porcus - sappo

PORCUS
Oktober/November 2012 Vol 30 no 6
Die perfekte storm
Highlights of SAPPO’s
2012 conference
AgriBEE Turnover Review Study

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Inhoud/Contents
PORCUS
Oktober/November Vol 30 no 6
Aktueel
CS Vet Information day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Nuwe baadjie vir voerfi rma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Die perfekte storm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Quick guide to: Swine Erysipelas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
SAPPO Conference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Karkaskompetisie se wenners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Dankie aan ons borge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Visit to Ireland - an impressing fact fi nding mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Eerste boek oor Kolbroek op die rak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Limpopo Studiegroep hou afskeid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
To Taste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
AgriBEE Turnover Review Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Alltech predicts a contraction in global feed production in 2013 . . . . . 35
Alltech teams up with IFAMA to fi nd solutions to addressing
the development of human capital in agriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Rubrieke
Market conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
International news . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Pondering Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
PORCUS is die amptelike tydskrif
van die Suid-Afrikaanse Varkvleisprodusente-organisasie
(SAVPO).
Redaksionele Komitee
Peter Mockford (voorsitter: SAVPO),
Barry Gibbs (vise-voorsitter:
SAVPO), Simon Streicher (hoofbestuurder:
SAVPO)
Redaksie
Derick van der Walt (redakteur),
Tel: (012) 332 1589 of 082 770 5111
E-pos: ccomc@mweb.co.za
Salomé Schutte. Tel: (012) 329 3764
Uitleg: Yolandé van Zyl
Advertensies
Doreen Jonker, Millerstraat 3, Pierre
van Ryneveld 0157.
Tel (012) 662 1006.
Faks (012) 662 1006
Gedruk deur
Business Print Centre, Pretoria.
Uitgegee deur die Suid-Afrikaanse
Varkvleisprodusente-organisasie,
Posbus 36207, Menlo Park 0102.
Tel: (012) 361-3920.
Faks: (012) 361-4069
E-mail: info@sapork.com
Web-bladsy: www.sapork.com
SAVPO aanvaar nie verantwoordelikheid
vir enige aanspraak wat in
advertensies en artikels gemaak
word nie. Menings uitgespreek in
artikels word nie noodwendig deur
SAVPO onderskryf nie.
Opinions expressed in articles are
not necessarily endorsed by SAPPO.
Porcus October/November 2012 3

4
Market conditions
Information supplied by Divan van der Westhuizen of the Bureau of Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP)
The latest market data indicated that the producer price
of all pork meat classes increased substantially from
July towards the middle of October. The price for BO,
BR, BP and PP meat classes increased on average by
18.49 percent in the stipulated period. The yellow maize
price reported a 7.56 percent decline from August to the
end of October, which implies that profi tability levels
for producers may increase, given current upward price
trends of pork meat and a reduction in the cost of feed.
The total number of pork meat imports in September
has reached its lowest level since September 2010. The
amount of imports has declined by approximately 55.07
percent from March 2012. The simultaneous increase of
total slaughters thus illustrates that it seems like South
Africa is currently expanding the domestic supply of
pork meat.
Farm level analysis
Figure 1: Index for requisites and auction prices
The requisites and auction price index focuses on the pork
auction price on the hook and the pork input cost index. The
yellow maize price, followed by the soybean cake price, is the
key drivers in the requisites index. The latest update from the
BFAP pork industry analysis for October includes the latest
projections based on the BFAP livestock model. Currently, the
update illustrated that the requisites index could increase by
approximately 26.15 percent from 2011, mainly due to higher
anticipated maize and soybean prices. The pork auction price
on hook is currently projected at R16.99/kg for 2011, 3.88 percent
higher than a year earlier. The auction price and requisites
indices in October were 218.5 and 300.6 percent respectively
(base year = 2000).
Figure 2 illustrates the pork to maize price ratio which represents
a profi tability indicator for pork producers. The indicator is
simply a ratio between the yellow maize and the particular pork
price. The higher price for both PP and BP quality pork meat,
simultaneously with a lower yellow maize price from August to
October, implies that both profi tability indicators have increased
over the mentioned period. The pork to maize price ratio for
PP and BP meat products has increased by 28 percent from
August to October. The ratio for PP products was in October
8.20, 1.37 points higher than in July. Similarly, the BP ratio for
the same period was 7.59, 1.68 points higher than in August.
However, both PP and BP profi tability indicators were still lower
than the same period in 2011.
Figure 2: Pork to maize price ratio
The USDA Feed Outlook was released in October, which
projected the average corn yield at 122 bushels per acre. Corn
supplies for the 2012/2013 year was further lowered, which
tightened corn ending stocks even more. The projected average
corn price received by producers was estimated in the
range of $7.10 to $8.50 per bushel. However, foreign supplies,
mainly from Brazil, increased signifi cantly. Brazil’s exports for
the 2012/2013 production year were raised by more than 30
percent in October and are currently estimated at a record of
19 million tons. Domestically, the SAFEX price for yellow maize
in August was R2 691 per ton (Figure 3). Towards the end of
October, a reduction of approximately 7.56 percent occurred.
The average reported yellow maize price in October was
R2 487 per ton. As stated earlier, a reduction in the price of
yellow maize implies that the cost of feed can become cheaper,
since yellow maize is an important ingredient in animal feed.
Figure 3 further indicates a sharp increase in the price of PP
quality pork meat from July towards the middle of October. The
average reported price for PP products in October was R20.40/
kg. Year on year, the price for PP meat traded ten percent
higher.
Figure 3: Pork price and YM SAFEX price
International
The market impact of EU regulations on group housing of sows
published in April 2012 analysed the impact of new welfare regulations
on the European pig sector. These regulations included
the requirement that sows are kept in social groups rather than
in individual stalls for the majority of the gestation period. The
BPEX provided an update in October, which highlighted the
three most likely scenarios. The fi rst scenario stated that the
most likely outcome will be that pig production will decrease by
roughly fi ve percent from 2011 levels which implies an increase
in pork price. Secondly, a sharper decrease in production can
Porcus Oktober/November 2012

Market conditions
occur, resulting in even higher prices, shortage of pork meat
and the necessity for political intervention. Lastly, an alignment
in production may occur where breeding will be concentrated in
North West Europa and fi nishing in Eastern and Southern Europe,
reducing overall production costs. The update in October stated
that most recent results indicated that a fi ve percent decrease in
production is realistic. The latest census results suggested that
the decline in breeding units have already started. Overall, pig
numbers were down by 1.5 percent while sow numbers already
decreased by nearly four percent. However, the most of the reduction
in breeding herds will take place in the remainder of 2012
and towards early 2013. The latter may imply a spike in international
pork prices in the short term due to supply defi cits.
Source: British Pig Executive (BPEX), 11 November 2012
(www.bpex.org)
Abattoir level analysis
The abattoir analysis focuses on two aspects, namely the total
number of pigs slaughtered and the number of slaughterings
per province.
Figure 4: Total numbers slaughtered (national estimates)
The total number of pigs slaughtered has increased by 20 400
(9.07%) animals from July to August. Total pigs slaughtered in
August amounted to 245 352 animals, nearly 18 percent higher
than the same period in 2011. Figure 4 illustrates a three month
moving average (MA) for national pigs slaughtered. The MA
in August was approximately 230 787 animals, 4.19 percent
higher than in July. In addition, the fi gure states that the MA
exhibits an increasing trend since April. All provincial slaughters
increased from July to August. The total amount of pigs slaughtered
in Gauteng was 114 767 animals, a 7.81 percent increase
from the preceding month. KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) reported an increase
of 2.84 percent and Western Cape, 16.53 percent. The
total slaughters in KZN and Western Cape were 32 253 and
29 315 animals respectively. The accumulative slaughters for
2012 in September were 1.709 million animals.
The price of all pork meat classes have increased substantially
from July towards the middle of October as illustrated by
Figure 6. An average increase of 18.37 percent occurred in the
stipulated period. The price of BP pork products in the second
week of July was R15.83/kg. Thereafter, a sideways price
trend occurred towards 24 August. However, in the last week
of August, the BP price increased to R16.38/kg. Throughout
September and towards the middle of October, the BP price
Figure 5: Slaughters per province
VOORGROND
maintained a bullish trend and reported a price of R19.72/kg
in the week of 19 October, approximately 24.57 percent higher
than in the second week of July. The price of BO and BR
pork products indicated a similar trend. BO and BR products
reported a price of R18.08/kg and R17.47/kg respectively in
the second week of October, on average 13.82 percent higher
than in the beginning of July. As mentioned earlier, the price
for PP products has increased by 14.54 percent from 13 July
to 12 October. The average reported PP price for the fi rst two
weeks of October was R18.43/kg, nearly R2.40/kg higher
than in July. All meat classes averaged at R20.25/kg in the
third week of October, 12.76 percent higher from the same
period in 2011.
Figure 6: Average price for various classes 1
Wholesale and retail price analysis
Figure 7: Margin analysis for porkers and baconers,
2011 & 2012
Index levels
The margin analysis in the sample for porker and baconer
products analyses the spread between wholesale and retail
pork prices. The sample analysis in October indicated an increase
in the retail price of pork spare ribs and marinated pork
Continued on p 6
Porcus October/November 2012 5

Market conditions continued from p 5
6
Market conditions
ribs which imposes an increase in the combined basket index
for porker products. In the sample space for baconer products,
the retail price of shoulder bacon has increased from the
previous estimate in August. A marginal decrease in the index
margin for porker products occurred from August to October,
which implies that the spread between the wholesale and retail
price has decreased. A sideways movement occurred in the
spread or index margin for baconer products. The index margin
for porker and baconer products in October were approximately
119 and 173 percent respectively (base year = 2008).
Import analysis
Figure 8: Total imports to South Africa
The total imports of pork meat in September to South Africa reported
its lowest level since September 2010. Pork imports for
September amounted to a total of 1 730 tonnes, approximately
5.71 percent down from August and a 26.19 percent decrease
from June. However, the imports of ribs increased from August
to September from 1 132 to 1 388 tonnes. Imports of hams,
shoulder and other cuts have decreased in the same period.
The three main countries of imports were Germany, Canada and
France. The total imports from Germany in September were 895
tonnes, marginally lower than the preceding month. Canadian
imports have decreased by almost 50 percent from August to
September and reported 205 tonnes of pork meat imports to
South Africa. Year to year, imports in September were marginally
lower.
Figure 9: Imports of pork to South Africa
1 May 2010 price data has been estimated and may not be
completely representative.
Porcus Oktober/November 2012

