TheMeatSite Newsletter - 8 December 2010

TheMeatSite Weekly Newsletter

Wednesday 8th December 2010

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Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial: Canada Invests in Meat Processing Industry

The Canadian Government is investing in the country's meat processing industry.

The government has put forward grants of up to C$3 million for a series of pilot projects that will investigate and help better position provincial meat processors to move their safe, high quality product across the country while keeping with Canada's high federal food safety standards.

As part of the Economic Action Plan, Member of Parliament Ray Boughen also announced an investment of more than C$1.7 million to Donald's Fine Foods to refurbish of its facility in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.

This repayable contribution will help to buy new slaughter and meat processing equipment, allowing the company to increase its capacity and meet demands of an expanding market.

However, in Australia, more than 100 National Union of Workers members at Swift meat processing plant in Brooklyn were locked out on Friday after deciding to take industrial action following a wage offer, which they claim is well below the cost of living.

In New Zealand, the Te Aroha beef plant, part of the Silver Fern company, was significantly damaged by a fire late on Friday night. It took about 20 fire engines and 70 fire fighters to bring it under control.

No one was injured and there were no livestock involved and, the company says, there were no environmental impacts.

Silver Fern Farms Chairman Eoin Garden and Chief Executive Keith Cooper met with a large number of the 350 employees of the plant on Monday to brief them on employment options for coming months.

Chris Harris

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 5 new features this week:

Genomic Testing for Better Selection
The Danish pig industry has developed a genomic test to select the best breeding animals to be able to ensure improve meat quality, better feed conversion and for sows, better maternal instincts, writes TheMeatSite senior editor, Chris Harris.

Optimising Returns on Animal By-Products
Protein meal should be allowed back into animal feeds to improve the financial returns on animal by-products in the UK, writes TheMeatSite senior editor, Chris Harris.

Beef Breed has a Considerable Effect on End Value
Breed and sex differences in carcase distribution can have a considerable effect on the overall value of beef animals due to differential pricing of various cuts, according to studies carried out in Edinburgh and Bristol.

UK Poultry and Poultry Meat Statistics - November 2010
By Defra. This monthly publication combines the UK Hatcheries Survey and Poultry Slaughterhouse Survey results together with other Defra statistics, and trade data. It includes data to October 2010.

Effectiveness of Interventions for Reducing Salmonella Colonisation
The effectiveness of interventions for reducing Salmonella colonisation in broiler chickens from farm to processing are reported by the Poultry Industry Council of Canada. The survey found the most common on-farm interventions reported to be competitive exclusion products and feed or water additives, while biosecurity and carcass dips at the processing plant were also well investigated.