TheBeefSite Newsletter - 14 December 2011

TheBeefSite Weekly Newsletter

Wednesday 14th December 2011

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Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial: US Beef Exports Excel

Trade Update

A new annual value record just 10 months into the year (2011) was been achieved by US beef exports. As of October 2011, beef exports were worth an annual record of $4.49 billion.

Mexico is the leading volume destination for US beef at about 470 million pounds. Canada however is the top value market for US beef, with US beef exports valued at $861.9 million.

A new pilot programme to conduct inspections in plants in-country will help facilitate trade between the US and Canada and prevent delays at the border.

TB Update

It has been confirmed that two pilot badger culls will go ahead in England next Autumn in a bid to tackle bovine tuberculosis (TB).

The Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) in Northern Ireland has officially ended the Union’s membership of the core bovine tuberculosis (TB) Stakeholders group.

“Until the Northern Irish Department of Agriculture takes decisive action to tackle the serious issue of TB in wildlife the UFU can see no point of remaining on this stakeholders group.”

Over in the US, Minnesota has being declared as free of TB, following on from the six year battle for the status by Minnesota livestock farmers and health officials.

Charlotte Johnston

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 4 new features this week:

Winter Feeding Of Pregnant & Lactating Suckler Cows
A survey among Irish discussion group members indicated that in apportioning the feed costs of a suckler cow about two-thirds was attributable to winter feed, mainly silage, and one-third to grazed grass, writes Liam Fitzgerald, Teagasc Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Programme.

Rabobank Outlook 2012 - Demand To Remain Strong
US cattle prices are expected to continue their strong performance into 2012, whilst hog prices are expected to flatten as supply increases, according to Rabobank's Outlook 2012 - Agri Commodity Markets Research.

Carcase Weight, Nutrition & Finishing Impact Dark Cutting
Using data collected on 204,071 Meat Standard Australia (MSA) graded carcases at one Western Australia processor from February 2002 till December 2008, Beef CRC researcher Peter McGilchrist and colleagues from Murdoch University investigated a range of animal and pre-slaughter factors that impact the rate of dark cutting.

World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates - December 2011
The forecast for total red meat and poultry production in 2012 has been reduced as lower expectations for broiler production more than offsets a higher pork production forecast, while estimates for beef and turkey output are unchanged, according to the latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report.