VOORGROND
Eerste boek oor Kolbroek op die rak
Vir varkliefhebbers, varkprodusente,
veeartse en ander belangstellendes
is daar goeie nuus. Die eerste boek
oor die Kolbroek-varkras is nou op
die rakke, Die Kolbroek – ‘n Kaleidoskoop
van moontlikhede, deur dr
Danie Visser, ‘n bekende veekundige.
Prof Jannes van Ryssen (hoofredakteur
van die SASAS Journal) en Keith
Ramsey (Departement van Landbou,
Bosbou en Visserye)
Benica Mills (HESSA) en Dewald de
Beer (AFGRI Farm City, Olympus)
Deon Odendaal (NETSTAR), Judy
Odendaal (HIPRA) en Karen Willis
(Karly’s Creations)
Dr Koos Botha (Green Vet) en Elsabé
Visser van Pretoria
‘n Holistiese oorsig van die ras word
gegee, vanaf Jan van Riebeeck tot die
mees onlangse navorsing wat op die
ras gedoen is. Die evolusie van die ras,
aanpasbaarheid, teling, standaarde van
voortrefl ikheid en voedingsriglyne word
ook bespreek. Die boek bevat heelwat
foto’s van die ras, grafi ese verduidelikings
en interessante vertellings.
Die voorwoord is geskryf deur professor
Willem Vosloo – professor emmeritus
– van die departement veekunde aan die
universiteit van Stellenbosch. Die boek is
geborg deur HIPRA Animal Health, gepubliseer
deur Plaas Publishing en word
versprei deur Kejafa Knowlede Works. Die
boek is beskikbaar by landbou-koöperasies
en die meeste boekwinkels.
Navrae: kejafa@mweb.co.za.
(Die foto’s is by die bekendstelling van
die boek geneem.)
Dr Mary-Louise Penrith (veearts) en
Marge Davies (Pretoria)
Jan van der Merwe (Steinhoff International)
en Carien en dr Wantie
Burger (New Style Pork)
Carien Jacobs (Dairy Gold SA) en
Pieter Jacobs (LNR, Silverton)
Dr Danie Visser en sy vrou Elsabé
Karen Jenkinson (Swineline), Stephan
en Wilmien Heyl (Dalein Plaasbou) en
Peter Mockford (Mockford Farms)
Con en Anette van der Colf (The Art
of Con) en Pierre Vosloo (The Hillside
Tavern)
SAPPO levy
SAPPO’s national annual general meeting
approved a recommendation of the SAPPO
Council that the current collection period of
four years for the statutory levy be reduced
to three years and that SAPPO applies
for a new levy of R8.50 per slaughter pig
and live pigs exported. The levy will be
applicable as from 1 November 2013 until
31 October 2016, and not as of 2012 as
reported in our previous issue. An annual
increase of 5% will be applicable.
Porcus October/November 2012 7

8
CS Vet INFORMAtION DAY
One piglet per teat is the ideal
“In every new-born litter, the ideal is
to have one piglet per teat,” said Dr
Andrew Tucker of CS Vet at the farmers’
day.
He said that increasing litter sizes and
decreasing birth weight coupled with
rapidly increased born alive has in most
pig herds resulted in sows that do not
have enough teats for all her piglets.
Therefore, it is imperative to utilise every
teat.
Dr Tucker said some farms manage
Low
protein diets
are cheaper
Low protein diets reduce feed
cost, reduce the amount of excess
dietary amino acids, and create a
balanced amino acid profile when
first-limiting amino acids are sufficiently
supplemented, said Friedel
Meyer of CS Vet at the farmers’
day.
He said a low protein diet also improves
feed conversion efficiency,
while animals produce less ammonia
gas emissions due to lower nitrogen in
manure, which will improve the health
and productivity of pigs.
For every one percent drop in crude
protein, the nitrogen excretion is reduced
by approximately eight percent.
As far as formulating tomorrow’s
diets are concerned, the extent of
reducing protein percentages in rations
will depend on the price of soybeans
and synthetic amino acids.
Availability, price and nutritional value
of alternative protein sources will also
play a role.
Enzymes such as non-starch polysaccharide
(NSP) enzymes and protein
digesting enzymes (proteases) will
become more important when high
fibrous by-products are used in pig
diets.
Meyer said that batches of raw materials
should be analysed regularly for
quality control and formulations have
to be based on analysed values.
to make use of all the sow’s teats, and
outlined the following focus points:
• The gilt’s milk must be stimulated
properly, without burning her out.
• The sow’s condition is very important
to get intakes up. A fat sow has a
decreased appetite, resulting in decreased
weaning weights. However, if
a sow is too thin, it may lead to stand
overs.
• The correct ration is important to fulfil
the sow’s lactation needs, thereby
maximising milk production.
CS Vet’s annual farmers’ day
took place outside
Pretoria in October.
• Count the sow’s functional teats and
pack the piglets accordingly.
• Minimise fostering.
• Don’t size litters.
• The piglet’s body temperature must be
kept up at farrowing. Piglets should be
dry and warm.
• Get the piglet onto the teat as soon as
possible once it is warm.
• Cull poor producers. Look at the
whole picture, and not only at born
alive. Piglets weaned and the condition
of the udder also plays a role.
Mauritz de Villiers, Reon Oosthuizen en dr Albert Schutte (almal van Kanhym)
De Villiers Beukes, Elizma Richter en William Gee (almal van Kanhym)
Tommie Wolwehoek, Arno Spiske (albei van die Midland Groep) en dr Peter
Evans (CS Vet)
Porcus Oktober/November 2012

Replace to improve, not to replenish
“The purpose of sow replacement
should be to improve, not just to
replenish”, said Dr Heinz Bodenstein
of CS Vet at the farmers’ day.
He said the purpose of culling is to
replace sows with younger animals that
have the potential to outperform the
animal being replaced. Unfortunately
the reality is that most sows are culled
due to reproductive failure, lameness,
death and welfare. To improve herd
performance over time, culling should be
based on on-farm productivity data.
Dr Bodenstein said the effectiveness
of replacement is determined by culling
policy, sow mortality, potential (of the
replacement and replaced animal) and
Augusta en Karel Minnaar (Bothaville), Francois du Toit en Reinder Groenewold (albei van TOPIGS SA)
Jurgens Reynders (Kanhym), Etienne Sullwald en Manfred
Sullwald (albei van RK Boerdery)
the effectiveness of introducing the new
animals.
The ideal removal rate is determined
by various factors. These include current
herd profile, the cost per piglet produced,
lactation length and the cost of
the replacement gilt. Should the removal
rate be too low, the number of older animals
are increased which could lead to
the increased incidence of non-specific
uro-genital infections and lower production
levels. High removal rates leads to
the increased number of younger sows,
which could also lower the herd’s production
levels and increases the cost per
piglet produced.
Evaluating replacement, one would
monitor the average age of the herd,
CS Vet INFORMAtION DAY
mean parity at removal, the herd/group
age profile, the interval between the last
production event and removal, and most
important the reason for removal.
Dr Bodenstein made the distinction
between voluntary culling and involuntary
culling. Voluntary culling is done for economic
reasons and is based on on-farm
productivity data.
The aim of every farm’s culling strategy
should be to increase the proportion
of voluntary culls.
Involuntary culling is the result of
mismanagement and disease. It is costly
and should be reduced by monitoring
culling data, identifying the problem
areas and rectifying the causes.
Pierre van der Westhuizen (4MIX), Romi en Marius Coetzee
(Leoday Boerdery)
Porcus October/November 2012 9

10
Porcus Oktober/November 2012

Belê in jou personeel
“Dit is die moeite werd om in jou
personeel te belê,” het dr Pieter
Vervoort van CS Vet by die boeredag
gesê.
Varkboerdery is ‘n kaptiaal-intensiewe
besigheid en elke pos wat in die besigheid
geskep word, verg ‘n groot belegging
wat uiteindelik ‘n uitwerking op die
besigheid se wins gaan hê. Personeel
wat slaplê, doen dit teen ‘n baie groot
koste vir die besigheid.
Volgens dr Vervoort is Suid-Afrikaanse
varkboere geneig om te veel personeel
op die plaas te hê. Op varkplase in ander
lande is agt werkers daarvoor verantwoordelik
om na 1 000 sôe om te sien.
Plaaslike varkboere kan dit ook doen,
maar hulle sal anders moet dink en die
Craig McCord (Pietermaritzburg), Shaun de Jager (Dundee)
en dr Pieter Vervoort (CS Vet)
MG2Mix spog met ‘n nuwe baadjie. Die
firma staan nou as 4Mix bekend. 4Mix
is ‘n internasionale maatskappy wat
nou uit drie afdelings bestaan: MG2Mix,
NatuMix en InfoMix.
Mg2Mix is steeds die vervaardiger
van spesialiteitsvoermengsels en dierevoer.
NatuMix is ‘n nuwe vervaardiger
van spesialiteitsvoerbymiddels en InfoMix
mense wat hulle aanstel, anders moet
hanteer. Dit is belangrik om werkers te
betaal vir die werk wat hulle doen, en
hulle nie net te betaal om elke dag die
bywoningsregister te onderteken nie.
Groter varkeenhede is meer doeltreffend
sover dit die aanwending van
personeel betref. Dit kan wees omdat
werkers meer gespesialiseerd is, omdat
daar ‘n groter mate van spanwerk is
en omdat personeel meer vrye tyd kry.
Verder het groter varkeenhede oor die
algemeen beter geriewe, meer opgeleide
mense en daar word beter na die personeel
omgesien.
Dr Vervoort het gesê elke varkboer
moet homself die vraag afvra of hy of
sy dit kan bekostig om onopgeleide
werkers aan te stel. Werkers wat reeds
is ‘n nuwe verskaffer van inligting oor
dierevoer.
Volgens Chis Beghin, besturende
direkteur van 4Mix, was die verande–
ring nodig omdat die maatskappy se
struktuur en beeld nie meer ‘n ware
weerspieëling was van die beeld wat die
firma wou uitdra nie. “Dit het ook nie die
waardes weerspieël wat ons uitleef nie,
CS Vet INLIGtINGSDAG
opgelei is, het baie minder indiensopleiding
nodig, omdat dit nie nodig is om
op ‘n basiese vlak te begin oplei nie.
Oor die algemeen is mense met tersiêre
opleiding ook baie meer gemotiveerde
werkers.
Dr Vervoort het daarop gewys dat die
publiek ‘n negatiewe persepsie van die
varkbedryf, boere en grondeienaars het.
Tog is die varkbedryf ‘n volwasse bedryf
wat vir dié wat dit reg benader, groot
winste in die sak kan bring. Die algemene
persepsie van voedsel is ook besig
om ten goede te verander. Die meeste
varkboere is in die posisie om hul werkers
bogemiddelde salarisse te betaal en varkboere
bied aan mense die geleentheid
om ‘n beroep vir hulself te ontwikkel.
Chris Beghin (4MIX), Richard Hobbs en Franco Smith (albei
van Rubicon)
Nuwe baadjie vir voerfirma naamlik vertroue, integriteit en passie.
Met die twee vervaardigingsafdelings en
‘n inligtingsdiens, kan ons nou doeltreffender
funksioneer. Produsente het nou
nie net toegang tot ‘n meer omvattende
reeks hoë waarde en kwaliteitprodukte
nie, maar die produkte gaan ook gepaard
met die regte inligting op die regte
tyd.”
Porcus October/November 2012 11

