ASF is a highly contagious viral disease that affects domestic pigs and wild boars, and should it arrive in the UK, it would have devastating consequences on the national pig herd.

The arrival of the virus in Sweden is concerning, as previously the disease has only been reported further south in Europe.

Given the significant distance between the case in Sweden and other cases on the continent, it is thought that humans have been responsible for transporting the virus through food, clothing or vehicles rather than being spread by wild boar.

In response to the news, NFU Scotland has issues three key messages to farmers, the government and the public:

• For the public – Don’t bring pork products into the country for personal consumption or resale.
• For farmers – Revisit your biosecurity measures around visitors and food waste.
• For the UK Government – Protect our Borders!

“The growing threat of ASF on mainland Europe continues to loom over all pig producers in the UK,” said NFU Scotland Pigs Committee chair, Jamie Wyllie. “The impact and severity on our pig herd, were ASF to reach these shores, cannot be underestimated.

“At farm level, biosecurity remains our first line of defence and producers need to consider who and what they allow on their farm. For the public, we urge them to comply with the requirement that no pork products should be brought into the UK for personal consumption.

“And for the UK Government, it needs to understand the potential consequences of its lax approach to introducing proper post-Brexit border controls.”

Mr Wyllie stressed without proper border controls and checks, the government is leaving pig producers exposed to the disease. With the introduction of the new Border Target Operating Model until next year, the chances of stopping the spread of ASF onto the British Isles remain slim.

“The UK Government still insists ASF is a medium risk when reporting disease but without Border controls and the disease still spreading in Europe, NFU Scotland believes this should be moved to high,” Mr Wyllie added.

National biosecurity must be a priority

In a letter to Defra secretary Thérèse Coffey, NPA chairman Rob Mutimer has urged the government to take more robust action to keep ASF out of the country, after yet another delay in the introduction of checks on goods from the EU.

In the absence of proper checks at ports, he called for more frequent and robust measures to be implemented at all points of entry, including ports, airports and postal hubs, and for the UK’s biosecurity to remain a priority for the government.

Mr Mutimer welcomed measures introduced last September to limit non-commercial imports of pork and the work that has been done by the government to raise awareness of the disease.

“However, the continued delay to checks on goods moving from the EU to Great Britain leaves us exposed to ASF as it continues its relentless spread across Europe,” he said.

He went on to point out that the government’s own Border Target Operating Model document states that ‘an outbreak of African Swine Fever would be a fundamental threat to the viability of our pig industry’.

“The Government’s own assessment of the threat of ASF, and its potentially devastating impact on British pig farming, could not be clearer.

“We do understand the need to protect supply chains and shelter people from further inflationary pressures. However, a better balance needs to be struck that prioritises Britain’s biosecurity and protects our own food producers and our self-sufficiency.

“We need to use all available resources to reduce the threat of ASF reaching in the UK before SPS controls are put in place in April next year,” Mr Mutimer concluded.

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As of 1^st June 2023, the pig population in England is reportedly down 11.6% year-on-year, which his likely to come as little surprise to producers who have been grappling with negative margins for ten consecutive quarters.

The drop in the total pig population has been driven by a substantial fall in the numbers of fattening pigs, which are at the lowest number since 2012, at 3.30million head.

On the other hand, the breeding pig population has remained level in 2023, with numbers coming in at 329,000 head. Within the category, the female breeding herd saw a relatively small decline of only 1.5% (4,000 head), with sows in pig down 3.0% year-on-year but gilts in pig up 8.99%.

Meanwhile, boars being used for service recorded larger declines and are down 6.9% on the previous year, however, the number of gilts intended for first time breeding is up by 8.3%, giving some scope for optimism.

These latest trends in breeding pig numbers, particularly the increase of gilts in pig and the number of gilts intended for first time breeding, show signs of a more positive industry sentiment and producers slowly beginning to recover from financial difficulties.

While ADHB is not expecting pig numbers, throughputs and production to bounce back to the heights of 2021, as long as consumer demand remains consistent and net margins for producers continue on a positive track, some welcome growth is anticipated.

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Image: Google maps

The facility, which will be the UK’s largest state-of-the-art feed mill, is set to be built on land owned by British Sugar Plc, off Compiegne Way on the A143 at the edge of Bury St Edmunds.

Proposals for the site include ancillary offices, silos, a warehouse, improved access route and parking. It will produce feed for pigs and poultry, predominantly made from wheat, barley, pulses and rapeseed.

The new facility will replace the existing AB Agri feed mill on Eastern Way in Bury St Edmunds and will create 70 new jobs, according to AB Agri and British Sugar.

