porcus - sappo

PORCUS
Maart 2011 Vol 29 no 2
The advantages of
contract growing
Foot-and-mouth: Good biosecurity
measures your only protection
Why are micro nutrients important?
Inhoud/Contents
PORCUS
Maart 2011 Vol 29 no 2
Aktueel
Foot-and-mouth disease: Look out for these signs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Quick guide to foot-and-mouth disease . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
PIC day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
SAMPA AGM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
TOPIGS day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Alltech opens $200 million algae facility in Kentucky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Understanding micro nutrients: Why are they important? . . . . . . . . . . 28
Bedryf neem afskeid van dr Edgar Payne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
To taste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Rubrieke
Market conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Pondering Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
PORCUS is die amptelike tydskrif
van die Suid-Afrikaanse Varkvleisprodusente-organisasie (SAVPO).
Redaksionele Komitee
James Jenkinson (voorsitter: SAVPO),
Peter Mockford (vise-voorsitter:
SAVPO), Simon Streicher (hoofbestuurder: SAVPO)
Redaksie
Derick van der Walt (redakteur),
Tel: (012) 332 1589 of 082 770 5111
E-pos: [email protected]
Salomé Schutte. Tel: (012) 329 3764
Uitleg: Yolandé van Zyl
Advertensies
Doreen Jonker, Millerstraat 3, Pierre
van Ryneveld 0157.
Tel (012) 662 1006.
Porcus March 2011
Faks (012) 662 1006
Reproduksie
Mandi Repro en Print
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: [email protected]
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.
3
SAVpo
Registrasievorm
4
Porcus Maart 2011
SAppo
Registration Form
Porcus March 2011
5
NuTrITIoN
Market conditions
Information supplied by Divan van der Westhuizen of the Bureau of Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP)
The volatile nature of production environments
continued its growing trend, especially in supplying the key commodities such as wheat and yellow
maize. Yellow maize remains an important ingredient in animal feed, and as a result the increasing price will impact adversely on the cost of feed.
This will place enormous pressure on profit margins of farmers who commercially produce livestock. The weakening exchange rate forced the
price of yellow maize to increase by almost 20% in
only two months. The effect of the recent floods
in the core producing areas and rising expenditure
on fuel, electricity and wages could also add to the
cost pressure.
Figure 2: Pork to maize price ratio
Farm level analysis
Figure 1: Index for requisites and auction prices
The index for requisites and auction prices focus on two aspects, the pork auction price on the hook and the pork input
cost index. The main driver of the input cost index is the yellow
maize price. The latest update from the BFAP pork industry
index analysis, for February, includes the new projections for
2011. Current prices and input trends indicate that there is a
sharp increase in both indices from 2010 to 2011.
The requisites index has increased by almost ten percent
in 2011. This can mainly be attributed to the rise in maize
prices. What is noteworthy is that the estimates for 2011 are
only three percent lower than in 2008, which was a year in
which the majority of commodities experienced unprecedented
price increases. The auction price index had a similar trend,
which increased by 15.09% from 2010 to 2011. It is therefore
expected that auction prices will increase along with the yellow
maize price over the medium term.
The pork to maize price ratio for BP quality products has
decreased by 6.4% from December 2010 to January 2011.
The main driver of this change was a higher yellow maize price
in January. The ratio for BP has decreased from 11.38 in
December to 10.65 in January. The same impact on PP quality
products was however slightly dampened by a higher PP price.
A decrease from 11.50 to 11.10 was experienced from December to January. This translates into PP prices decreasing 3.5 %
(month on month) in January.
6
As mentioned previously, the yellow maize SAFEX price has
reached its highest level since January 2009. As a result of
global food inflation and a weakening exchange rate, the yellow
maize price increased by 18% in the last month (January-February). The average yellow maize price in January and February
were R1 478 and R1 655 per ton, respectively. The February
price is approximately 50% higher than the same level in June
2010. There is general consensus that the exchange rate will
remain strong in the medium term which could lead to lower
maize prices. In contrast to this, global supply and demand
will be a significant role player in price determination due to
lower stock levels in the main commodities. The price for PP
quality pork has reached its highest level since June 2009. The
average PP meat price during January was R16.41/kg. For the
same period in 2010, the price was R15.97/kg. The current
projections are that meat prices could follow the global food
inflation upward trend.