12
???
Die perfekte
storm
Die storm wat ons varkbedryf die
afgelope tyd bekruip het, is nog in
volle dramatiese swang. Dit is asof
alles meteens bymekaargekom het:
• ‘n Knap binnelandse mielievoorraad.
• Die droogte wat die VSA, asook lande
soos Argentinië getref het, wat nie net
mielies nie, maar ook sojapryse die
hoogte in laat skiet het.
• Onbeheersde uitbreiding in die plaaslike
pluimveebedryf.
• Die bo-normale beskikbaarheid van
vleis weens die ongekende verbetering
in varkvleisprodusente se reproen
produksieparameters, sowel as die
bemarking van swaarder karkasse.
• Roekelose vleisinvoere, asook
die dreigende storting van beesvleiskarkasse
vanaf Botswana.
• Sprake dat die Europese Unie kan
ontbind weens die bankrotskap van
verskeie lede.
• Amerika wat meer as sestien triljoen
dollar skuld, by verre die hoogste skuld
van enige land in wêreldgeskiedenis.
• ‘n Dalende groeikoers in Sjina, wat
vir die afgelope vyf jaar ongekende
opwaarste groei getoon het.
• Plaaslike verbruikers wat sukkel met
ongewone elektrisiteit-, brandstof- en
loopfoonuitgawes, derhalwe het hulle
min oor om op kos te spandeer.
Waarheen nou?
Daar is geen twyfel dat baie varkvleis-
produsente, nie net in Suid Afrika nie,
maar in baie ander lande, die wind van
voor ervaar. Ouer en kleiner produsente
is reg om die handdoek in te gooi. Dit is
ironies dat die likwidasie van kuddes tot
‘n korttermynoorvloed mag lei, wat die
mark nog verder onder druk kan plaas
en dan weer in agt tot tien maande van
nou af tot ernstige tekorte mag lei. Die
hoogste pieke en laagste trôe van varkvleispryse
is en bly te wisselvallig en te
wispelturig. Produsente wat die aanslag
sal kan weerstaan, sal weer soos in die
verlede, die vrugte van hulle geduld kan
pluk.
Produsente is weer besig om na
elke uitgawe te kyk en te besin. Daar is
basies twee belangrike aspekte om te
onthou:
1. Om plaasproduksie optimaal te benut,
en
2. Om maniere te ontdek en te implementeer,
om die uitermatige hoë
voerkostes te verminder.
Plaasproduksie
• Word alle beskikbare geboue op jou
boerdery ten volle reg benut?
• Het elke vertrek plafonne en word die
korrekte temperature vir elke fase van
produksie gehandhaaf?
• Het ‘n konsultant of kundige jou onlangs
besoek en is elke faset van die
produksieketting ondersoek?
• Hoe lyk jou soguitskotbeleid en wat
Dr Pieter Grimbeek, MooiVet
is die kudde se pariteitstruktuur?
• Word voervermorsing beperk?
• Is die regte genetika aangekoop?
• Is daar ‘n duidelike jongsoggievervangingsbeleid
met die nodige
strukture en geboue en personeel
wat dit verstaan? Daar is geen rede
dat eerstepariteitsôe nie syfers van
meer as 11 lewendig gebore en ‘n
jongingstempo van meer as 90% kan
handhaaf nie.
• Word die personeel gereeld opgelei,
gemotiveer en getoets? Bereik hulle
die standaarde wat jy van hulle
verwag? Word konsultante gedurig
uitgedaag om nuwe idees en kundigheid
plaas toe te bring?
Wanneer ons na die huidige voeruitgawes
kyk, dan snak ons na ons
asems. Voerpryse het geweldig gestyg,
iets wat enige produsent ongemaklik
laat voel. Hierdie voerprysstygings lei
daartoe dat baie min produsente tans
positiewe marges toon. Die kleiner
produsent, en veral die opkomende
produsente wat uit die sak uit moet
produseer, het amper geen kans teen
die gevestigde tuismengers nie en selfs
die beste van laasgenoemde produseer
teen gelykbreekscenarios.
• In Suid-Afrika is daar min (geen)
vervanging vir mielies as ‘n energiebron
nie. Van tyd tot tyd kan voergraadkoring
en soet graansorghum
ten volle of ‘n gedeelte van die mieliekomponent
van ‘n dieet vervang,
Porcus Oktober/November 2012

mits die pryse kompeterend is. Om
goedkoper, minderwaardige komponente
in die plek van duur mielies te
vervang, is nie altyd ‘n wyse besluit
nie.
• Dit is belangrik dat die voer korrek en
fyn gemaal is. Navorsing het getoon
dat voere ten minste tussen 700 tot
900 mikron fyn behoort te wees. Die
fynheid van maal bevorder absorpsie
en sodoende word voeromsette
verbeter.
• Hoewel moderne gekompliseerde
kruip- en speendiёte duur is, word die
korrekte en beheerde aanwen-
ding van die diёte in jonger diere
sterk aanbeveel om sodoende die
genetiese potensiaal in jongdiere ten
volle te benut.
• Die gebruik van voerbyvoegsels moet
heroorweeg word in dié situasies. Ten
tye van duur voer kan die gebruik van
sekere groeistimulante baie koste-
doeltreffend wees.
• Spesifieke en beheerde aanwending
van invoer of deur-die-water-medikasies
kan met jou veearts bespreek
word, om sodoende die gesondheidstatus
van die kudde te verbeter.
Gesondheid as ‘n komponent van
intensiewe boerdery moet nooit
onderskat word nie.
• Meet gereeld jou groeikudde se
massa tot ouderdomprestasie en
vergelyk dit met verwagte innames op
sekere stadia.
• Die verbetering van GDT van 50 gram
per dag tussen 70 tot 150 dae van
ouderdom verminder die koste van
produksie met ongeveer 70 sent per
kilogram. So kan daar vir elke faset
van die produksieketting gemeet en
geskaaf word.
• Beperk die onnodige skuif van varke.
Vir elke keer wat varke geskuif word,
word veroorsaak dat hulle een dag
langer neem om slaggereed te wees
(tot drie dae as die praktyk swak
uitgevoer is).
• Toets gereeld die mark en praat gereeld
met die persoon of instansie
wat jou varke aankoop. Hoewel die
voorsiening van swaar karkasse gereeld
die beste opbrengs toon, mag
daar in tye van surplus nismarkte
ontwikkel vir ligter diere.
• Voervermorsing bly een van die grootste
euwels op baie plase. Kyk na en
heroorweeg baie van jou lomp praktyke.
Die aanwending van voerbuise
gekoppel met outomatiese voerders
bly elke moderne produsent se eerste
Tabel 1
keuse. Geen produsent behoort enige
vark met die hand te voer nie. Daar
word bespiegel dat produsente wat
met die hand voer, tot 6% van die
voer weens swak hantering kan mors.
• Sogproduksie is van kardinale belang.
Die sogkudde word inderdaad
as ‘n vaste bate beskou en hoe meer
ons uit so ‘n sog kan produseer, hoe
laer is die vastekoste van produksie.
Deur varkies 100 g swaarder
te speen, beteken dat ons so ’n
dier een dag vinniger kan bemark.
Hoe word sogproduksie gemeet?
Is werpsels per sog per jaar meer
belangrik as varkies gespeen per sog
per jaar? Wat van kilogram gespeen
per sog per jaar teenoor kilogram
vleis geproduseer per kraamkrat per
jaar? Hoe belangrik ag jy die kuddepariteit?
Hoeveel varkies het elke sog
geproduseer wat die kudde verlaat
het – ongeag die rede van attrisie? ‘n
Basiese vraag is – wat kos dit om ‘n
varkie te speen? Hoeveel klein varkies
sou jy wou speen van elke kraamkrat
op die plaas?
• Dink ons genoeg aan die verbruiker
se behoeftes? Die verbruiker is daardie
persoon wat sou hy of sy voor die supermark
se kaste staan, besluit om dié
keer varkvleis te koop en om herhaaldelik
sonder om te skroom varkvleis te
koop. Histories weet ons dat varkvleis
twee groot, miskien drie, probleme het:
1. Dit word as te vet geag. 2. Die kleur
van die vleis is wisselvallig, veral met die
PSE- (bleek, sag en waterig) sindroom
en 3. Vir baie verbruikers bly die geur
van die vleis, veral vanaf manlike diere,
‘n groot probleem. Die feit dat sekere
diere ouer as 22 weke is wanneer
hulle bemark word, verhoog die risiko
van beergeur. Dit gebeur al hoe meer
in ons bedryf, soos wat die behoefte
na swaarder karkasse toeneem. Die
bekendstelling van ‘n entstof wat beergeur
negeer het groot voordele vir ons
bedryf. Geënte manlike diere presteer
AKtUeeL
Improvac® Kontrole
Massa in (kg) 31.36 31.59
Massa uit (kg) 101.91 101.47
GDT (gram) 941 932
Karkasmassa (kg) 76.24 74.54
beter en verloor hulle hormonale agressie
baie terwyl hulle nog op die plaas is.
‘n Onlangse lokale proef (6 hokke van
30 varke behandel versus soortgelyk
onbehandel, en verskeie kere herhaal)
op een van ons produksie-eenhede se
syfers kan in Tabel 1 gesien word.
In hierdie spesifieke proef, waar daar
teen R18.20/kg vir die spesifieke groep
varke ontvang is, was daar ‘n R30.94
voordeel in inkomste per karkas en ‘n
konstante voordeel van meer as tien
Rand per dier nadat die behandeling in
ag geneem is. Produsente wat swaar
karkasse bemark en besorg is oor varkvleiskwaliteit
en langtermynaanvaarding
van ons produk deur ‘n kieskeurige
verbruiker, kan gerus inenting teen
beergeur oorweeg.
Produsente kan verseker
wees dat die mark net soos in
die verlede hoogte- en laagtepunte
gaan beleef. Volwasse
produsente verstaan
die siklus en probeer nooit
oorreageer nie. Wat vir jou
werk in goeie tye, werk ook in
slegte tye. Aandag aan detail
bly in elke intensiewe bedryf
van kardinale belang. Moet
nooit ophou meet nie. Toets
elke faset van jou boerdery
teen welbekende parameters.
Woon studiegroepvergade–
rings by. Hou aan lees. Die
internet is ‘n ongelooflike bron
van inligting, maar kan ook
misleidend wees as die boodskap
nie in die regte konteks
geïnterpreteer word nie.
Porcus October/November 2012 13

