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Association Synergy Project Focus Groups
Letter
To White House: Importance Of Antibiotics - USA
Belgium To Ban
All Cages For Egg Production
Lohmann
Vaccine Protects Layers Against Salmonella
Silver Bullet Against
Campylobacter?
Chile Reports H1N1
in Turkey Breeder Flock
Conferences, Courses and
Workshops
Association Synergy
Project Focus Groups On August
18 2009, member companies of the Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors
Council (CPEPC), the Canadian Meat Council (CMC), and the Further
Poultry Processors Association of Canada (FPPAC) were invited to
participate in focus group sessions which are being held as part of the
Association Synergy Project. The
Association Synergy Project is a joint project launched in June 2009 by
CPEPC, CMC and FPPAC to develop options with the goal of strengthening
their voice and ensuring a unified approach on matters of common
interest, public policy and consumer confidence. Intersol Consulting
Group Inc. has been hired to lead this project. Intersol
consultants will be conducting four focus groups: one each for the
regular members of the three Councils and one for the associate members
of all three groups. The aim of the focus groups is to get members’
candid views on the issues and pathways for greater synergy. CPEPC Processor members
1:30 - 3:30 pm September 15, 2009 Associate members of all
3 org’s 1:30 - 3:30 pm September 16, 2009 The focus
groups will be held in the Presidents Suite, The University Club of
Toronto, 380 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1R6, Tel:
416-597-1336. To participate via telephone, the teleconference
number is: 1-866-518-0791 code 6422349#. The full
letter with proposed focus group questions and directions to the
University Club of Toronto is available on the CPEPC website:
Letter to Processor Members
Letter to Associate Members For
questions or more information please contact Robin Horel
(robinhorel@cpepc.ca), or the
Intersol consulting team c/o the Intersol office; (613) 230-6424,
attention Carmen Astier, ext. 114,
castier@intersol.ca.
Letter
To White House: Importance Of Antibiotics - USA A coalition
of 20 organizations involved in the animal agriculture industry,
including the American Farm Bureau and the American Veterinary Medical
Association, have sent a letter to Melody Barnes, assistant to President
Barack Obama for domestic policy, regarding the on-farm use of low-level
antibiotics in livestock and poultry. The Georgia
Farm Bureau states that the letter outlined the actions taken by the
groups, both individually and collectively, to ensure these important,
safe, effective Food & Drug Administration (FDA)-approved products are
used judiciously, minimising risk to human health. The letter
went on to say that despite the allegations surrounding these uses, "no
conclusive scientific studies have been offered demonstrating the use of
antibiotics on farms contributes significantly to an increase in human
resistance. In fact, a growing body of evidence shows just the opposite,
namely the responsible, professional use of these products reduces
pathogens in and on foods, enhancing animal welfare while not
contributing to resistance." The letter
was addressed to Barnes, but it also was transmitted to the offices of
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Health and Human
Services Kathleen Sebelius, Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Tom
Harkin (D-Iowa) and Ranking Member Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), House
Agriculture Committee Chair Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Ranking Member
Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg and FDA
Principal Deputy Commissioner Dr. Joshua Sharfstein.
Belgium To Ban All Cages For Egg Production The Belgian government has advised a ban on all laying-hen cage systems
by 2025. Although the current EU Directive demands a ban on the use of battery
cages from 2012, it will still allow the use of enriched cages. Animal
welfare organizations oppose all cages, including enriched cages. Three
options for the future of laying-hen welfare in Belgium were on the
table and considered by a committee which consisted of producers,
consumer and animal welfare groups – applying the EU law and thus
banning conventional cages from 2012, thereby allowing enriched cages;
changing the standards for enriched cages; or, a complete shift to
alternative egg-laying systems, such as barn or free-range. The cage ban
proposed by the committee is linked to certain prerequisites relating to
the sanitary conditions of alternative systems and the preservation of
Belgian producers’ competitiveness. www.worldpoultry.net
Lohmann
Vaccine Protects Layers Against Salmonella Lohmann
Animal Health's AviPro® Megan® Egg is a live attenuated Salmonella
vaccine specifically developed to protect egg layers against Salmonella
Enteritidis infection. The vaccine
reduces the colonization of the intestinal tract and ceca by Salmonella
Enteritidis, and is the only commercial live Salmonella vaccine with a
claim to protect ovaries and oviducts, says the company. AviPro®
Megan® Egg is for use in pullets and laying hens to protect against
infection from Salmonella Enteritidis that is known to contaminate eggs.
