TheBeefSite Newsletter - 7 September 2011

TheBeefSite Weekly Newsletter

Wednesday 7th September 2011

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Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial: Hopes and Concerns in Introducing Tracing Systems

Farming organisation Federated Farmers in New Zealand has called for full support and instruction for cattle farmers during the expected introduction of the National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) scheme in July next year.

The scheme, which appears to have solid political backing, will see 9.8 million cattle electronically tagged and registered on-line.

However, Federated Farmers is concerned about how livestock owners in remote areas with limited access to the internet will be able to cope.

"This will demand a massive farmer-education campaign by NAIT. NAIT simply cannot rely on a website, letters, a few adverts and a call centre, given the experience of recent high profile rural campaigns," said Federated Farmers' president Bruce Wills.

In the EU, the introduction of electronic identification (EID) has also ben causing concern among the livestock farming community.

In Northern Ireland, the farm minister, Michelle O'Neill is to examine the European Commission proposals to ensure they are viable.

"While I recognise the significant benefits of cattle EID, I want to work in partnership with industry stakeholders to decide how the proposals should be taken forward," she said.

In Canada, the government is investing C$276,000 to establish the BC Carcase Tracking and Quality Information System.

"Our Government's top priority remains the economy and investing in British Columbia's beef sector will ensure our producers remain competitive in an ever-changing domestic and global marketplace.

"This database will enable continuous improvement of product quality and profitability of the beef sector through enhanced traceability," said Wai Young Vancouver South MP.

The BC Carcase Tracking and Quality Information System is a collaborative project led by the BC Cattlemen's Association in partnership with the BC Association of Abattoirs.

Chris Harris

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 4 new features this week:

Texas Agricultural Drought Losses Reach Record $5.2 Billion
The historic Texas drought has led to a record $5.2 billion in agricultural losses, making it the most costly drought on record, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service economists.

Boosting BreedPlan
Three funding terms of Beef CRC have ensured that new, hard-to-measure but economically very important traits have been added to BREEDPLAN, significantly increasing BREEDPLAN's value to the beef industry. Prediction equations based on DNA information from the new high density panels will be delivered to BREEDPLAN by April 2012.

Traits Of Nellore Cattle Fed Beef-Sacc In High Concentrate Diets
High concentrate diets have been widely used in Brazilian feedlots to increase cattle performance and to improve carcass quality.

Bovine Anaemia
Graham Bailey, Cattle Health Coordinator at the Orange Agriculutral Institute looks at what causes cattle anaemia (reduction of red blood cells) and how it can be treated.

Genus - Value through science and genomics

Company News

North & Latin American Boost Genus Results
GLOBAL - In its results for the financial year, Genus has reported an increase of seven per cent in operating profit to more than £45 million.

September Is 'Exhibition Month' For CID Lines
GLOBAL - CID Lines will be exhibiting at seven events this month.

Merck Expands Its Omaha Vaccine Plant
NEBRASKA, US - Merck & Co. Inc.'s animal vaccine facility in the Elkhorn area is becoming one of the multinational company's worldwide centres of research and development and a high-volume manufacturing operation.

Dominant Calf Scour Pathogens Can Be Controlled
UK - Cryptosporidium parvum and rotavirus are the most dominant calf scour-causing organisms on UK cattle units, according to the latest published data from the MSD Animal Health ScourCheck scheme.

Biomin Asia Nutrition Forum Takes Centre Stage
ASIA - Biomin has announced the dates and destinations for the company's biennial event, Biomin Asia Nutrition Forum in October.

Biomin.net Now Available In Turkish
TURKEY - In cooperation with its Turkish joint venture Biokey, BIOMIN has now launched a Turkish version of the corporate website www.biomin.net.

Global Beef Cattle Industry News