14
Porcus Januarie/Februarie 2012

Quick guide to:
Swine Erysipelas
By Dr Andrew Tucker, CS vet
What is Swine Erysipelas?
Erysipelas is an infectious condition of pigs caused by
the bacteria Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae. Erysipelas is
found worldwide and is passed into the environment from
the faeces and urine of affected pigs.
It can survive in soil under the right conditions for long
periods of time and infected birds and rodents can provide
a reservoir of infection to the pig population. Infected
fishmeal can also be a source of infection to a pig herd.
The bacteria enters the pig via the tonsils, gastrointestinal
tract or through skin abrasions. Multiplication then
results in a septicaemia within one to seven days of infection.
Recovered animals retain lifelong immunity to the particular
strain, which they were exposed to, and remain as
carriers of Erysipelas for life.
Erysipelas can infect humans with abattoir workers
being at highest risk. In humans it usually presents as a
localised inflammation of a finger.
How do you know if it’s on your farm?
Three different forms of the disease are described, dependent
on how long the Erysipelas takes to have its effect on the pig.
The very quick form can result in a collapsed pig with fever but
most commonly is seen only as sudden death. The quick form
takes 12 to 48 hours to have its effect and again results in fever.
The pig may show signs of blotching on the skin and after
24 hours will start to develop the typical red/purple diamond
shaped skin lesions associated with this disease (Diamond
Skin Disease). Again at this stage of the disease pigs may die
while sows may return to service or abort. The slow form of
the disease can result in pigs completely recovering. In this
form the skin lesions are often very obvious, sometimes turning
black before recovering. Varying degrees of swollen joints
and lameness can be seen as the bacteria can be localised in
joints. Older animals can show signs of various heart problems
due to damage done to the heart’s valves.
The skin lesions seen are typical and diagnosis is often
made on them alone. Various laboratory tests can be done
to confirm the diagnosis, particularly in cases where the skin
lesions are not present.
How do you treat or prevent it?
Treatment with antibiotics is very effective. A full course is
important to avoid the Erysipelas persisting and causing the
slow form of the disease. Prophylactic treatment of in contact
pigs is often needed to stop the spread.
Eradication is at this stage not practicable, Erysipelas is
too widespread in the environment. It is however advisable
to clean out and disinfect pens, particularly where disease
has been present. Modern buildings and pathways between
buildings to avoid any contact with soil reduces the incidence
of disease greatly.
Vaccination is widely practised as a means to prevent clinical
Erysipelas in breeding stock. Timing of the vaccination is dependent
on the on-farm situation and the product being used.
References:
Pig Diseases – D.J. Taylor; Diseases of Swine – Straw, Zimmerman,
D’Allaire, Taylor
VRYStAAt AjV
Porcus October/November 2012 15

16
T O wards TO T h E F u T urE !
CallMatic 2
Big Dutchman SA Pty Ltd.
P.O. Box 276 · Edenvale 1610
Tel. (011) 452 1154 · Fax (011) 609 4908
sales@bigdutchman.co.za · www.bigdutchman.co.za
Introducing our computerized
feed on demand system
for group sow housing.
n strongest loose housing feed station on the market
n heavy duty, trouble free, with open top
n more light and visibility through the station ... sows enter easily
n one sided HD roller entrance door ...
prevents ear tag losses and double entry
n closed through feeder ... opens only if sows are entitled to feed
n locked one sided exit door ...
unlocking and opening only by the exiting sow
n safety doors for easy cleaning, maintenance check or
emergency situations
n 2 different diets for both dry or liquid feeding systems
n dosing device available for minerals, de-wormers etc.
n selection at each feed station or central selection available
n color markings for feed stations and heat detectors
n ability to select ... and/or paint
n manual controls for all operations at the feed station for ease of use
n heat detector to recognize return sows at an early stage
n hand held terminal for mobile data changes ...
uploads to main computer automatically
Housing systems
Dry FeeDing
LiquiD FeeDing
environment ControL
SLurry SyStemS
FeeD Storage
Porcus Oktober/November 2012

Global realities will affect SA
Global realities such as the international
economic crisis will continue
to affect South Africa. Other
factors include growing population
income, the uncertain international
trade and political environment,
changing power positions
in the global economy and climate
change, said Prof André Jooste of
the National Agricultural Marketing
Council at the SAPPO conference.
Many consumer issues will affect
meat consumption in future
Consumers’ disposable income
is declining as other costs such
as water, electricity and fuels are
increasing. Factors such as health,
the environment and animal care
will be important factors in future
with regard to meat production, said
Prof André Jooste of the National
Agricultural Marketing Council at the
SAPPO conference.
“The Meat Free Monday campaign for
instance attempts to deliver a ‘healthy
message’ by raising awareness of the
importance of limiting cholesterol and
saturated fat in our diet, which nutritionists
say contributes signifi cantly to
several diseases that have reached
epidemic proportions.
“Cutting out meat, even for just one
day per week, will help prevent four
of the leading causes of death: heart
Developments in grower/fi nisher
management
In discussing developments in grower/fi
nisher management, Andrew
Jackson, technical service director
for PIC, Europe, said that a new
target has been set. “In total, 85%
of pigs born alive should be sold as
full value pigs.”
To achieve this goal, standard management
operating procedures are important.
“Start with the right pigs and get
it right from the start. All pigs should
receive optimum care. No pig should be
Other factors that will infl uence meat
producers include the following:
• Global costs of production. Effi
ciency gains will be necessary for
sustainability
• The economic recovery outside the
USA and the EU
• World trade agreements such as
Doha
• Residues and other SPS issues
disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.
Reducing the intake of meat means reducing
the consumption of saturated fat.
By introducing a meat free day in South
Africa, 11 200 cattle, 2 million chickens,
10 000 pigs, and 22 300 sheep will not
face slaughter each week.
“Consumers are also told that by
eating less meat they could help minimise
their ecological footprint because
livestock breeding has a detrimental
impact on the environment. A United Nations
report states that emissions from
livestock make up 18% of all greenhouse
gas emissions. In relative terms, that is
28% more than all forms of transportation
combined. Two of the gases that
livestock produces, are methane and
nitrous oxide. Methane is 23 times more
harmful than carbon dioxide in terms of
global warming, and 37% of the emissions
from livestock is methane. Nitrous
left behind. It is therefore important to
identify disadvantaged pigs timely.”
Jackson emphasised early intervention
and the training of workers. Health
remains important. “Remember that
sick pigs don’t eat. ADFI drives gain and
high health results in high average daily
gain. Poor health increases mortality.
Increased mortality results in less kg out
the door and this means reduced ADG
and lost revenue.
He pointed out that surveillance of the
piggery is key. “You need to know what
SAPPO CONFeReNCe
Highlights of SAPPO’s
2012 conference
• Traceability
• Environmental issues
• Animal welfare
• Animal disease
• Political uncertainty in the Middle East
• Reaction to high food and meat
prices
• The EU Common Agricultural Policy
(CAP)
• The future production growth in
countries such as China and Russia.
oxide comes from livestock manure,
and these emissions are 65% of all the
nitrous oxide emitted in the world.
“There are a host of additional issues
regarding meat production. These
include the vast amounts of water and
carbon energy it takes to produce meat,
deforestation to make pastures, overgrazing
turning pastures into desserts,
pesticides, antibiotics and hormones
making their way into drinking water and
the production of acid rain,” Prof Jooste
said.
“The increase in meat production
over time would not have been possible
without the development of intensive
methods of farming, which have ignored
the rights of animals who are now deprived
of space, exercise, fresh air and
social interaction – all necessary for them
to express their natural behaviour.”
is going on at all times. Strive for optimal
market weight. Know what you want and
go and get it. Watch out for pathogens,
and the water and food situation.
All pigs need is fresh air (ventilation),
enough fresh water, enough fresh food
and space to grow. “These elements are
the key ones that make up the environment
in which we manage our pigs.”
Continued on p. 18
Porcus October/November 2012 17

18
SAPPO CONFeReNCe
SAPPO conference from p. 17
Water intake
Water is absolutely critical to optimising
ADG and FCR, Jackson said. Producers
should ensure:
• adequate water quality
• adequate fl ow rate – 1 pint/568ml per
minute
• an adequate number of drinkers per
pen
• adequate height and adjustment of
nipple drinkers.
Out-of-feed events
Out-of-feed events result when there is:
• feeder restriction
• no optimum tank fl ow
• empty bulk bins
• no optimum feeder fl ow
• equipment failure
• not enough feeder space.
The economic impact of out-of-feed
events is an increase in the number of
lights and culls, with a severe loss in income.
“Trails have proven that repeated
out-of-feed events have an economic
impact.” Feeders must be adjusted daily
and producers must be careful not to
restrict feed intake. Find out what is the
ideal feeder setting, Jackson advised.
Environmental-, health-
and safety-
consultants
OUR SERVICES INCLUDE:
Water use licensing
Water- and wastewater management
Waste management optimalisation
Alternative energy
Carbon footprint reduction
Environmental management systems
(ISO14001)
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(OHSAS 18001)
Environmental impact assessments and
strategic environmental planning
Mining applications
Legal compliance audits, risk
assessments and legal advice
Sustainability assessments
We offer expert support for the effective
interpretation and application of
South Africa’s environmental-, heath-, and
safety- legislation. Our approach to legal
compliance and risk management is
to proactively addess risks and to unlock
hidden opportunities through
better planning and effective
management practices.
TOPIGS’ genomic
selection program
creates added
TOPIGS’ genomic selection program
creates added value in the pork supply
chain, said Saskia Bloemhof, researcher
of TOPIGS’ research center,
IPG, at the SAPPO conference.
“The key issue in genomic selection is
to connect phenotypic performances of
animals to the genetic makeup, the socalled
genotype, of animals. By having
knowledge about this relation, selection
can be done directly on the genetic
makeup of animals. Next to genotypic
data, a large reliable phenotypic dataset
is required to determine the relation
between phenotypes and genotypes,”
Bloemhof said.
“With genomic selection we know the
genotype of an animal. However, genetic
improvement is still done by traditional
selection of the better animals. By adding
genotypic information we can just better
predict what the good animals are.”
She said that TOPIGS is one of the
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Lourens de Villiers (Director)
lourens@shangoni.co.za
Cell: 082 789 6525
Management Services (Pty) Ltd
www.shangoni.co.za
leading companies with investments in
genomic selection.
“As TOPIGS is a leader in large
scale high quality data collection and
genomic selection works as an accelerator
(‘’turbo”) on genetic improvement,
we expect that TOPIGS
will take the further lead in having the
most easy and robust pig genetics. At
the same time we can improve other
economically relevant traits at a faster
speed,” she said.
Bloemhof pointed out that in general
benefi ts of genomic selection are largest
in traits recorded late in life (for
instance sow longevity), traits which are
sex limited (for instance litter size), traits
with low heritability and traits which
are expensive to measure. “Genomic
selection therefore brings lots of opportunities
in pig breeding. Breeding on
traits like disease resistance, cured ham
quality, and boar taint is now possible.
Ede Farming (Pty) Ltd
Middelburg, Mpumalanga
Multisite pig operation
farrowing house manager
Requirments:
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Income: market related
Send your CV with contactable references to:
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Porcus Oktober/November 2012

