 |
|||
| Contact Us | CPEPC Website | ||
|
Government Announces Effective Dates for New Product of Canada Food Labelling Guidelines CFIA to Release Communication on CanNAISS - Sample Collection Starting August 2008 Pilgrim's Pride Post Significant Loss High Chicken Feed Costs Reduce Tyson Profit Conferences, Courses and Workshops
International negotiators from 153 countries did not manage to reach an agreement in the latest round of World Trade Organization (WTO) talks, held in Geneva, Switzerland from July 19th to 29th. Talks were suspended Tuesday as it became clear that these discussions in the Doha round, which started back in 2001, would fail. Ministers and Heads of Delegations had struggled for more than a week to reach a consensus but were not able to bridge the gaps. Agricultural and Non Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) were at the heart of the discussions. Developing countries like India, Brazil and China were hoping developed countries like the US and the EU would lower subsidies on their own agriculture production as well as lowering tariff walls. Both the EU & US announced reductions during the week of negotiations, but these were seen as unsubstantial by other members, especially those representing developing countries. WTO Director General, Pascal Lamy, said he would not abandon his efforts to find an agreement. Canadian Minister of International Trade - Michael Fortier and Minister of Agriculture - Gerry Ritz both attended the negotiations in Geneva as did many representatives from Canadian Non Governmental Organizations (NGO’s). Robin Horel represented CPEPC in Geneva and reported that the Canadian contingent of NGO reps was the largest of any country. The Canadian government carried a balanced position forward during the week, as they attempted to gain more market access for many agricultural commodities while at the same time protecting Canadian supply management within the sensitive products category. Ministers Fortier and Ritz issued a press release following the breakdown of the talks which can be accessed with the following link. ITCan Press Release of July 29, 2008
Government Announces Effective Dates for New Product of Canada Food Labelling Guidelines Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced July 15th that the new guidelines for Product of Canada food labelling will come into effect for foods produced after December 31, 2008. CFIA Press Release of July 15, 2008 CPEPC members have received periodic updates on this initiative over the past couple of months, including: input into and notes from our testimony at the Standing Committee on Agriculture hearings; notes from the special industry meeting held to review technical details on the proposal; and input into and a copy of our final comments memo to CFIA. That memo included a number of issues that needed to be addressed and some sample questions that needed to be answered in order for the proposed guidelines to be effective. The new guidelines will require that all or virtually all of the ingredients of a product be from Canada in order to qualify for the Product of Canada label. For foods that are processed in Canada, but contain imported ingredients, qualified Made in Canada labels will be available such as "Made in Canada from imported ingredients” or “Made in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients”. CFIA ensures us that this program is not a precursor to Country of Origin labeling. Processors will be able to choose whether to use the Product of Canada label as part of their marketing efforts, but if these claims are made, the product must meet the Government's new guidelines. Given the potential for prosecution under bill C-51 for misleading consumers, combined with the lack of clarity around the concept of “all or virtually all” as discussed earlier, we expect the net result of the new guidelines will be less use overall of the Product of Canada label….not the result that the initiative was designed to achieve. CPEPC members wanting more information can call the Ottawa office or are urged to access the following links:
CFIA to Release Communication on CanNAISS - Sample Collection Starting August 2008 After months of work from industry (as represented by the National Poultry Group) and CFIA, the Canadian Notifiable Avian Influenza Surveillance System (CanNAISS) is about to begin. A letter to processors from Dr. Lord of CFIA outlining what is required from them, as well as a communications document for all producers and processors complete with frequently asked questions, are being finalized this week. Members should expect to receive these letters shortly. CFIA plans to begin collecting serology samples on farms in August. Processors who have questions after receiving the letters from CFIA are urged to contact Robin Horel at Council office.
