Waiting goes on for easts pig farms
By FWi staff
WITH the number of confirmed foot-and-mouth outbreaks approaching 500, pig producers in the pig-dense East Anglian and Yorkshire regions are watching the spread of the disease with alarm.
At the time of writing, most of the outbreaks have been in areas of lower pig density and have been confined to sheep.
Current slaughterings of all species are over 325,000 head, with a further 170,000 animals awaiting slaughter and over 150,000 carcasses awaiting disposal.
At this stage pigs account for less than 5% of the total figure.
News that foot-and-mouth had been reported in Holland may provide the industry with some short-term relief, as the Dutch government has banned the export of pig meat products from the infected regions.
Dutch imports to the UK have been averaging 3000 tonnes which is equivalent to about 40,000 pigs per week.
As a result of the Dutch ban, some of the larger importers will be switching to UK product and the Malton bacon factory is already sourcing additional live UK pigs.
Traders are quoting prices of between 80-87p/kg for pigs weighing up to 85kg deadweight, and believe this will help to put a bottom in the market.
The outlook for breeders and weaner producers however remains dire because, unlike finishers, opportunities to move their stock are still scarce.
Although local movement licences up to 5km are being obtained, this limits movements to 21-day periods which can play havoc with weaning dates.
MAFF hopes to be announcing further details of longer distance movements of weaners on an “inter-pyramid” basis which should help to ease the pressure for some of the larger breeder and finisher organisations.
Breeding companies including PIC, Cotswold, Rattlerow and JSR have reported great difficulties in moving breeding gilts, with their customers naturally reluctant or unable to take in replacement breeding stock due to the current situation.
This is leading to a massive build-up of overweight potential breeding gilts on multiplication units, many of which are too heavy for the conventional finished pig market.
For those in infected areas the picture is even worse because movements of any types of stock are banned.
As a result MAFF has announced further details of the animal welfare disposal scheme (AWDS).
This will allow producers who have welfare problems because they are in infected areas or controlled zones to apply under the AWDS.
Subject to the approval of their LVI, the Intervention Board will arrange for the collection, slaughter and payment of the pigs involved.
Payment rates have been agreed at 15/pig plus 55p/kg subject to a ceiling of 70/pig and a flat rate 75 for sows.
However the main problem implementing the scheme is, if this is to be run along the lines of the classical swine fever welfare slaughter arrangements last autumn, will be finding enough abattoir and rendering space to cope with the potential throughput.
NPA members have been suggesting that on-farm slaughter, subject to MAFF and veterinary approval for welfare reasons only, might be a way of speeding up the disposal of animals locked up in the system.
This would spare MAFF the additional costs of hauling the livestock to selected abattoirs, slaughtering charges at these abattoirs, onward transport costs to a renderer and the actual rendering costs.
Where possible, on-farm burial might provide a more practical and cheaper alternative or, if this was ruled out due to possible contamination of water supplies on certain farms, on-farm slaughter followed by disposal to nearby approved landfill sites.
In what remains of the market place, meat traders are complaining of very poor retail and wholesale demand and there is still some high cost imported product clogging up the system.
Most spot baconer quotes have fallen into the 80-90p/kg range although the MLC has reported that finished pig flow through the abattoirs is being maintained at close to 90% of pre-foot-and-mouth levels.
Cull sow numbers are however beginning to build up alarmingly because the weekly kill of 6000 sows has now been tapered down to only about 500 sows per week used on the home market.
However Cheale Meats is reported to be slaughtering again and other cull sow abattoirs may be able to take a very limited number.
However, because of the loss of their export markets and the probable ban on any exports of meat that was slaughtered during the foot-and-mouth infective period, it is difficult to see how prices for cull sows will be other than at rock bottom.
Very few weaners have been traded due to the movement restrictions, but some industry sources and marketeers are suggesting a 30kg weaner has a current value of between 28-32/head.
This is barely at break-even for most weaner producers and demand for 7kg pigs will be similarly affected.
Until some form of price support and welfare slaughtering scheme is announced, the industry faces a very uncertain future and the financial and visible pressures of being unable to operate at normal levels are starting to show.
The major banks and feed compounders are coming under increasing financial pressure and the NPA is reminding MAFF that unless some form of commercial activity returns to the market soon, the welfare and financial consequences to the pig industry will be severe.
- Peter Crichton is a Suffolk-based pig farmer offering independent valuation and consultancy services to the UK pig industry
Foot-and-mouth – confirmed outbreaks |
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Foot-and-mouth – FWi coverage |