SAPPO CONFeReNCe
Focus on the new B-BBEE
Amendment Bil
The new B-BBEE Amendment Bill
aims to move away from an intent to
transform, to regulated transformation,
said Dr John Purchase, CEO of
the Agricultural Business Chamber.
Dr Purchase discussed the status
of the AgriBEE Sector Code and the
impact of the new B-BBEE Amendment
Bill and said that the idea is to
align the Act with other legislation
and policy impacting on B-BBEE and
other relevant codes.
The Bill also aims to elevate the general
principles of the codes, including the
concept of the balanced scorecard and
defi nitions. A B-BBEE commission will
be established to create an institutional
environment for monitoring and evaluation
of B-BBEE practices. The commission
will deal with non-compliance and
circumvention by introducing offences
and penalties, especially in terms of
fronting.
The B-BBEE Act will be the overarch-
ing framework for
B-BBEE. The Bill
was introduced to level the playing fi eld,
to ensure predictability and to establish
smooth transition.
“Agribusinesses, including banks,
will in effect now have to ‘force’ clients
(farmers) to provide scorecards. All
business with government (procurement,
licenses, permits, etc) will require a
scorecard,” Dr Purchase said.
Karkaskompetisie se wenners
Die wenners van Samic se jaarlikse
karkaskompetisie is onlangs aangewys.
Kommersiële wenner
Links is Hennie Gerber (streekbestuurder
van SAMIC) links, by Sybrand Stander
van Stella wat in die kommersiële varkkarkaskompetisie
skoonskip gemaak het.
Hy het die eerste drie plekke in beide die
enkel- as die groepafdelings gewen.
Die enkelkarkaswenners
opkomende boere
Van links is Hennie Gerber (streekbe-
stuurder van SAMIC); ‘n verteenwoordiger
van die Rebokomaso Boerdery (reserwekampioen);
‘n verteenwoordiger van die
Nteo Boerdery (kampioenenkelkarkas);
Qeda Nyoka van SAVPO wat die toekenning
namens A Phoza van die Dreamlands
Piggery op Vereeniging ontvang het (3de).
Opkomende groepwenners
Van links is Hennie Gerber (streekbestuurder
van SAMIC); Qeda Nyoka van SAVPO
wat die toekenning namens A Phoza van
die Dreamlands Piggery op Vereeniging
ontvang het, (reserwekampioengroep); ‘n
verteenwoordiger van die Nteo Boerdery
(kampioengroep) en ‘n verteenwoordiger
van die Motchavi Boerdery (3de).
Porcus October/November 2012 19

Dankie aan ons borge en uitstallers
20
SAVPO-KONFeReNSIe
SAVPO se algemene
jaarvergadering en
jaarlikse konferensie
sou nie moontlik
gewees het sonder
die ondersteuning van
ons insetverskaffers
nie. Baie dankie vir
julle borgskappe en
mooi uitstallings.
Porcus Oktober/November 2012

SAVPO-KONFeReNSIe
Porcus October/November 2012 21

ONE DOSE CAN STOP
CIRCOVIRUS IN ITS TRACKS
Fostera(TM) PCV Reg. nr: G3813 (Act 36 of 1947)
Pfizer Laboratories (Pty) Ltd. (Reg. No.: 1954/000781/07),
P. O. Box 783720, Sandton, 2146, South Africa.
www.pfizeranimalhealth.co.za
MF/03/FOST/2012/07/19/STOP/ADD

Visit to Ireland – an impressing
fact fi nding mission
Phillip von Memerty of No 2 Piggeries and
Klaus Oster of ADDCON Africa recently
visited Ireland to look at Irish pig production,
including feeding of liquid, whey to
fi nishers. Phillip and Klaus were hosted
by Devenish Nutrition, whose products
ADDCON are agents for in South Africa.
Irish pig farming: A background
Ireland is politically divided, but on a combined
basis, has a land area of
84 421 km². The total island population of
6.4 million people. The total sow herd is
about 190 000 sows, and Ireland exports
about 50% of its total production, principally
to the EU. Pigmeat intake is relatively high
at 32.5kg per head (making pigmeat the
most consumed meat in the country). By EU
standards, the pig farm size is large, at close
to 700 sows for commercial farms. The
vast majority of farms are fully integrated,
and most pig farmers are pig farmers only,
with limited acreage or outside agricultural
interest. 40% of all pigs are from home
mix farms, another 20 to 25% are fed via
contract feeding agreements, with the rest
purchasing feed in the traditional manner.
A high percentage of farms are wet feed,
refl ecting the previous availability of liquid
by-products, and a general belief in wet
feeding. Most wet fed farms have moved in
the last fi ve to ten years to “probe feeding”,
where fresh feed is delivered via pipeline on
a more or less continuous basis. Pig feed in
Ireland is wheat and barley based, refl ecting
Ireland’s northerly latitude, with soya meal
and 00 rape as the primary protein sources.
Maize will be fed as a partial or total replacement
for wheat if the price is right. (In fact
in 2008, when the feed price was extremely
high, North American sorghum was used
extensively, instead of wheat).
Pig performance and cost
Irish pig performance nationally is reasonably
strong, 12.33 born alive, 24.1 pigs sold
per sow per year, at an average live weight
of 102.8kg. Average herd FCR is 3.74 on a
deadweight basis (excluding sow cull sales).
The top 25% fi gures are a little better, at
12.46 born alive, 26.8 sold, 105.8kg live
weight, and an FCR of 3.56 deadweight
(excluding sow culls).
Production costs are high at the moment,
with wheat at €260/t, barley €245/t, maize
at €280/t, and soya meal at €550/tonne.
This all adds to a feed cost (if fully on the
market) of close to €1.40, with a pig price
of about €1.80. Forty cents per kg over
feed will not cover costs, but farmers are
Porcus October/November 2012
hopeful that lower European numbers (as
a result of sow welfare legislative changes,
and high feed prices) will increase margin
over feed and fi nally deliver profi t. Until then,
the attitude is to keep sticking to the best
practice - concentrate on numbers and feed
conversions.
Labour costs are high, with a minimum
wage of approximately €8.50 per hour.
Consequently, labour units are low on farm,
all milling and feeding is fully automated,
leaving well-paid staff to concentrate on pig
production. Despite the labour cost, 2011
labour and management cost was about
€0.13/kg deadweight.
Background disease levels tend to be
higher than in South Africa, as units are generally
in closer proximity to their neighbours,
and the climate in Ireland makes effective
ventilation more challenging. However, disease
is generally well controlled by effective
use of modern vaccination programmes.
Visit itinerary
Day 1:
Visit to Killinaleck farms, Co Cavan
Cavan is one of three epicentres of pig
production on the island. Killinaleck farm is
a fully integrated 500 sow unit, which is a
part of a larger privately owned group. The
farm is managed very well by Keith Brown.
The farm is wet fed, apart from fi rst week/
ten days post weaning. Feed is contract
manufactured according to Devenish nutrition
specifi cations.
Farm performance is in excess of the top
25% fi gures as discussed above. The farm
does well sourcing whey, and feeding whey
at a high level to fi nishers. Whey used is
mostly “de-proteinated whey”, which as the
name suggests, contains very little apart
from lactose, salt and ash. Nevertheless
at close to 20% inclusion on a dry matter
basis, the farm consistently achieves over
1kg/day ADG from 40kg to slaughter.
Meeting with Wexford pig producers
Following this farm visit in the Irish midlands,
we travelled south east to County Wexford,
to meet Joe Healy. Wexford pig producers
farm about 1 500 sows on a number of sites
in the South East. Again, it is wet fed units,
with a high percentage inclusion of food
co-products, including whey, beer yeast
and pot ale syrup. All diets are home mixed.
Again, performance exceeds the top 25%
as above.
Day 2:
Visit to Phillip McCrae, Co Tyrone
PROMOtION ARtICLe
Philip von Memerty, Dr Eilir Jones (DEVENISH
Nutrition), Klaus Oster (ADDCON Africa) and
Aidan O’Toole (DEVENISH Nutrition).
On day 2 we went northwards, visiting
the farm of Phillip McCrae in Co Tyrone.
Again, this farm is located in a very densely
populated pig region with 20 000 sows,
and a slaughter plant processing 25 000
pigs per week, within a 15 mile radius of the
operation. McCrae’s farm is a home-mix operation,
utilising very high levels of whey (+
20% whey on a DM basis). Growth in both
weaners and fi nishers is extremely strong, at
well over 800 gms from eight weeks of age
to slaughter. Again all dietary work on the
growers is by Devenish Nutrition.
Visit to Devenish Nutrition, Belfast
From McCrae’s we travelled the hour or so
to Devenish Nutrition’s European manufacturing
base on the Belfast docks. Devenish
are an independent nutritional company with
manufacturing facilities in Belfast, Ireland,
Minnesota, USA, and Iowa, USA. From
a small beginning in 1997, the company
have expanded rapidly, increasing sales by
a factor of 15 to 2012. The Belfast operation
produces over 1 000 tonnes per week
of premixes, piglet creeps and speciality
products. All were impressed with the scale
and attention to detail through the plant, and
the technical discussion which followed with
Dr Marion Scott, Aidan O’Toole and Dr Eilir
Jones of Devenish.
From Belfast, we travelled southwards
to Dublin airport, and eventually to sunny
South Africa.
Devenish and ADDCON
ADDCON and Devenish co-operate in
South Africa. A number of the speciality
products fed to the farms referenced above
are registered for use in South Africa, namely
ResQ, Matan, Natupro, DeviGuard, Lipidol
and Farrowlife. If further details are required
on any of these products, please contact
Johann at 082 780 5240 or johann@tega.
co.za
To conclude, Irish pig farming is innovative,
resilient under tough trading conditions,
optimistic and challenging — a little like pig
farming everywhere. Attention to detail is
everything. Good advice and quality feed
is all important. We are looking forward to
welcoming Dr Eilir Jones and Aidan O’Toole
here on our home soil in a few weeks.
23