Figure 3: Pork price and YM SAFEX price
In the sample of pork producers for sow and sale numbers
the quantity of sows increased month on month by 1.4% in
December. Thereafter, a decline of 1.15% was experienced in
January. The moving average (four month average) in January was 30 976 sows. Actual sow numbers in December and
January were 31 279 and 30 803, respectively. A similar patPorcus Maart 2011
Market conditions
tern was followed by the number of sales during December and
January. Sales increased by approximately one percent from
November to December and decreased by 2.33% in January.
The total number of sales in December and January were
55 152 and 53 865, respectively. Compared to 2010 levels,
the number of sows remained the same and the number of
sales decreased by 2.24%.
The total number of animals slaughtered for the third levy period
has increased by 18.44% from November towards December.
The total number of slaughters in December was 218 622,
7.53% higher for the same period in 2009. A better estimate will
be obtained by taking in a moving average for a period. Figure 6
represents a three month moving average for total slaughters in
South Africa. The moving average for the period in December increased by 1.97% to a level of 199 055 slaughters. The average
cattle and sheep slaughters for December were 188 549 and 424
815, respectively. When considering slaughters per province,
Gauteng had the most slaughters in South Africa. The runner
up was KwaZulu-Natal followed by the Western Cape. Gauteng
slaughters for December was 87 875 animals, 4.51% higher than
in November. KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape’s slaughters
were 34 606 and 34 178, respectively.
Figure 4: Sow numbers vs sales1
The moving average trend for the number of services and
total piglets born moved sideways from November to January.
There was an increase of 2.47% in the number of piglets borne
in December, but decreased again in January to reach a moving average of 65 952. The moving average for the numbers
of services in December and January were 7 157 and 7165,
respectively. The actual number of piglets born and services in
the sample for January 2011 were 7 088 and 64 291 respectively. This corresponds with actual numbers in January 2010.
Figure 5: Services vs piglets born2
Abattoir level analysis
Figure 7: Slaughters per province
Since the sharp increases in the festive season due to greater
demand, abattoir prices of all pork prices followed mixed trends
towards January and February. BP quality pork meat remained
relatively constant in January and February. The price for BP
meat in the week of 4 February was R15.81/kg which is 0.64%
higher than the last week in January. It was observed that
the price for the same period in 2010 and 2011 was exactly
the same at R15.81/kg. On the other hand, BO prices have
decreased by 5.01% from the last week of December towards
January. BO prices were R15.74/kg in the week of 7 January
and had a sideways movement towards February. Throughout January, the BR meat price remained relatively constant.
The BR price in the week of 28 January was R16.16/kg. As
mentioned earlier, the average price of PP quality meat during
January had an increase of 1.90% since December. During the
first week of February the price for PP products was R16.26/kg.
For the same period in 2010, the price for PP was R15.91/kg.
The abattoir analysis focuses on two aspects, namely the number of pigs slaughtered and slaughters per province.
Figure 8: Average price for various classes3
Figure 6: Total numbers slaughtered (national estimates)
Porcus March 2011
Continued on p 8
7
NuTrITIoN
Market conditions
Market conditions continued from p. 7
Wholesale and retail price analysis
Figure 10: Total imports to South Africa
Figure 9: Margin analysis for porkers and baconers,
2010 & 2011
Index levels
The margin analysis in the sample for porker and baconer products indicated that retail prices for pork chops have increased
by almost two percent. As wholesale prices remained constant in February, the rise in the retail sample has increase the
porker margin by approximately 3.45%. The index margin for
porker products (base year = 2008) in February was 97.18%.
The price for pork ribs remained the same at R49.95/kg. On
the other hand, the wholesale price for baconer products has
increased by 2.50%. This caused the margin to decrease by
almost one percent. The index margin for baconer products
was 141.6% in February.