CHEP held its summer meeting in Kelowna where the weather was hot and the sights were spectacular. As you would expect, there was a great turnout for the summer meeting from both the local BC producers and from across the country. Saskatchewan, which recently signed a contract with CHEP to be a member, and representatives from Alberta were also in attendance. CHEP's Advisory Committee discussed recommendations for a final 2008 chicken production volume and a revised 2009 production forecast. Since CPEPC was granted a request for reconsideration for period A-87 by the CFC Board, the Advisory Committee agreed that the decision of the CFC Board will impact the production volume in 2008 and should be recognized in its recommendation. As a result, the Advisory Committee recommended a 2008 production volume of 1,025.0 million kilograms with a caveat that this volume should be reduced by the same amount determined by the CFC Board for period A-87. The Advisory Committee also recommended 1,030 million kilograms for 2009 chicken production. Both these recommendations were accepted by the CHEP Board of Directors, which resulted in a final 2008 allocation of 1,019.2 million kilograms and a revised 2009 allocation of 1,030.0 million kilograms. During the open Board meeting, the provincial boards, NFPC, CPEPC & CHF provided updates on current conditions and issues that are occurring both provincially and nationally. One major topic of discussion that took place was how to deal with CFIA’s proposed AI Surveillance plan. There were still a number of outstanding issue specifically on the producer confidentially issue and how the surveillance was to be managed. A number of these issues were resolved on a conference between CFIA and the NPG (National Poultry Group) - further information will be forwarded to CPEPC members directly from CFIA and CPEPC. A number of other issues were discussed during the closed meetings including Animal Health and Animal Care strategies, AI related issues, CHEP Proclamation and conference calls with both Steve Verheul to discuss WTO and Normand Boucher to discuss Approved Hatchery Supply Flocks & hatchery related issues that will impact the broiler hatching egg producers were discussed over the course of the meetings. Pilgrim's Pride Post Significant Loss Pilgrim's Pride has posted a significant net loss in its 3rd quarter earnings, which it says is a result of rising feed costs. The company reported a net loss from continuing operations of $48.3 mln on net sales of $2.2 bln for the quarter which ended 28 June, compared to a net profit of $63.3 mln on total sales of $2.1 bln during the same quarter in 2007. "Like other producers, we simply have not been able to keep pace with the extreme price volatility in the grain markets," said Pilgrim's Pride president and CEO Clint Rivers. Total feed ingredient costs in the quarter rose $266 mln (41%) compared to 2007, estimating that its total feed ingredient costs for fiscal 2008 will rise $900 mln. "Over the past six months, we have made some very tough, but necessary, decisions to position our company as a stronger, more efficient competitor," said Rivers, but adding that at present there are no further plans consolidate or sell any other facilities. He did acknowledge, however, that such decisions may be necessary in the future. www.worldpoultry.net
High Chicken Feed Costs Reduce Tyson Profit US-based Tyson Foods has reported lower-than-expected quarterly profit as higher feed prices produced a loss in its chicken unit. Profitable performances in its red meats segments were overshadowed by sharp losses related to feed costs in its chicken business. The company posted earnings of $9 mln in the 3 months ended 28 June, compared with earnings of $111 mln in the same quarter a year ago. Revenue in the third quarter rose to $6.8 bln, from $6.6 bln in the same quarter last year. Tyson's chicken segment suffered a $44 mln loss on $140 mln of grain costs. Tyson estimates that it will spend $550 mln more on grain costs in fiscal 2008 than it did in the previous year. According to CEO Dick Bond, because the company spent only $350 mln of that through the first 3 quarters, 4th quarter results are expected to worsen. He also cited lagging prices in the breast-meat market. www.worldpoultry.net The USDA issued a 233-page interim final rule with request for comments on mandatory Country-of-Origin Labelling (COOL) as required by the 2008 farm bill with an implementation date of 30 September 2008. The rules cover: muscle cuts of beef, veal, lamb, chicken, goat and pork, also ground beef, ground pork, ground lamb, ground chicken and ground goat. Comments on final rule - According to the agency, "In order to meet the 30 September 2008 implementation date and to provide the newly affected industries the opportunity to provide comments prior to issuing a final rule, the Department is issuing this interim final rule." Comments must be received within 60 days and should go to: www.regulations.gov. Written comments can be sent to: Country of Origin Labeling Program, Room 2607-S; Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), USDA; Stop 0254; 1400 Independence Avenue, SW; Washington D.C. 20250-0254 or by facsimile to 202-354-4693. www.worldpoultry.net
Members of the International Poultry Council, representing the poultry industries in more than 20 countries, will gather in Beijing in September at the organization’s annual meeting for discussions on issues affecting poultry production, consumption and trade around the world. The meeting will be held Sept. 24-26 at the Empark Grand hotel in Beijing. The IPC Executive Committee will meet on the afternoon of Sept. 24, and the general session will commence on Sept. 25. IPC President Jim Sumner said that several issues of interest to the international poultry industry will be on the agenda, including a proposed global study on international salmonella-testing standards, an update on the World Organization for Animal Health’s avian influenza compartmentalization program, and the impact of grain prices on global poultry production. Member organizations will also present status reports on their individual countries’ poultry industries. Speakers for the Beijing IPC meeting will be announced over the next several weeks, but international authorities on these topics will be on hand. The IPC will also look at presenting its first marketing award to the national poultry meat association that has the most outstanding marketing program. Information on the award will also be made available soon. The China Poultry Association, which is a member of the IPC, will act as the host organization for the meeting. Headquartered in Paris, the IPC was organized in 2005 and is comprised of 22 countries representing approximately 90 percent of the world’s poultry production. IPC also has a growing number of associate memberships. Companies interested in associate membership are encouraged to contact Toby Moore at tmoore@usapeec.org or George Winn at gaw@ellijay.com. Registration for the meeting is US$500. Registration information will be posted on the IPC’s web site, at www.internationalpoultrycouncil.org. (editors note: Robin Horel from CPEPC is planning to attend and represent Canada) www.worldpoultry.net Conferences, Courses and Workshops
The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association and the American Feed Industry Association announced several exciting programs for the 2009 show, scheduled Jan. 28-30 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Ga. The programs include the return of the International Buyer Program, InfoMart Theater, and Buyer Connection. There will also be the new Asian and Latin American pavilions in the B-C Connector of the GWCC to showcase the poultry and feed industries in those regions. Online hotel registration for the 2009 IPE/IFE will also open Aug. 1 at www.ipe09.org. The hotels designated as room block hotels will have complimentary shuttle service available to and from the GWCC. For more information go to www.ipe09.org or contact USPOULTRY at 1530 Cooledge Road, Tucker, Ga. 30084-7303. To reserve housing by phone, call +1.800.480.4364 (United States and Canada) or +1.972.349.7645 (international).
|
|||
Online preregistration for the