24
BUPO ANIMAL HEALTH
PRODUCT RANGE
R
FOSBAC
ENERGISING
ANTIBIOTIC COMPOUND
Reg. No. G2067 & G2810
AVETOTAL
IMMUNE STIMULANT
Reg. No. G3355
ELITOX
BROAD SPECTRUM
MYCOTOXIN CONTROL
Reg. No. V20970
R
R
FOSBAC +T
ENERGISING ANTIBIOTIC
COMPOUND
Reg. No. G2067 & G2810
TM
Kitkan 110
POWERFUL SOLUTION
AGAINST MYCOPLASMA
Reg. No. G3586
MAGISTRAL
BROAD SPECTRUM
FUMIGANT
Reg. No. 140/857 & 140/757
BUPO NUTRITION
NEW RANGE OF NUTRITIONAL AND FEED ADDITIVE
PRODUCTS
DRY FATS REG.NO. V23593
Maximizing dietary energy from digestible palm fatty acids for
monogastrics and ruminants.
ORGANIC ACIDS REG.NO. V23867
Improving intestinal health and salmonella control.
PROBIOTICS REG.NO. V24142
Maintaining healthy gut micro flora and combats pathogens the natural way.
CHANGING NUTRITION IN AFRICA
R
BEDGEN 40
NATURAL LIVER
PROTECTOR
Reg. No. V13071, V17773 & V17380
TFC
TM
TM
UNIQUE PHOSPHATE
TETRACYCLINE COMPLEX
Reg. No. G3402
NEOPREDISAN
BROAD SPECTRUM
DISINFECTANT
(Also kills coccidial oocysts)
Reg. No. 070/502
TM
Cnr Axle & Battery Street
Silverton Ext 52, Pretoria
Office: 012 803 4376
Fax: 086 662 7013
E-mail: pharma@bupoah.co.za
www.bupoanimalhealth.com
Porcus Oktober/November 2012

PROMOtION ARtICLe
Sodium butyrate (Gustor BP70):
The key to improved pig performance
and bacterial control
Gustor BP70 is a unique organic acid
that contains sodium butyrate that
enhances intestinal development, reduces
colonisation and shedding of
pathogenic bacteria, while enhancing
physiological activities such as
increased calcium absorption, water
intake, with villi and crypt development.
The intestinal epithelium serves as
the fi rst line of defence against orally
ingested bacteria, viruses, toxins and
other toxic chemicals. It is important that
the young animal is exposed from early
age to natural products that enhance
development of intestinal or gut epithelium
to minimise gut colonisation with
pathogenic bacteria.
Organic acids (including butyrate) are
products of benefi cial bacteria which
act as a prebiotic, but also enhance villi
and crypt development. It also serves
as an energy source for the growth and
development of all intestinal cells (enterocytes).
The use of unprotected sodium
butyrate as a feed additive is largely
absorbed from the fore-gut, making it
ineffective lower down in intestines. But,
through innovation, Norel developed a
sodium butyrate product Gustor BP70
that is partly protected by fats, so that
20% is absorbed in the fore-gut and
the rest in hind-gut. This allows for the
effects of the sodium butyrate to be well
distributed throughout the gut.
Effect of Gustor on pathogenic
bacteria
The organic acid part of Gustor penetrates
the bacterial cell by diffusion and
disrupts the internal energy balance inside
the pathogenic bacterial cell, which
eventually leads to its death. Pathogenic
bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella and
Clostridium perfringens are susceptible
to this activity, but benefi cial bacteria
such as Lactobacillus, are not. The presence
of butyric acid in the diet also results
in reduced shedding of pathogenic
bacteria and an increase of benefi cial
bacteria. The liveability of the host animal
is enhanced, improving profi tability.
Figure 1: Effects of sodium butyrate (Gustor) on bacteria in the small intestine
of piglets after weaning at 6,7kg live weight (duration of trial 30 days)
Figure 2: Increase in lenght of intestinal villi from 550 µm to 630 µm with Gustor
bp70 premix at 1kg/ton of feed
Effect of Gustor on Intestinal morphology
and physiology
Sodium butyrate stimulates the growth
of enterocytes by acting as the main
source of energy. This increase in intestinal
cell size and length enables the cell
to increase its absorption capability of
nutrients. Higher villi to crypt ratio translate
into a greater digestive surface and
better nutrient absorption. This will result
in better feed utilisation and therefore a
decrease in FCR.
Sodium butyrate also increases
pancreatic secretion by up to 25% and
enhances activity of enzymes such as
trypsin by up to 38%. This results in better
protein utilisation.
In the colon, Gustor BP 70 increases
calcium, water and sodium uptake.
Conclusion
Sodium butyrate is more than just a
replacement for antibiotic growth promoters
(AGP), it controls the numbers
of pathogenic bacteria that includes
Clostridium perfringens and Salmonella.
it also serves as a performance enhancer
and physiology modulator in the gastrointestinal
tract.
Gustor BP 70 is uniquely formulated
to allow adequate delivery of sodium
butyrate throughout the gastro-intestinal
tract.
The benefi ts of using sodium butyrate
includes the advancement of intestinal
health by the reduction of pathogenic
bacteria. It also increases Lactobacillus
sp, results in improved digestibility and
feed conversions due to improved villi
length and crypt ratio and results in an
increased secretion of pancreatic enzymes
and calcium uptake in the colon.
Porcus October/November 2012 25

26
Nobody understands better than Zinpro, the relationship between healthy feet,
lameness, welfare, reproduction, longevity and overall productivity.
In addition to our research-proven patented performance minerals, such as Availa ®
Sow, we
work closely with universities and experts around the globe to learn more about claw health
and lameness in pigs. This vital research has resulted in break-through, world first programs
like Feet First ® which is coordinating knowledge and finding solutions for sow lameness.
Like to know more? Visit Zinpro.com
or contact Chemunique, Tel: +27 11 789 2414
or Email: nutri@chemunique.co.za
Porcus Oktober/November 2012

LIMPOPO StUDIeGROeP
Limpopo Studiegroep hou afskeid
Die Limpopo Varkstu-
diegroep het in November
sy jaareindfunksie
op Mokopane gehou.
Regs: Die wenners van die Limpopo
Varkstudiegroep se jaarlikse produksiekompetisie:
Van links is Pieter
Swart en Ian Bennett, Ibis Piggery
(beste vordering), Franco Smith
van Rubicon (tweede) en Kobus
Humphries van Humphries Boerdery
(wenner).
Regs: Pierre van der Westhuizen
(4Mix), Schalk Pieterse (Big Dutchman),
Koos Roos (4Mix) en Sandy
Emmerich (E5 Farming)
Die nuwe bestuur van die
Limpopo Varkstudiegroep is van
links: Shaun Mockford, ondervoorsitter
(Mockford Farms), Charlene
Steyn, sekretaresse (Ibis Piggery) en
Ian Bennett, voorsitter (Ibis Piggery)
Piggery).
Martin Hobbs (NewQuip), James en Karen Jenkinson en
Joris Vostemans (almal van Swineline)
Jan Langlage (4Mix) en Scott Wiggill
(Big Dutchman)
Wiaan en Suzaan Storm (Dalein Plaasbou)
Wessel en Bronwyn Whitehead (ADDCON Africa), Johann
en Denise van Niekerk (ADDCON Africa) en dr Peter Evans
(CS Vet)
Porcus October/November 2012 27

28
LIMPOPO StUDIeGROeP
Eugene en Hanri Greyling (Greyling Varkboerdery) en
Carmen en dr Heinz Bodenstein (CS Vet)
Johan van der Walt (Walt Landgoed), Lourie en Francois
du Toit (TOPIGS SA), dr Annie Labuscagne (CS Vet) en
Nadine Vervoort (CS Vet)
All prices
Exclude
VAT
Lenie van der Walt (Pretoria), Simon Streicher (SAVPO),
Anelle Pieters (Advit) en Kobus Coetzee (Advit)
Chris Beghin (4Mix), Marie van Aswegen (Mockford
Farms), Ronél Jacobsz (Mockford Farms) en Calvin
Mabitsi (Leanside)
Porcus Oktober/November 2012

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: about 1 hour
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 small pork fi llets (about 175g each)
1 large orange
1⁄3 cup (50g) sliced prunes
3 knobs stem ginger in syrup, drained
and thinly sliced
6 lean bacon rashers
400g new potatoes, scrubbed and cut
into 5mm thick slices
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp brandy
2 tbsp olive oil (for marinade)
2 tbsp fi nely chopped parsley
4 pork cutlets
2 handfuls watercress sprigs
2 ruby grapefruits
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
Preparation
1. Put the fennel seeds and brown sugar
into a mortar or spice grinder and grind
until the fennel seeds are worked into the
sugar.
tO tASte
Stuffed roast pork with
prunes
Pork and prunes is a classic French combination, and here it is given an extra fl avour
boost with ginger and orange. Cooked with a variety of vegetables, it makes an easy
roast meal and can be prepared ahead and kept in the refrigerator ready for cooking.
2 leeks, trimmed and thickly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
2 red apples
2 cups (500ml) dry alcoholic cider
2 tablespoons chopped fresh fl at-leaf
parsley
Cooking method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Put the
pork fi llets on a chopping board and cut
each in half lengthways, without cutting
all the way through. Open the fi llets like a
book and press down to fl atten slightly.
2. Finely grate the zest from the orange
and set aside. Using a small, serrated
knife, cut away all the white pith from
the orange, then slice down between
the membranes to remove the orange
segments. Arrange the orange segments
over the cut surface of one fi llet. Top with
the sliced prunes and ginger, sprinkle
with the orange zest, then season to
taste.
3. Place the second fi llet, cut side-down,
Grilled pork cutlets with watercress and
ruby grapefruit
2. Put the fennel and brown sugar into a
large bowl with the lemon juice, brandy,
olive oil and parsley and stir to combine.
3. Place the pork cutlets in the marinade
and turn them until they are all well coated.
Allow to marinate for 30 minutes.
4. Put the watercress sprigs into a bowl.
Using a sharp knife, remove the skin and
all the pith from the grapefruit. Holding
the grapefruit over the watercress to
capture any juice, remove the grapefruit
segments by cutting between the membranes,
and add them to the watercress.
Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil and
season lightly with sea salt and freshly
ground black pepper.
5. Heat your barbecue to low and cook
the cutlets for fi ve minutes on one side,
then turn them over and cook for a
further seven minutes. Remove from the
on top and gently press the fi llets together.
Wrap the bacon rashers around
the pork and secure in place with kitchen
string. Set aside.
4. Spread the potatoes over the base of
a large roasting tin, then scatter over the
leeks and carrots. Core and thickly slice
the apples, then add to the tin. Place
the pork-fi llet package on top and pour
in the cider. Roast for 1 hour or until the
potatoes and carrots are tender and
clear juices come out of the pork when it
is pierced with the tip of a knife. Lift out
the pork and vegetables, cover with foil
and leave to rest and keep warm for 10
minutes.
5. Meanwhile, put the roasting tin on the
stove and boil the cooking liquid over a
high heat until it is reduced to about 2⁄3
cup (170ml). Add the parsley and season
to taste. Slice the pork and serve with
the vegetables and the cooking juices
spooned over the top.
heat, cover with foil, and allow to rest for
fi ve minutes.
6. Serve with the watercress and grapefruit
salad.
Porcus October/November 2012 29