Import analysis
The total tonnage imports of pork meat to South Africa have
declined from December towards January 2011. This de-
8
cline can be ascribed to lower demand as the festive season
reached an end. Imports in January have declined by 3.50%
from December to a value of 2 558 tonnes. Imports in January are still 17.61% higher for the same period in 2010. The
imports of ribs, ham/shoulders and other cuts were 1 520,
52 and 985 tonnes respectively. The three main countries of
import were Germany, Canada and France. Total imports from
Germany was 1 227 tonnes, followed by Canada with 655
tonnes and thirdly, France with 257 tonnes.
Figure 11: Imports of pork to South Africa
SAPPO pork producers farm survey (2010/11)
SAPPO pork producers farm survey (2010/11)
3
May 2010 price data has been estimated and may not be completely representative
1
2
Porcus Maart 2011
ANIMAL HEALTH
Foot-and-mouth disease: Look
out for these signs
By Dr Heinz Bodenstein, Charles
Street Veterinary Consultancy
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)
is a highly contagious disease
caused by a virus that affects all
cloven hoof animals (ruminants,
pigs and camels).
The FMD virus is transmitted predominantly by direct contact through bodily
secretions and excretions of infected
animals, but can also be transmitted
to susceptible animals by swill feeding
(especially milk products), contaminated
objects and people. Saliva of an acutely
infected animal contains the highest
concentration of virus when compared to
any other bodily secretion or excretion.
After inhalation (mostly ruminants) or
ingestion (mostly pigs) the virus replicates in the cells that line the oral cavity
and upper respiratory system. From here
the FMD virus moves to the regional
lymph nodes and then spreads via the
blood and lymph to the rest of the body.
As the name implies, foot-and-mouth
disease affects the foot (claw) and
mouth. The development of the ulcerated lesions typically seen with FMD is dependent on two main factors. Firstly the
amount of virus present in a particular
area and secondly the amount of friction
or irritation a particular area is subjected
to. This is the reason why pigs have
lesions on their snouts (due to sniffing),
cows have lesions on their teats (due to
milking) and warthogs have lesions on
their “knees” (due to their feeding behaviour). FMD is more severe in intensively
reared pigs than other species, being
responsible for severe clinical disease in
adult and grower pigs, and high mortality
in piglets. Pigs are also the most efficient
in excreting the FMD virus as they are
able to release massive amounts of the
virus, but animals that recover from the
disease do not remain carriers as seen in
other species.
The most important carrier and reservoir animal in South Africa is the African
buffalo. Most FMD infections of African
buffalo that are not kept in captivity go
unnoticed. The buffalo then carries the
virus for prolonged periods of time and
is able to transmit the disease. It is thus
practically impossible to eradicate FMD
in South Africa. This is the reason why
there are control zones around areas
such as the Kruger National Park and
borders of Botswana, Mozambique,
Zimbabwe and Swaziland. These zones
are responsible for keeping FMD within
these areas and making the rest of the
country free of FMD.
Countries that have been success-
ful in eradicating FMD have done so at a
high cost and place import restrictions on
countries that fail to control FMD. That is
why FMD is the most economically important disease of Southern Africa despite the
fact that the disease has a comparatively
low impact on extensive cattle farming
practised in FMD positive areas.
There is a vaccine available for FMD,
but the problem with the vaccine is that
it does not prevent an animal from getting the virus or transmitting it to other
animals, but prevents them from becoming clinically ill. Animals are thus only
vaccinated in infected zones and just
around infected zones to limit the loss
from FMD.
People can become infected with the
FMD virus, but clinical disease is rare
and mild in infected people. It should
also be kept in mind that animal products from infected animals are safe for
human consumption.
In conclusion, FMD is not an important disease in commercial pigs because
of the fact that commercial piggeries are
not located near FMD positive zones,
but can play a major role in the spreading of the virus in an FMD outbreak. It is
also a disease that has severe financial
implications in that it has an effect on
export and might lead to a complete
slaughter out of an infected herd.
