The Pink Pages - Bpex

Facts and Figures
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The Pink Pages
Number: 13
January 2015
Pork mince is soaring
Despite less pork sold on promotion, cuts
to the base price has meant that the
average price has slowly fallen over the year
and now lies almost 7% down on 2013
levels.
Lower prices have supported sales to
some extent, with some switching in
consumer shopping baskets from beef and
lamb to pork. However, overall volume sales
for the latest 12-week period have fallen on
last year. Chicken remains the cheapest
meat and has attracted consumers seeking
financial savings away from other meats.
Higher volume sales of leg joints have
been the key driver behind the increase in
roasting joint volumes, driven by price
promotions from one of the major retailers.
Shoulder joints have also performed well,
while sales of loin and belly have
both pulled back over the year.
Sales of pork belly have been
consistently falling since March,
despite little change in price.
Although from a relatively small
base, sales of pork mince have
shown some of the largest growth
of all pork products. Over the last
two years, volume sales of pork
mince have increased by over 40%,
in part due to its relative cost in
comparison to beef. For the
12-week period to 9 November, the
average price of pork mince was
almost 15% less than beef mince
Source: Defra
Go to: http://www.bpex.org.uk/prices-facts-figures/consumption/tnsmeatmarketsummary.aspx
UK weekly clean pig slaughterings
Comparison of UK and EU pig reference prices
The average reference price for exporters to the UK
is a weighted average based on the percentage of
UK pork imports originating from each member state.
Source: Defra
Sources of pig meat consumed in the UK
Source: Defra, HMRC
Source: AHDB Market Intelligence, EU Commission
GB average retail pork carcase price and DAPP
Source: AHDB Market Intelligence
Pig Production
87
LED lighting trial in dry sow arcs
halogen light in terms of power usage and
Mike is hoping to get about 180 to 200 lux in
the tent.
"The sows will remain in there until seven
weeks post service and they'll be pregnancy
scanned."
“We’ll then be able to compare the results of
these pigs with our other three pens and see
whether results are positive or negative.”
The lights come on at 7am and remain on
right through until 10pm. They come on in
stages to try to simulate ‘progressive’ light; the
outside lights come on first and the ones at
the back second
Outdoor producer Mike Clarke is trialling LED
lighting in service huts and dry sow arcs to
see if it helps reduce seasonal infertility. Mike
says: “Seasonal infertility is something that
seems to affect most producers every year
now. Indoor producers can try and overcome it
by using lighting but most outdoor units can’t
do that as not many have access to power.
“As we do have access to power in close
proximity to our unit, I approached BPEX with
a view to doing a trial and after discussion we
agreed it would be worthwhile.”
The service area is split into four pens and
the artificial lighting has been installed in the
service huts in one of those pens. “Light is
being generated by LEDs,
which is relatively new
technology and allows us
to do it without using huge
amounts of energy.”
Once service has been
completed the sows go in
to the dry sow tent so
25% of sows will be in
there. There are six
floodlights in there, each
30 watts. They’re the
equivalent of a 300 watt
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Hoping to reduce seasonal infertility
Has access to power on outdoor unit
Using 30 watt LED lights
Aiming for 180 to 200 lux
Lights are on from 7am to 10pm
To view a video of Mike Clarke explaining the project, go to: http://www.bpex.org.uk/2TS/innovationfund/currentprojects.aspx#LEDLighting
Pig research project insights
The BPEX website has a section introducing
the PhD students who are sponsored to
carry out in-depth scientific research into pig
production issues. Projects range from
investigating novel ways to diagnose disease
to improving sow udder quality traits and
from overcoming light pig syndrome to
reducing light pig syndrome.
They generally run for three years, with
regular opportunities during that time for the
News in pictures
PhD students to discuss progress both with
their peers and BPEX to help ensure projects
cover all relevant questions. On completion, a
number of students to date have secured jobs
in the pig industry, where they have
continued to contribute in a variety of roles.
Individual profiles on the website give brief
insights into the students’ backgrounds and
project aims, with links to more detailed
information
A picture is worth a thousand words so BPEX
often publishes short photo stories online to
report on its activities in a concise, digestible
way. The stories range from producer study
tour highlights to field trial updates, training
sessions and practical on-farm case studies
Go to:
http://www.bpex.org.uk/R-and-D/funding/studentships/students.aspx
To view the growing library of stories, go to:
http://www.bpex.org.uk/news/photo-library/photostories/default.aspx
Find nearby pig events
BPEX pig clubs, producer workshops and
training courses are running from January to
June around the country.
The knowledge transfer team’s local events
programme this season covers topics
including: benchmarking, sow nutrition, small
pig management, improving growth feed
conversion ratio and building efficiency.
Plus, there are national pig industry
conferences including the AHDB Outlook
conference in February, which looks at global
Go to: www.bpex.org.uk/events/eventsmap/
markets and economic challenges for all
livestock sectors, and the BPEX Innovation
Conference in May.
Event details and contacts are available on
the BPEX online events map. The map is
colour-coded and searchable by event type,
region or date and details of each event can
be saved directly to an Outlook calendar.