Making the case for the new building in the planning application, it was noted that by 2050, forecasts suggest the UK population will reach 77 million, increasing the demand for protein. Pig and poultry feed manufacturing is at capacity and already struggling to keep pace with this growing demand.

The facility will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, producing up to 950,000 net tonnes of pig and poultry feed per annum.

Despite concerns raised by the local planning authority that the mill could have a significant adverse impact on the wider landscape, councillors unanimously approved the planning application, according to East Anglian Daily Times.

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According to data insights company Kantar, the market value of primary pork has grown 10.2% year-on-year (YOY) to £800m, which is 1.8 percentage points ahead of the YOY increase for total grocery over the same period.

This value growth is driven by inflation, as average primary pork prices rose by 15.7% YOY to £5.71/kg but volumes sit 4.7% lower over the same period, continuing the 52 w/e declines seen since November.

Whilst new shoppers are typically younger, the majority of sales come from older shoppers, so it remains key to mobilise repeat consumers, AHDB has said.

Due to the large number of processed pork options, primary pork makes up only 14.9% of total pork volumes. However, it is still one of the cheapest proteins, coming in at £1.50/kg cheaper than the average for primary meat, fish and poultry (mfp).

Despite its affordability, figures show the retail performance of primary pork is beginning to slip, and its YOY volume decline now outpace beef.

AHDB trainee analyst Tom Price said: “This comes as the cost-of-living crisis causes consumers to trade down to cheaper products like mince and sausages, and cheaper proteins like chicken, as well as limiting their meat consumption altogether in an attempt to save money.

“Consumers switching to primary chicken accounted for 26.2% of all primary pork volume losses YOY, as chicken is the cheapest protein on the market at £4.81/kg.”

He said promoting pork as a component of tasty and affordable meals could help boost sales, which is a key point in AHDB’s Mix up Midweek campaign.

However, the lower price point of pork compared to other red meats still stands it in a good position within the market, and declines in retail volume when compared to beef and lamb could be limited over the coming months.

As the cost-of-living crisis continues into the festive period, there is also a likelihood for increased demand for pork at Christmas as pork roasting joints are approximately 50% cheaper than that of beef and lamb.

“Retailers looking to boost primary pork sales could also promote the health credentials of pork through highlighting how pork is high in protein, a source of zinc and B vitamins including B12,” Mr Price added. “This could encourage consumers to purchase pork, especially when combined with messaging around primary pork’s affordability.”

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Andrew Palmer, knowledge exchange relationship manager at AHDB, with indoor pigs.

The new Stockperson Plus syllabus has been redesigned and expanded by AHDB to cover topics like water management, managing casualty pigs, and assurance schemes in more detail.

While the workshops were previously offered face-to-face, AHDB has decided to move the course completely online to enable more people from the pig industry with diverse workloads to attend.

The programme aims to further develop the technical skills of pig unit staff and naturally follows on from the Stockperson Development Scheme (SDS).

AHDB’s knowledge exchange relationship manager (East), Andrew Palmer, said: “We’ve brought the scheme back because of how quickly many workers in the industry are finding themselves faced with greater responsibilities.

“Having spoken to stockpeople and their managers we’ve included a few new topics along with options for indoor and outdoor units,” he added.

The newer advanced technical sessions are aimed at stockpeople who have good understanding already and/or have completed the SDS, and want to progress to become a supervisor or manager or just get a deeper understanding of a particular production area they are currently working in.

Training sessions will begin in late October and run through until March 2024.

For more information on what’s on offer and to place on the Stockperson Plus scheme, visit the AHDB website here.

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To keep new diseases and new strains of existing diseases such as PRRS out of the UK, protocols around imports must be followed.

The reminder has been issued by the National Pig Association, in conjunction with APHA, Pig Veterinary Society, AHDB, Pig Health and Welfare Council and SRUC.

Imported pigs and semen should only be sourced from PRRSV-negative unvaccinated herds.

Prior to purchases or importations, there should always be a direct discussion between the importer’s vet and the vet for the herd from which pigs or semen are being imported.

“This helps to avoid many of the disease risks that could otherwise occur and the vet is then in a good position to advise and interpret pre-import test results,” said NPA chief executive Lizzie Wilson.

“Negative pre-import test results are vital. If testing is only done post-import and positive results are obtained, the importer is faced with difficult but important decisions such as whether to send back, or cull, pigs that test positive, as well as the associated costs.

“No one would want to be responsible for placing the national herd at risk by allowing exotic PRRSV strains to be introduced.”