Consumers reassured about quality
and safety of locally produced red
meat
The Red Meat Industry Forum, an association of organisations, which represents the
interests of the various groups in the red
meat industry, in a statement reassured
South African consumers that the recent
finding of suspected foot-and-mouth disease in KwaZulu-Natal is of no threat to humans, and red meat supplies in the country
have in no way been compromised.
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) announced
that some suspected foot-and-mouth
(FMD) cases have been discovered in the
northern part of KwaZulu-Natal as well
Porcus March 2011
as in a feedlot in Gauteng during routine
surveillance. No clinical symptoms for
the disease have been seen to date, but
the department is continuing to conduct
intensive investigations. The department
also stressed that there was no danger
for consumers eating meat bought from
local supermarkets.
FMD is a highly contagious viral
disease, which affects livestock and
can have significant economic impact.
The disease affects cattle and swine as
well as sheep, goats, and other cloven
hoofed animals. The disease does not
affect human beings.
“We want to ease any concerns which
South African consumers might have
relating to this latest finding. South African red meat is nutrient rich food which
can be included as part of a healthy
balanced diet for the whole family. It
contains essential vitamins, minerals and
protein and locally produced South African red meat is safe to purchase from
supermarkets and butcheries and safe
and nutritious to eat,” says Dave Ford,
chairman and spokesperson for The Red
Meat Industry Forum.
9
production
Animal Health
Improvac® Reg No.: G3643 (Act 36/1947)
10
Porcus Januarie/Februarie 2011
ANIMAL HEALTH
Quick guide to foot-andmouth disease
Dr Andrew Tucker – Charles Street
Veterinary Consultancy
What is foot-and-mouth disease?
Foot-and-mouth disease is a viral disease (aphthovirus) which in pigs is acute
and very contagious. It is characterised
by fever, the formation of vesicles on the
coronary band (between leg and claw)
as well as on the snout, lips and tongue.
Although mortality due to foot-andmouth is quite, low the number of pigs
affected in the herd will be high (due to it
been very contagious).
There are seven different foot-andmouth virus serotypes: European (Types
A,O,C), South African (S.A.T. 1,2,3) and
Asian (Type 1). These serotypes are then
further divided into about 65 subtypes.
Knowing the type and subtype goes a
long way in helping find out where an
outbreak might have come from.
Infection takes place predominantly
by inhalation or ingestion. The incubation
period is two to seven days and the virus
is shed even before the appearance of
lesions.
a foot-and-mouth outbreak the farms
with poor biosecurity are at huge risk
and therefore also pose a huge risk to
the whole industry.
The virus is spread by direct and
indirect contact with affected animals,
carcasses or animal products. Interestingly this virus can remain alive in a
product like Parma ham for three to five
months. Passive human carriage occurs and
can be prevented by change of outer
clothing and showering. Transmission
via the aerosol route is possible, which
highlights why lawn mowers work better
than sheep to control the grass around
the unit. Although fences cannot stop
the virus entering the unit, they go a long
way in lowering the risk.
Biosecurity
Proper biosecurity will reduce the risk
of getting this disease on your farm to a
minimum. See compartmentalisation or
SAPPO Quality Assurance documents
www.sapork.com
Any positive cases are dealt with by
the state veterinary department. The reason for this is that South Africa is ‘free’
of this disease, except for a controlled
area around Kruger National Park and
the present Northern KwaZulu-Natal
outbreak.
Many countries are negative and
hence outbreaks have implications on
meat/animal exports. For these reasons
this is a “government controlled” disease
and any suspected cases have to be
reported to them.
Outbreaks
Outbreaks will be dealt with either by a
slaughter out programme within a designated quarantine area or via vaccination
in this area. This decision lies with the
state veterinary department.
References:
Pig Diseases – D.J.Taylor; Diseases of
Swine – Straw, Zimmerman, D’Allaire,
Taylor
How do you know if it’s on your
farm?
Normally the first sign noticed on farm
is a sudden onset of severe lameness.
