Recent reports of mercury found in B2 have led us to investigate the incident and our sources of vitamins. According to our records and those of the suppliers we have not received any of the affected material. We remain in contact with the suppliers in question should any further developments occur.

19 August 2011

On 26th May a British Blue cull cow offered at Newark market went under the hammer for £3,076. She weighed 994 kilos and sold for 309.5p per kilo. The ultra-strong trade for cull cows was also reflected in the sale for £2,853.70 of a 1,021 kg cow for 279.5p a kilo and an 832 kilo cow at 271p for £2,258p.

All three were purchased by one processor and it is thought the carcases are likely to be shipped into Belgium – although trade for cull cows across the UK was stronger than ever last week (up about 5p a dwkg overall) because national stocks of 70VL burger mince are exceptionally low.

For further details please contact our technical team. 31 May 2011

International demand for beef continues to be strong because primary exporters (Brazil, USA, and Argentina) are moving less onto the market. Prices are moving upwards because more importing countries are finding themselves short of product. For example, over January and February deliveries into Russia, the world’s largest importer grew by 56 per cent on a year on year basis to 72,513 tonnes (pw). Russia purchased 15,328 tonnes from Australia over the same two months compared with only 892 tonnes a year earlier. Other purchases were made from Uruguay and Paraguay – all of which confirms that the world’s export beef surplus is shrinking.

Within Europe the biggest importer continues to be Turkey. It is taking beef out of Germany which in turn is buying more from the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

At the same time there has been a 23 per cent fall of beef imports into the EU as a whole. Deliveries from Brazil were down by more than 20 per cent while imports from Uruguay were 30 per cent lower.

For further details please contact our technical team. 31 May 2011

The International Grains Council has reduced its world wide wheat yield forecast for 2011-2012 by a further one per cent after confirmation of more weather problems in principal grain growing countries.

Crop yield problems across the Europe and the UK could mean wheat will be even dearer next season – although feed wheat could be in greater than expected supply because more bread wheat plantings are expected to fall short of required quality criteria and be rejected by millers. So, paradoxically, news this week that quality wheat crops are already compromised, even if it rains next week, could help feeders and finishers counter yield (but not quality) problems that are expected for feed grain. Millers have already agreed that more wheat than usual will be taken up for stock feed instead although feed wheat prices have risen by almost ten per cent over the last two weeks as reduced rain fall over almost the whole of Europe (and the Ukraine) as much lower yields are anticipated.

Whether these price rises are maintained could depend on how much bread wheat is actually rejected on EU and UK farms over August-October.

For further details please contact our technical team. 31 May 2011

The disease that has affected Asia, Africa and Europe for centuries has become the first known animal disease to have been eradicated by man’s efforts claims the World Organisation of Animal Health (25 May 2011). Rinderpest (Cattle Plague) an often fatal disease of cloven-hoofed animals, caused by a morbillivirus that is related to measles and distemper, has been a major cause of farming failures and famines in affected countries. Rinderpest has been recorded since Roman times and was endemic throughout India and Africa, but it follows diseases like Smallpox into the history books.

27 May 2011

South Korean farming has been devastated by a recent Foot and Mouth disease epidemic that followed a winter outbreak of bird flu. It is estimated that S Korea has destroyed about 9.7million cattle, pigs and poultry in their efforts to control the diseases and that demand for animal feed has subsequently fallen by about 10%. It comes as a timely reminder of the FMD outbreak in the UK, which occurred 10 years ago this spring and had a devastating impact on many rural communities and industries.

27 May 2011

The EU Regulation 297/2011 imposing special import conditions for food and feed originating from Japan has been implemented by Premier Nutrition. The legislation was imposed to allow supplies of Japanese-sourced materials prior to the Tsunami to be used and future ones to be supplied only after certain conditions are met eg those materials arising from Japan and especially those from Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Miyagi, Yamagata, Niigata, Nagano, Yamanashi, Saitama, Tokyo and Chiba prefectures must pass laboratory tests to prove low level radioactivity.

For further details please contact our technical team. 01 April 2011

Recent research has shown how poor calf/heifer development can have a dramatic effect on future performance and overall herd profitability. Spanish researchers reporting in the Journal of Dairy Science tracked the health, development and performance of 7,768 Holstein heifers and found that the potential exists to forecast future heifer success in finishing their first lactation based on growth rate during the first two months of life, incidence of respiratory problems, conception and abortion rates plus their age at first calving.

For example heifers that reached a second lactation grew about 0.8kg per day during their first two months than animals that left the herd before calving down for a second time, whereas heifers that experienced an abortion were three times more likely to leave the herd than those that did not.

The researchers claim that this offers further evidence of the importance of calf health and development on future performance and profitability.

For further details please contact our technical team. 24 March 2011

In a series of laboratory experiments and live animal tests carried out at Penn State University an Oregano oil containing supplement not only decreased methane emissions by up to 40% it also improved production by up to 1.5kg/day.

Associate Professor Alexander Hristov suggested that since methane production is a loss of potential energy to the cow, reducing the emission of methane would make that energy available for other processes such as milk production. Further work to establish what other essential oils could reduce methane production is under way.

For further details please contact our technical team.

25 January 2011

The use of Vitamin E as a nutritional additive in animal feed has been reviewed by the EU Commission and authorised under E3a700.

Three active substances are shown under this classification –

All-rac-alpha-tocopheryl acetate equivalent to 1mg = 1iu

RRR-alpha-tocoperyl acetate equivalent to 1mg = 1.36iu

RRR-alpha-tocoperol equivalent to 1mg = 1.49iu

RRR-forms are sometimes referred to as “Natural”, whereas “All-rac” is only produced by chemical synthesis.

For further details please contact our technical team.

24 January 2011