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30
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off brilliantly for our customers; we select and breed animals
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know-how adds great value to the pork supply chain and to
the entire industry.
Tel: + 27 12 348 3676
Fax: +27 12 348 8474
E-mail: info@topigssa.co.za
www.topigs.com
Porcus Augustus/September 2012

Why a ‘Turnover Review Study’?
LAbOUR
The AgriBEE Charter Council wants to understand the agricultural landscape of South Africa in
order to provide a meaningful and significant AgriBEE Charter that will benefit role players in their
transformation initiatives. This study will assist the Charter Council by determining the appropriate
turnover thresholds.
You are encouraged to take part in this economic study as it is critical that the AgriBEE Charter
Council have the most recent information and understands the challenges of the agricultural
community of South Africa in order to review the thresholds that will be most applicable and
appropriate in the transformation of the agricultural sector through the AgriBEE Sector Code.
Why is the study important?
The purpose of the study is to compile a detailed database with aggregated demographic,
financial and economic data on farming enterprises (primary agriculture) and agribusinesses and
or agro-industries (secondary agriculture) in South Africa. This data will be used to make
recommendations on turnover thresholds to assist the AgriBEE Charter Committee in determining
the turnover thresholds for the industry.
Who should participate?
The draft AgriBEE charter is the only sector charter that clearly states that all business, which
derives the majority of their income from agricultural activities, should be measured under the
AgriBEE Charter. This Charter will cover:
• All primary producers in South Africa (except those covered by the Forestry Charter), and
• All agribusinesses (input supply, services, processing, packing and export).
What is the purpose of the study?
The Codes of Good Practice on BEE, as promulgated in 2007, currently provides exemption for
businesses with an annual turnover of less than R5 million. Businesses with an annual turnover of
less than R35 million, also called qualifying small enterprises, need to comply with four BEE
scorecard elements. The draft AgriBEE Charter, as Gazetted on 26 March 2012, however states
that “the Minister may, by notice in the Gazette, adjust the turnover thresholds following
appropriate benchmarking studies, sub-sector inputs, other relevant information and consultation
with the major stakeholders in the sector”. The table below demonstrates the key measurement
Porcus October/November 2012 31

32
tO tASte
Porcus Augustus/September 2012

AgriBEE Charter. This Charter will cover:
• All primary producers in South Africa (except those covered by the Forestry Charter), and
LAbOUR
• All agribusinesses (input supply, services, processing, packing and export).
What is the purpose of the study?
The Codes of Good Practice on BEE, as promulgated in 2007, currently provides exemption for
businesses with an annual turnover of less than R5 million. Businesses with an annual turnover of
less than R35 million, also called qualifying small enterprises, need to comply with four BEE
scorecard elements. The draft AgriBEE Charter, as Gazetted on 26 March 2012, however states
that “the Minister may, by notice in the Gazette, adjust the turnover thresholds following
appropriate benchmarking studies, sub-sector inputs, other relevant information and consultation
with the major stakeholders in the sector”. The table below demonstrates the key measurement
criteria for the purposes of BEE compliance. It is important to note that the outcome of this study
will influence the measurement criteria relevant to businesses in the agricultural value chain.
Type of enterprises
Exempted microenterprises
Qualifying small
enterprises
BEE
Compliance
No actiondeemed
level 4
Partial
compliance
Codes of Good
Practice
Annual turnover
< R5 million
R5 million – R35
million
Generic enterprises Complete
compliance > R35 million
AgriBEE Charter
Annual turnover
To be confirmed by
AgriBEE Turnover
Review Study
To this end, the Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and the National
Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC) appointed PwC to assist with the collection of the relevant
agricultural economic data through a benchmarking study for purpose of the possible adjustment
of the turnover thresholds. This study will be conducted during October and November 2012 and
electronic and hard copy questionnaires will be distributed through several existing
communication channels.
What else is in it for me?
One participant will stand a chance to win an iPad2. To win the iPad2, all you have to do is
complete the survey and submit it. Your industry association will circulate communication shortly.
Porcus October/November 2012 33

34
PROMOtION ARtICLe
WHO CARES...
Alltech (Pty) Ltd | PO Box 7156 | Stellenbosch | 7599 | South Africa
Tel: (021) 865 2669 | Fax: (021) 865 2673 | www.alltech.com
...if your customer needs some tasty returns?
As the swine industry returns to profitability, are you switching from “survivor” mode to
“driver” mode and making sure you’re maximising profitability?
In any phase of the pig’s life, proper nutrition will improve health. The ‘Alltech pig advantage’
programme is no exception. With decades of dedicated research, the ‘Alltech pig advantage’
programme can help improve immunity, weight gain, and meat quality.
So, who cares about your customer’s profit? Remember
DOES!
www.facebook.com/AlltechNaturally www.twitter.com/@Alltech Copyright, ©, 2011, Alltech. All rights reserved

PROMOtION ARtICLe
Alltech predicts a contraction in
global feed production in 2013
Speaking at the Food and Agriculture
Organisation of the UN, in
Rome, Alltech vice president, Aidan
Connolly, presented the results
of the 2011 Alltech Feed Tonnage
Survey, along with results from
previous surveys, showing a steady
increase in feed production year on
year.
The 2011 survey, covering 128 countries,
put the total feed at 873 million
tonnes. The 2012 survey, due to be
published soon and covering more than
130 countries, is expected to show a
further increase. For 2013 however,
Connolly, presenting at the IFIF-FAO
joint meeting, predicted a contraction
in the region of three to fi ve percent,
driven by the following three factors:
1. Continued global recession affecting
protein consumption.
2. The conversion of large amounts of
feed stocks and materials into biofuels.
Recognising a need to provide a
global discussion on the topic of
human capital in agriculture, the
International Food and Agribusiness
Management Association (IFAMA)
announced the release of a special
issue of the journal, International
Food and Agribusiness Management
Review, devoted to human capital
in food and agribusiness. “Global
Networks, Global Perspectives and
Global Talent ” contains 23 essays
from top industry executives and
leading academics who discuss different
approaches to the challenges
and solutions in fi lling the current
global talent gap.
Featured authors include Hugh Grant,
3. Reduced feed supply due to a global
drought, specifi cally in the US.
In addition, a mycotoxin survey, also
carried out by Alltech, indicates that
the surviving US harvest will be highly
contaminated with up to 37 different
mycotoxins, due to crop vulnerability
from adverse weather conditions. The
resulting percentage contraction in feed
production will then be determined by
the ability of integrated food producers,
farmers and food companies to pass
Alltech teams up with IFAMA to fi nd
solutions to address the development of
human capital in agriculture
president and CEO of Monsanto; Hans
Jöhr, corporate head of agriculture for
Nestlé; Pearse Lyons, president and
founder of Alltech; Vikram Puri, CEO
of Mahindra ShubhLabh Services, and
many more.
The special issue is designed to raise
awareness of the importance of human
capital to a wide audience, share innovative
ideas and identify areas for further
study. It is available free on the IFAMA
website, www.ifama.org .
“It is becoming increasingly clear that
human capital, rather than physical resources
or fi nancial clout, will defi ne the
success of agribusiness organisations
in today’s new and increasingly global
environment,” said Aidan Connolly,
Alltech vice president and co-editor
of the special edition. “Our industry is
on the increased feed material cost to
consumers, without any loss in overall
consumption levels.
“We are facing a completely new era
for the agriculture industry where, for
the fi rst time in history, feed production
for 2013 will be lower than for 2012,
and it is clear that effi ciency in converting
feed into food will be more critical to
food companies than ever,” said Connolly.
facing the extreme challenge of feeding
a growing population while experiencing
dramatic changes in supply and
demand due to climate, economics,
and technology.
At the same time, today’s consumers
have higher expectations for the food
they eat, as well as for the fi rms that
produce it.”
“Businesses today are faced with
complex, international problems often
involving multiple stakeholders with
competing objectives,” noted Mary
Shelman, director of Harvard Business
School’s Agribusiness Program and
current president of IFAMA.
“Creative leadership and innovative
approaches to problem-solving are
essential in order to develop new solutions.
This requires different skills and
training than in the past.”
Porcus October/November 2012 35