An accompanying fever may be noticed
as pigs are lethargic and do not want
to eat. Vesicles which rupture to form
ulcers are normally seen on the coronary
bands as well as the tongue, lips, snout
and teats. None of these signs are specific for foot-and-mouth only, but should
be reported and investigated straight
away due to the implications if it is footand-mouth.
So please contact your vet immediately if you notice any of these signs.
Diagnosis will have to be confirmed
via blood tests.
How do you treat or prevent it?
Biosecurity is a much spoken about
topic in our industry and in situations like
Porcus March 2011
11
ANIMAL HEALTH
SAPPO’s recommended
biosecurity measures for pig
farms
1. Fence your piggery effectively to prevent access by people and animals. If possible, prevent animals being able to dig
under the fence.
2. Don’t allow other types of animals or pets within your piggery fence.
3. Don’t allow visitors into your piggery if they have been in
contact with other pigs in the last two days.
4. You should provide all visitors with overalls and boots before
entering your farm. They must leave these overalls and boots
on your farm when they leave.
5. Don’t allow people to eat within the piggery and especially
not to bring pork or pork products into the piggery.
6. Make sure that vehicles and goods you bring into your pig-
TOWARDS
TO
TH E
gery are not a risk. Always disinfect vehicles and goods before
they enter the piggery.
7. Only bring pigs in from a piggery which has a known disease
status. That piggery’s health status should be the same or
better than your piggery’s status. Never bring pigs from auction
facilities into your piggery.
8. Do not feed swill (dead poultry, poultry offal and animal offal
included). Use of vegetables is not a risk, but feeding meat
products to pigs is risky.
9. Dead pigs must be disposed so that they do not pose a
possible source of disease to pigs outside of your piggery and
are not used for human consumption.
10. If you think doing/allowing anything to happen in your piggery is a disease risk – don’t do it.
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12
BD Ad Callmatic2 Südafrika 210x148,5 mm 03-11.indd 1
Porcus Maart
201111:05
16.03.11
PIC dAY
Consistency remains
important
Consistency and the right number
of good quality piglets weaned per
period, at competitive cost, that
perform very well on the finisher
phase and at slaughter point, are
PIC’s overall goal, said Dr José
Piva, director of production, PIC
USA.
He said high performance farms are
characterised by good team work and
employees who are really focused on
what they can control. They have a
clear understanding of principles and
priorities in production and keep work
simple, following a routine seven days
a week. On such farms, the employees are disciplined and have the right
mentality for high performance. They
recognise the worth of solid immunity,
good health status associated with
good genetics, the right pig flow and
the right environment. Results are highly
dependable on people and mean a
high level of productivity; per sow, per
square meter and per employee.
Strategies to reach this high level of
performance include the following:
• Gilts management and production
flow.
• Genetic merits and health management.
• Parity profile and sow lifetime performance.
• Sow body condition management
• Feeding protocol to wean, gestation
and lactation females.
• Replacement rate and sow culling
protocol.
• Boar exposure, semen handling and
breeding protocol.
• Production target and benchmarking.
There are some important points to
George Myburgh (Boehringer Ingelheim)
en Jacques Grobbelaar (DeHeus Voere)
Porcus March 2011
keep in mind, including solid immunity, good genetics, the right nutrition
and the right environment. Reaching
the breeding target is the number one
priority in a pig operation. Gilts must be
available to make up the breeding target of each group and regular production of low variation or group per week
are important. Throughput and low cost
of production also play a role, as do
high productivity.
Dr Piva said a sow unit doesn’t have a
real chance to get consistently better if
there isn’t a clear understanding of the
difference that a solid gilt management
programme can create in favour of current and future performance.
PIC held its annual information
day in Pretoria. It provided an
in-depth look at reproduction.
Some of the highlights appear
below.
Francois Moolman (Cradock), Jurgens
Reynders (Kanhym) and Rico Marais
(Stutterheim)
Gestation feeding programme
The objective of the PIC gestation
feeding programme is to restore
body condition before pregnant
checks and to have no excess
weight at the end of gestation. Dr
Piva explains.