Pullets generally receive 3 vaccinations during the growing period,
providing protection against Salmonella Enteritidis during the laying
cycle. The
vaccine, which is administered through coarse spray vaccination at 2, 4
and 16 weeks of age, is derived from a naturally-occurring Salmonella
Typhimurium that has been genetically modified to impair 2 genes that
are important for normal growth and metabolism. The modifications to the
cya and crp genes result in an organism that is completely distinct from
Salmonella species. AviPro® Megan® Egg does not interfere with
Salmonella monitoring programs. When cultures are examined using a rapid
identification system, the results show a biochemical profile that is
considerably distinct from other Salmonella. Turkey
production for the first 6 months of 2009 is down 9.4%, totalling 2.8
bln lbs, compared to the same period in 2008, according to the most
recent Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook from USDA’s Economic
Research Service. The drop in
production of turkey meat was primarily due to a decline in the number
of birds slaughtered. During the
first half of 2009, the number of turkeys slaughtered was down 9.5%
compared with the first half of 2008. There was also a small reduction
in the average weight of birds going to slaughter. For the second half of 2009, the forecast for turkey meat production is
2.94 bln lbs, down 6.7% from the same period in 2008, and 35 million lbs
less than the previous forecast. The turkey meat production decrease is
expected to come primarily from a smaller number of birds slaughtered
because the average weights at slaughter are not expected to be
significantly different from the previous year. During the
first 6 months of 2009, the number of turkey poults placed for growout
totaled only 141 mln, down 9.6% from the same period in 2008 and 9.7%
lower than the number placed for growout in the first 6 months of 2007. Canadian
turkey production is also reduced from 2008 levels. Turkey Farmers
of Canada's Turkey Market Review shows production for the first 6
months of 2009 down 5.7% from same time last year. CPEPC forecasts
double digit percentage decreases from last year over the last half of
2009.
Silver Bullet Against
Campylobacter? Anglia
Autoflow says its new broiler crate can help in the battle against
campylobacter. Testing has
confirmed that a new range of bird crates with antimicrobial properties
can help in the battle against campylobacter, according to a report in
Poultry World on Farmers Weekly Interactive (FWi).
Campylobacter is the most common cause of food poisoning in humans and
is commonly found in the guts of chickens. Transportation crates used to
carry chickens from farms to processing plants are known to get
contaminated with the bug and can cross-contaminate and infect unrelated
flocks. To address
this, Anglia Autoflow has developed a new range of its crates which
incorporate antimicrobial protection using the silver-based Biocote
system. Once the
Biocote silver ion technology is incorporated into the crates at the
manufacturing stage, they can inhibit the growth of bacteria, such as
campylobacter, on their surface, reducing the risk of crates becoming a
source of contamination and infection in the poultry industry. In one
trial, standard crates were compared with the Biocote crates. Swabs were
collected in triplicate from 10 treated and 10 untreated crates at key
points throughout the crate decontamination process: pre-wash (once the
live birds were removed), post-wash, post-sanitisation and then one, two
and three hours post-sanitisation. Before
entering the decontamination process, the average counts of total
bacteria were more than 14 times higher on standard crates than Biocote-treated
crates, said the company. Biocote's
microbiologist, Richard Hastings, told Poultry World: "This shows how
Biocote protection can help reduce the risk of cross-contamination
during the poultry transportation process. Treated crates harboured
fewer bacteria and campylobacter, which suggests they are less likely to
pass bacteria from flock to flock."
Chile Reports H1N1
in Turkey Breeder Flock Chile has
reported a detection of H1N1 influenza virus in a flock of breeder
turkeys, the first time the virus has been found outside of humans and
hogs, according to a report last week. Chilean agriculture
officials said that the virus had been found at two farms 75 miles from
the capital city of Santiago, and had been contained. Chile also
notified the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) of the finding.
Authorities said the farms were placed under quarantine on Aug. 13 as a
precaution after producers reported a drop in egg production. USA Poultry
& Egg Export Council MondayLine - Aug. 24, 2009
Conferences, Courses and Workshops
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The U.S.
Department of Commerce Commercial Service invites U.S. exporters to
attend the