36
International
Netherlands allowed to export pig
feet to China
The Chinese authorities have formally
allowed as from 1 November
the imports of pig trotters from the
Netherlands.
In June last year, China had already allowed
a limited number of pork products
to be shipped from the Netherlands to
China. At that time, trotters had not been
included yet.
For the full economic valorisation of pig
carcasses, the admission is very important.
Demand for pig trotters is high in
China, with the Chinese New Year coming
up in the beginning of 2013.
UK pork expands to new
Netherlands market
British pork is now being sold in the
largest supermarket chain in the
Netherlands.
The retailer has launched three new lines
including shoulder steaks, fi llet and loin
chops, complete with a high welfare
sticker and a prominent description of
product origin and rearing methods.
The pork is marketed as a product with
high welfare standards and taste in the
retailer’s premium range.
“This is excellent news and recognises
Increase survival of new born pigs
To help increase the survival of new
born piglets, scientists of the United
States (US) department of agriculture
have developed a new method
that predicts animals’ mortality and
nursing ability.
Physiologist Jeffrey Vallet and his colleagues
at the US meat animal research
centre call the measuring technique the
“immunocrit,” which determines whether
preweaning piglets receive adequate
colostrum from the sow. The immunocrit
measures newborn piglet serum immunoglobulin
in blood samples. These
measurements indicate piglets’ mortality
and nursing ability. Immunocrit results
also show that the average measurement
of piglets in a litter refl ects the
The allowance of exporting pig trotters
marks the end of a multi-year project by
the Dutch ministry of economy, agriculture
and innovation, as well as several
Dutch lobby groups and agricultural
organisations.
The Chinese authorities have emphasised
that pig trotters will only eligible
for exporting if the Dutch processing
companies have been approved for
export and are in the possession of an
approved protocol for producing pig
trotters.
Pig Progress
the high standards of the British pork
sector,” said British pig executive export
manager Jean-Pierre Garnier.
“This is a rather prestigious accolade,
particularly as it positions our product
between the supermarket’s own animal
welfare standards and organic pork.
There is a good untapped demand from
Dutch consumers for high welfare and
sustainable meat, and we hope that we
will generate good sales from now on.”
WATTAgNet
sow’s ability to produce colostrum.
In addition, scientists have found a
connection between immunocrit measurements,
piglets’ weight and mortality.
Pigs that weighed more were more likely
to survive the challenge of not getting
colostrum within the critical timeframe,
as opposed to those that weighed less,
said the researchers.
Because test results are obtained so
quickly, it is possible to identify compromised
piglets while they’re still alive,
according to Vallet. The immunocrit
recognises piglets within a litter that
have not eaten or had the chance to
nurse. This provides an opportunity to
save at-risk piglets by using intervention
strategies.
WATTAgNet
A national swine
traceability system
expected before
pig movement
reporting becomes
mandatory
The Canadian Pork Council expects to
have a working pig traceability system
in operation on a voluntary basis in
advance of regulatory changes that will
make the reporting of swine movements
in Canada mandatory.
To accommodate swine traceability,
the Canadian food inspection agency is
revising Canada’s animal health regulations
to for the fi rst time require the
reporting of all movements of pigs.
Jeff Clark, the manager of PigTrace
Canada, an initiative of the Canadian
Pork Council, expects a voluntary system
to be in place before movement
reporting becomes a requirement.
The Pig Site
2013 sow stall ban:
Bigger drop in meat
production
Bigger falls in pig meat production
than originally forecasted are possible,
according to the latest BPEX
report looking at the introduction
of the partial sow stall ban across
Europe on 1 January 2013.
This is the result of rocketing feed costs
and could lead to a sharp rise in prices
for pork and pork products. The report
shows 18 EU countries say they will be
ready for the new legislation, though
some still have a long way to go. The
report shows three possible scenarios
as a result of the changes:
• A fall in pig meat production of around
fi ve per cent from 2011 levels by 2014,
leading to price increases, but with fairly
rapid recovery as productivity improves.
• A sharper fall in production as higher
feed prices add to the impact of the stall
ban, leading to shortages of pig meat
and substantial price increases, resulting
in pressure for political intervention.
• Realignment of production so that
breeding is concentrated in North West
Europe and fi nishing in Eastern and
Southern Europe, reducing overall production
costs.
PigProgress
Porcus Oktober/November 2012

Global meat
production
curbed due to
disease, drought
Global meat production rose to 297
million tons in 2011, an increase of
0.8 percent over 2010 levels, and is
projected to reach 302 million tons
by the end of 2012. By comparison,
meat production rose 2.6 percent in
2010 and has risen 20 percent since
2001.
A record drought in the US Midwest,
animal disease outbreaks, and rising
prices of livestock feed are all factors
which contributed to 2011’s lower rise in
production.
Also, bucking a decades-long trend,
meat consumption decreased slightly
worldwide in 2011, from 42.5kg per
person in 2010 to 42.3kg. Since 1995,
however, per capita meat consumption
has increased 15 percent overall
in developing countries. It increased
25 percent during this time, whereas in
industrialised countries it increased just
by two percent. Although the disparity
between meat consumption in developing
and industrialised countries is shrinking,
it remains high: the average person
in a developing country ate 32.3kg of
meat in 2011, whereas in industrialised
countries people ate 78.9kg on average.
Pork was the most popular meat
in 2011, accounting for 37 percent of
both meat production and consumption,
at 109 million tons. This was followed
closely by poultry meat, with 101 million
tons produced. Yet, pork production decreased
0.8 percent from 2010, whereas
poultry meat production rose 3 percent,
making it likely that poultry will become
the most-produced meat in the next few
years.
PigProgress
International
????
INteRNAtIONAL
ORGANISAtION
First piggery to earn carbon credits
Blantyre farms was launched as
Australia’s fi rst carbon farming piggery.
Blantyre farms is the fi rst piggery in Australia
to be given the green light to earn
carbon credits from destroying methane
generated by pig manure - making it the
fi rst farm-based project declared eligible
under the federal government’s carbon
farming Initiative (CFI).
Located near Young in NSW, Blantyre
Call for science to infl uence key
decisions on antibiotic use
The European Union (EU) is considering
sheltering some key antibiotics
from veterinary use to protect their
effi cacy in human medicine. Yet science
indicates that the link between
on-farm use and the development
of resistance in human pathogens
is unlikely, with politics driving key
decisions.
Speaking at the British Mastitis Conference,
Declan O’Rourke from Ortec, a
veterinary consultancy, said that there
was no science behind the Dutch government’s
decision to target a 70 per
cent reduction in antibiotic use between
2009 and 2015. He said in order to
Clearer food and drink labeling for
consumers
United Kingdom (UK) manufacturers
will have to bring in clearer and more
honest food labeling on the country
of origin of meat, allergen advice
and whether the product contains
palm oil.
The UK government demanded stronger
labeling across the whole of the EU, and
is now putting the EU rules into action in
the UK.
Food and farming minister David Heath
said: “The government is tightening up
rules to make it easier for shoppers to
make more informed decisions for themselves
and their families at the tills. We
farms has approximately 22 000 pigs,
and was the fi rst piggery in Australia to
install a commercial-scale system to
generate power from methane from an
anaerobic (covered pond) system.The
piggery converts methane from pig manure
into electricity, powering the entire
operation of the farms. The technology
and machinery were built by Australian
company, Quantum Power.
PigProgress
avoid this reaction, vets and farmers
must be prepared to take the lead, not
only to demonstrate responsible use of
antibiotics on farm, but to use science
and system development to reduce
veterinary interventions.
O’Rourke said that the EU has reported
25 000 deaths due to antibiotic
resistance and the passing of bacteria
such as Escherichia coli from farm to
fork.
However, he questioned how many
of those deaths were related to the fact
that an antibiotic produced in an animal
led to resistant bacteria being transferred
to a human.
The PigSite
fought long and hard in Europe for more
honest labeling so that people can make
up their own minds about what they eat.
We are making it easier for consumers
to know what’s in the food and drink that
they buy, while at the same time cutting
red tape for businesses.”
Costs will be kept to a minimum by
ensuring industry has a reasonable period
of time to implement the changes.
This means that rather than having to
immediately re-label every single product
to comply with the law, businesses can
absorb the legislative requirements into
their planned re-labeling cycle.
ThePigSite
Porcus October/November 2012 37

38
PRODUCtION
Pondering Points
Immunocontraception for elephants?
And from pigs? Where will it end?
Firstly, a little revision of the birds
and bees (more correctly bees and
fl owers) story that your parents
might have told you before or after
your school pals gave you their sniggering
version.
More scientifi cally, it works like this:
• In most creatures reproduction
requires a male and a female gamete
(sperm and ovum), each with half the
matching number of chromosomes;
these combine to form a zygote which
has the complete set and all the
genetic material of the new individual.
The zygote divides into undifferentiated
cells – the original stemcells
of which we hear so much—which
quickly become an embryo, then a
foetus, then a baby or a piglet or a
little elephant. No surprises there.
• What causes one to ponder is: How
does the sperm fi nd the ovum and
how come the ovum only allows a
single sperm through its cell wall from
the thousands that survive the tough
trip up the uterus and are panting to
get in?
• The answer lies in a glycoprotein coating
around the ovum called the zona
pellucida (“clear area”) which chemically
attracts sperms and binds them
while one succeeds in penetrating the
ovum and fi nding the nucleus with the
matching pieces of DNA.
• The zona pellucida protein fractions
differ from one species to another and
as such they are immunogenic. This
means that if you inject zona pellucida
material into a female mammal of a
different species, it produces an immune
reaction. Antibodies are formed
and these inactivate the host’s zona
pellucida so that the waiting ova do
not attract or bind or permit penetration
by sperms and no conception
occurs.
The possibilities are intriguing and the
technique has already been used successfully
to control over-population in wild
animals such as white-tailed deer in the
USA, where it has been 90% effective in
preventing pregnancy in treated females.
Does this then have any relevance
for us in South Africa?
Very defi nitely – the National Parks of
which we are justifi ably proud, need
careful moderating of certain species
which we have confi ned to fenced areas
(even the Kruger National Park (KNP)
restricts the natural movements although
it is the size of Wales) and this applies
particularly to elephants. There have
been very few ways of approaching
over-population of this iconic species
up to now, and none of them is easy or
inexpensive, for example:
• Laissez-faire, which allows matters to
run their course and lets the elephants
destroy their environment and ultimately
starve — not acceptable.
• Capture and translocation—too cumbersome,
expensive and only slightly
reduces numbers and not for long –
not effective.
• Selective culling, taking out whole
family groups to minimise stress, and
then processing the carcases—probably
the most effective and economic,
but not ideal: problems of logistics,
effi ciency, public opinion, orphans –
there must be something better.
Well, how about collecting pig ovaries
at abattoirs, extracting and standardising
the porcine zona pellucida (PZP),
packing the purifi ed result into darts that
inject a single dose when fi red into an
elephant from a vehicle or helicopter and
then fall off?
The short answer is – IT WORKS –
veterinarians and game department staff
have been working out a method in the
KNP and the results are really promising.
Sure there are caveats, like:
• It’s not exactly cheap and, until there
is a generalised method of dosing
animals via their food or respiratory
tracts (like some poultry vaccines),
each female has to be injected twice
to be effective;
• Periodic boosters are necessary because
the effects of the PZP vaccine
are reversible. This necessitates careful
identifi cation of vaccinated individuals,
certainly at the experimental stage
On the plus side:
• There are no hormonal side effects
and normal social behaviour patterns
including oestrus and mating are not
affected;
• It is safe for pregnant females and has
no effect on males if they are accidentally
vaccinated;
• The PZP does not enter the food
chain;
• Elephants do not have to be shot or
darted and loaded and transported
over long distances;
• Family groups are not broken up, they
just have fewer babies.
A fi nal point to ponder: if this technique
is successful in animals, won’t it
maybe work on people – add it to the
list of contraceptive methods in our soon
to be over-populated world? It doesn’t
even have to be pig zona pellucida –
whales or cows or buffaloes would be a
rich source but pigs are so much more
convenient and have all those ova, as we
know.
Porcus Oktober/November 2012

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39

40
PRODUCtION
S
Porcus Augustus/September 2010