up with lovely looking cuts of pork which will tempt the consumer."

 

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According to AllAfrica.com, he spoke at the stakeholders' meeting with Poultry/Livestock, Meat, Meat Products and Abattoir Operators in Abuja, where he was represented by Mr John Achuku, the Director of Standards.

We want to inform the abattoir and poultry farm operators that there are standards, documented for them to safeguard the health of the people and the economy will be the better for it. We want to ensure that eggs, chickens and meat are not infected by partnering with you in terms of quality and standards," he said.

Dr Akanya said that the organisation had developed several products' standards and code of practice as a way of encouraging the poultry/livestock, meat products and abattoir operators to ensure quality. Dr Louis Njoku, a Regional Director in the organisation, said the standards included the construction and maintenance of the abattoirs, the environment where the animals were conveyed and slaughtered.

"There are code of hygiene practice like that of the abattoirs, which includes the designs of the poultry farms, such as ventilation and equipment to keep the chickens healthy," he said.

Idris Mohammed, the Council Secretary, Abuja Municipal Area Council, thanked the organisation for bringing together relevant stakeholders to find lasting solution to the problem of poultry farms and abattoirs.

"Within the municipality, there are many slaughter houses in terrible conditions, the way the meat are conveyed to the markets and the vehicles are in bad shape," he said.

Mr Mohammed said that with the meeting, the relevant stakeholders would be better educated to disseminate information on standard practice. Stakeholders at the meeting include FCTA, Kwali Area Council, M.D. Integrated Farms, Sahad Stores Ltd, Amigo Super Market, Ajua Farms, Abaji Area Council, amongst others.

 

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The Brazilian pavilion, to cover 135 square meters, is organised by Conceito Brazil, the company representing the event.

This is the second time that Conceito Brazil organises a Brazilian pavilion at the fair. Last year, 16 companies participated in the event. "This is a fair for equipment for production of food, like packages, mixes and ingredients. It is a good opportunity for Brazilian companies," said the secretary general at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Michel Alaby.

According to him, the focus of the fair is not so much on processed foods, but more on agricultural inputs and machinery. However, some Brazilian companies in the chicken, beef and dairy sectors have already registered for participation. Mr Alaby believes that it would be interesting to promote an event in the sidelines of the fair, where the phases of the Brazilian productive chain could be explained.

According to figures disclosed by the Ministry of Agriculture, among the Arab nations, Saudi Arabia is the main market for Brazil. Exports to the Arab country in the first six months of the year totalled US$ 1.6 billion, expansion of 41 per cent over the same period last year. Agricultural sales to Saudi Arabia alone grew 17 per cent. The main agricultural products shipped were chicken, beef, sugar, soy and maize.

 

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Applications have been submitted for the units, each housing up to 950 pigs, to be built on Holme Hill Farm in South Kelsey.

Jenny Stimson, clerk of South Kelsey Parish Council, said she had concerns about the smell, and traffic generated by the pig units.

The applicant, Frank Tobin, declined to comment on the matter.

Ms Stimson said: "We have to look at all sides of this and look at what impact it is going to have on the village.

"We have to wait until it goes to planning to see what is going to be done with the slurry because the smell is dreadful.

"Our road system is terrible and, with the amount of traffic that's going to be coming through, it's going to cause the roads to be even worse."

But BBC Lincolnshire's farming correspondent, Alan Stennett, said modern pig units had tight restrictions.

"The smell of the actual unit is virtually nil. The slurry spreading is where you get the problem and if you're dribbling it on [as it suggests in the report], you limit the amount of smell.

"If someone wants to put in a pig unit now, you would be talking about 1,000 pigs as standard."

West Lindsey District Planners will meet on Wednesday evening to discuss the plans.

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Kevin Keener, an associate professor of food science, said quick cooling of eggs after they are laid would significantly reduce the ability of salmonella to grow inside eggs and potentially keep consumers from getting sick. There are no federal guidelines for how quickly eggs should be cooled, but current industry procedures can take as long as six days to cool eggs to 45°F, the temperature at which salmonella can no longer grow. Keener's rapid-cooling technology would take two to five minutes.

Dr Keener said eggs can be more than 100°F after washing and packaging in cartons. Thirty dozen eggs are then packed in a case, and 30 cases are stacked onto pallets and placed in refrigerated coolers. The eggs in the middle of the pallet can take up to 142 hours to cool to 45 degrees. He said scientists estimate that one in about every 20,000 eggs has salmonella naturally inside.

"The eggs in the middle of a pallet may take up to six days to cool, and if the one in 20,000 that has salmonella is in the middle, the bacteria will grow," Dr Keener said. "In reality, some eggs don't cool to 45 degrees until they're in the refrigerator in your home."