Anyone in the industry can also submit
details of their own events or discussion
groups to add to the calendar
Presentations and podcasts of all the
speakers at the BPEX Regional Producer
Events are available to catch up with online.
The programme featured presentations on
how to improve key aspects of pig production
management at every stage of the cycle, from
insemination through to sale, in order to
improve the pig meat output for every square
metre of the unit.
The events identified key aspects of pig
management from breeding through to
finishing where changes can be made to
improve output. It requires a combination of
a number of things; there’s no silver bullet.
The presentations and on-farm video
footage offer plenty of practical take-home
messages for people who work with pigs day
to day.
In the breeding herd, the speakers covered
what makes the biggest difference to weaned
pig quality and how to manage the small pig
at weaning.
The ‘growth challenge’ in the finishing herd
was also addressed and the programme
concluded with a discussion of the costs per
kg of pig meat produced and the importance
of routine data collection and analysis
To watch the presentations, go to http://www.bpex.org.uk/events/conferences/Producer/default.aspx
Keep knowledge up to date
It’s worth reviewing training needs among pig
unit staff at the beginning of the year and
having a look at what training courses and
activities are available. Skilled, enthusiastic
people are the most important part of a
successful pig business and everyone should
be encouraged to take part in continuous
professional development (CPD).
There is a variety of CPD activity from
training courses to attending pig club
meetings, completing
online quizzes and
reading Pig World.
‘In-house’ training,
which producers
provide to staff on
farm, can also
contribute to CPD.
There are details of
BPEX training
courses and
workshops available
in its Training
Calendar 2014/15.
In-house training
sessions could
include training staff
on the unit’s standard
operating procedures (SOP) or using the
BPEX Practical Pig App. All of these can be
registered as training sessions so
participants can earn Pig Industry
Professional Register (PIPR) points.
Producers themselves can become registered
PIPR trainers – to ensure they get credit for
all the training and development they do.
PIPR is the pig industry’s own CPD
scheme, established to recognise
professionalism and encourage lifelong
learning to build on the existing skills in the
pig industry. Members collect points through
skills and knowledge acquisition both
on-farm and through external training
providers. PIPR provides a record of
achievement, independently accredited and
recognised industry wide. It’s a practical way
to help recognise and reward CPD, which is a
key part of the pig industry’s skills strategy
‘Recruit, Retain, Reward’. It can also help
producers provide a record of the training
they do to comply with the recommendations
of assurance schemes
Training and development activities include:
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Courses
Workshops
Attending conferences
Online quizzes
Webinars
Using the BPEX Practical Pig App.
To view the BPEX Training Calendar, go to: www.bpex.org.uk/2TS/Training/ For details about PIPR and how to register, go to: www.pipr.org.uk
Pig Production
Catch up online:
BPEX producer events
Pig Meat Marketing
Meat played a significant part in the diet of early humans
Dr Carrie Ruxton
The answers to today’s health woes could be
found in the diets of our 10,000 year old
ancestors, says dietitician Dr Carrie Ruxton.
A paper by Dr Ruxton has been published in
a leading health magazine, Complete Nutrition,
which explores man’s ancestral diets and how
they compare with modern eating habits.
Dr Ruxton, a member of the Meat Advisory
Panel, which is supported by BPEX, examined
when man’s ancestors first moved over to an
omnivorous diet and then more closely
examined the Palaeolithic diet with
comparisons to today.
Comparatively recently, dietary changes have
occurred but in too short a time for the human
genome to adapt, which could
explain the high levels of
certain diseases, such as
cardiovascular disease, Type 2
diabetes and cancer.
Carrie said: “There is clear
evidence that man evolved as
an omnivore. Animal products
were a significant part of the
diet of early humans and were
inextricably linked with
subsequent changes in brain
size and the acquisition of
skills.
“Later dietary shifts
towards a largely cereal-based
diet are believed to have
happened too quickly for our
genome to adapt successfully,
increasing the risk of
non-communicable diseases.
She said: “Red meat is often
highlighted as a risk factor in
observational studies. But
despite consuming far more
meat than would be
recommended in Western
countries, [hunter gatherer
societies] have a far lower
incidence of such conditions.”
To find out more, go to: http://meatandhealth.redmeatinfo.com/meat-the-experts/meat-advisory-panel-%28map%29.aspx
BPEX new marketing campaign for pulled pork
including variations of pulled pork recipes for
different cuisines.
“The activity’s aim is to engage these
influential journalists, demonstrate how
delicious and easy pulled pork is and for them
to write about it in the future.”
Work has already started on the new BPEX
marketing campaign for pulled pork, due to
launch at the end of April.
Some consumer publications can work up
to four months ahead, so the team has
already started to reach out to those in
influential publications.
The marketing team will be arranging the
delivery of a hamper so journalists can cook
pulled pork themselves to see both how easy
and how tasty it is.
BPEX marketing communications
manager Jane Charlesworth said: “The
hamper will include a piece of quality pork
shoulder, ingredients and booklet to explain
what the campaign is trying to achieve –
Pulled pork rolls
To find out more, go to: www.lovepork.co.uk
For more information
Tel: 0247 647 8811
© Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) 2015. All rights reserved.
www.bpex.org.uk
BPEX is a division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.
BPEX The Pink Pages January 2014