The NPA protocol states:

• Pigs must only be sourced from herds deemed to be free from both PRRSV-1 and PRRSV-2 by routine surveillance and that do not vaccinate against PRRSV
• Blood samples from a representative sample of pigs destined for export must be tested within 30 days prior to departure
• If any samples are deemed virus-positive following testing by PCR the pigs may not be released for transport to Britain. Pigs for importation should test negative for PRRSV antibody and for virus (by PCR) pre-importation.

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The PigProGrAm project aimed to find a farm-focused solution for the harvesting of green ammonia from pig waste that could also lead to the creation of hydrogen – a valuable tool in the fight against climate change.

The innovative Downflow Gas Contactor (DGC) was installed on a pig farm in July.

Harvesting ammonia from pig waste means that ammonia emissions will be lower. In addition, the byproduct from the process creates a resource that can be used in several ways, such as producing a high-quality fertiliser as well as potentially generating hydrogen.

The research team consists of AHDB, Beta Technology, the University of Leeds, Duynie Feed, a commercial pig unit in North Yorkshire, and newest partner Membracon.

Aman Sohl from Membracon said: “The DGC will be used on this ambitious project to help generate a route for the livestock sector to become truly sustainable; considering the true practices of a circular economy, while retaining a sound financial profile to continuing operations.”

Zanita Markham, AHDB’s projects and engagement relationship manager, said: “We hope that the PigProGrAm project will be the first stage of a larger demonstration of the potential of this innovative approach to harvesting green ammonia from livestock and will contribute to the UK meeting its net-zero emission target.

“The project is a step forwards in helping reduce the environmental impact of pig farms which not only enables us to keep meeting environmental targets but could have a significant positive impact on the public perception of pig farming.”

The project has received £600K of government money under the Farming Innovation Programme.

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Stock photo for illustration only.

Suffolk Police is appealing for information on the theft of 50 gilts which were taken from a paddock at a farm in Little Livermere, near Bury St Edmunds.

The thieves are said to have struck between 3pm on 4^th August and 10am on 8^th August.

Anyone who has any information should contact Suffolk Police via the website reporting form or 101, quoting crime reference 37/46145/23.

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This latest milestone represents and overall reduction of 75% in antibiotic use since 2015, which has been accomplished through the collaborative efforts of farmers, veterinarians, and industry stakeholders.

According to the latest figures, a significant reduction of 20% in antibiotic use for treating pigs on farms was achieved in 2022 alone, giving emphasis to the industry’s dedication to protecting the health and welfare of pigs.

Moreover, data collected by AHDB using the electronic Medicine Book (eMB), representing approximately 95% of pigs slaughtered in the UK, shows that antibiotic use in 2022 stood at 70mg/PCU, down considerably from 87mg/PCU in 2021.

Commenting on the figures, Dr Grace Webster, chair of the Pig Health & Welfare Council Antimicrobial Use Subgroup, said:

“This year’s significant reduction in antibiotic use on the UK’s pig farms takes the sector below the TTF2 target and in part, reflects the extended use of Zinc Oxide manufactured before the withdrawal of its marketing authorisation which the VMD authorised up to the end of the Shelf Life of that product.

This has avoided an anticipated rise in antibiotic use to treat Post Weaning Diarrhoea in 2022 but as supplies run out in the coming months, this may still be an issue that vets and pig producers are yet to face.”

AHDB Pork Sector Council member and National Pig Association chair, Robert Mutimer, hailed the collaborative efforts of British pig producers and vets, and remarked on the impressive accomplishment of surpassing antibiotic use target in the face of well-known difficulties affecting the sector.

Dr Mandy Nevel, head of Animal Health & Welfare at AHDB, also commented on the work demonstrating a responsible approach to antibiotic use. She added:

“The extensive data set collated over the last eight years has provided robust evidence of progress and has helped vets and farmers work collaboratively to make changes on farm and monitor that progress.

“The eMB was an industry initiative facilitated by the Pig Health and Welfare Council and over the last eight years, champions of the system, both farmers and vets, have led the industry on the road to responsible antibiotic use. It is wonderful to see what the industry collective can and has achieved.”

The eMB provides a comprehensive overview of antibiotic use in the sector, enabling the industry to identify opportunities for optimising individual antibiotic usage. Quarterly data submissions in accordance with Red Tractor and QMS requirements and are analysed by AHDB.

The data is then shared with key stakeholders including the Pig Veterinary Society, National Pig Association, Pig Health and Welfare Council, RUMA, Veterinary Medicines Directorate.

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The AHDB is looking for new sector council members with experience in the livestock and cereals sectors, with applications closing on 26^th June.

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