Dr Keener said Food and Drug Administration studies show that if eggs were cooled and stored at 45° or less within 12 hours of laying, there would be an estimated 78 per cent fewer salmonella illnesses from eggs in the United States each year.

Dr Keener's cooling technology uses carbon dioxide "snow" to rapidly lower the eggs' temperature. Eggs are placed in a cooling chamber and carbon dioxide gas at about minus 110° is generated. The cold gas is circulated around the eggs and forms a thin layer of ice inside the eggshell. After treatment, the ice layer melts and quickly lowers an egg's internal temperature to below 45°. The eggshell does not crack during this process because the shell can resist expansion from a thin ice layer.

Previous studies have shown the cooling treatment would increase shelf life by four weeks.

Paul Brennan, executive vice president of the Purdue-based Indiana State Poultry Association, said so long as it did not negatively impact egg quality or producers, he would be intrigued by Keener's cooling technology.

"Our industry is good at adopting practical solutions," Mr Brennan said. "If there is a technology that we could adopt to address an issue and it was cost-effective, I'm sure we would embrace it."

Mr Brennan added that eggs are safe if handled and cooked properly.

"Continue to buy eggs, cook them properly and you will not have a problem from a health standpoint," Mr Brennan said. "Food is not sterile, but industry does everything it can to eliminate the possibility of illnesses."

Dr Keener has a prototype of his rapid-cooling technology in his Purdue laboratory and is working to optimise its function.

The FDA this month has ordered a recall of hundreds of millions of eggs thought to be contaminated by salmonella. Iowa's Hillendale Farms and Wright County Eggs are thought to be the sources of the salmonella outbreak. Salmonella poisoning can cause fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. More serious illnesses such as arterial infections, endocarditis and arthritis are possible but rare.

 

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A 33-year-old woman from the governorate of Qalyubia, north of Cairo, was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday after showing symptoms of the avian flu, a statement by Egypt's Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

The woman's condition is serious, the statement added without elaboration.

Egypt is the most affected country by the virus outside Asia, which reported its first H5N1 virus in dead poultry in February 2006 and the first human case in March of the same year.

Egypt's Agriculture Minister Amin Abbaza said in July that his country has prepared a national strategy to eradicate bird flu in five years.

 

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The new design will include environmentally responsible design, feature open spaces to encourage collaboration, and provide the technological infrastructure to support a more productive work environment.

While incorporating building practices to reduce its impact on the environment, Perdue is pursuing LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building certification for the renovation project with hopes of obtaining a Gold status.

“We have the opportunity as part of our remodel to look into new technologies and methodologies that can help us have a smaller environmental footprint, in addition to saving money," said Steve Schwalb, Vice President of Environmental Sustainability. "The certification helps guide us through the renovation process. It isn't only about efficiency, but the whole package of responsible environmental design, including associate comfort."

LEED® is an internationally recognised green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, stewardship of resources and sensitivity to environmental impacts.

The steps toward gaining LEED® certification support Perdue's environmental sustainability initiative.

By using less energy, LEED-certified buildings save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community.

Perdue will install a new HVAC system within the renovated space, which will reduce energy costs by 25 per cent and create a more comfortable workspace. The parking lot was recently repaved and spaces will be designated for high efficiency vehicles.

“The $12.8 million remodel represents the most cost-effective way to provide the office space needed to support our company's strategic and growth plans," said Eileen Burza, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. "By implementing alternative workspace solutions for selected jobs, we were able to renovate the existing space to meet our needs and reduce our environmental impact, with significantly less capital investment than either expanding the existing structure or building new office space."

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Mr Khursand said the exact losses could not be summed up at this time, but feared 5 to 7 per cent increase in the prices of chicken and eggs in the near future.

He said the industry incurred huge losses in Nowshera, Charsadda, interior Sindh and Multan in Punjab.

“Exact estimates of losses will be possible only after the clearance of water because many areas of the country are still inaccessible. Tentatively, the industry has suffered a loss of Rs 7 to 8 billion besides bringing the production process to a complete halt in the affected areas for the next six months,” he said. After the clearance of water, rebuilding of infrastructure would take at least six months, he said.

“The consumption of poultry, especially chicken has been also decreased in the flood-hit areas because focus is on basic foods items,” he said, adding that 5 to 7 percent increase in poultry items due to the flood factor,” Khursand said.

PakTribune reports that earlier in the day on Wednesday, the Poultry Association presented a cheque of Rs 10 million to the Punjab chief minister with a promise to extend further cooperation for the rehabilitation of flood affectees.

 

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