The expectation should be to have more
sows eating 2.0 or 2,7kg of feed during
the first 28 days and a small percentage
decrease in feed intake from 28 to 90
days. The aim is to have less than five
percent weak sows after the pregnancy
check, to have easy farrowing and a
good start of lactation and to have high
feed intake and milking during lactation.
Gestation feeding summary:
• It is important to feed ad lib during the
wean-to-breed interval. Feed at least
Dr Cilliers Louw (Farmlands Vets) en dr
Andrew Tucker (Charlesstraat Vets)
twice per day to encourage maximum
feed intake. Feed 1.5 – 1.8 kg per feeding.
• Day 0-3: Feed maintenance level
(~2kg). Do body condition scoring and
place sows in gestation housing according to condition. Usually P1 sows will be
placed together.
• Day 3 – 28: Thin Sows: 2.7 – 3.2 kg,
normal sows: 2 – 2.2 kg, fat sows: 1.8
kg
• Day 28 – 90: Thin Sows: 2.7 – 3.2kg,
normal Sows: 2kg; fat sows: 1.8 Kg.
80% of sows should fall in the normal
category, with a slight decrease in feeding levels.
• Day 90 – 112: Thin sows: 2.7 – 3.2kg,
normal sows: 2.7 – 3.2kg, fat sows: 1.8
kg
Repeat body condition scoring every
four to five weeks.
Tippie Marais, Harry Mahieu en Hannes
Croucamp, almal van Instavet
13
QuALITY ASSurANcE
14
Porcus Maart 2011
PIC DAY
PIC.. Continued from p. 13
How to maximise litter size
The following points must be kept in
mind if the producer wants to maximise litter size, said Dr Piva:
• Avoid breeding catabolic females –
prevent detrimental effects of a sow’s
self-protection mechanisms. Skip heat
on very thin P1-females. Aim for <8%
body weight loss during the first lactation, and for <5% in older parities.
• Use semen no older than four days
from collection to help fertilisation.
• Proper stimulation at breeding and
immediately after help semen transport.
• Trained and motivated staff is still
worth more than equipment.
• Avoid breeding sows and gilts during
the refractory period.
• Do not inseminate more than two
sows and/or one gilts at a time, avoid
semen back flow and leave the catheter
in for at least five minutes after ending
the insemination process. Keep the boar
in front after inseminations are done.
• Do not move or stress bred females
in the five to 35 days of the gestation
period – avoid disrupting the implantation process.
• Maximise feed intake during lactation
– lactation is also part of the reproductive cycle, so its impact is not only in
litter weight.
• Control risk factors for stillborns – fat/
lame/old sows require more monitoring
as they get exhausted sooner; timely
assistance when needed; and controlled
use of oxytocin while sows are farrowing.
• A proper parity structure is important.
Aim to retain 70% of bred gilts to P3.
• The length of lactation should be a
minimum of 20 days.
• Use a feed programme to recover
body condition duringthe first 28 days of
gestation.
• Do not force any inseminations,
sometimes one is better than two and
two is better than three.
• Cull non-productive sows after parity
4.
Keep management simple
If something is not easy to implement, it will not happen, said
Dr Rafael Kummer from Master
Company in Brazil, who gave
pointers to producers from his
experience in managing a company which produces 600 000
weaners per year.
The key drivers in achieving >30 PSY
lies in achieving more than 13 total born
per litter, having a farrowing rate of more
than 90% and prewean mortality of less
than eight percent. It is not possible to
improve without a competitive genetic
programme and EBV management.
To improve total born, it is important
to set up a realistic gilt development
unit. A body condition plan must be
implemented and the parity structure
Pauli Heins (Stellenbosch) en William
Gee (Kanhym)
Porcus March 2011
must be managed. Any producer has
to understand the importance of semen
quality and the role of the boar. It is also
important to maximise lactation length.
Dr Kummer said the goal of gilt management should be to achieve >92% farrowing rate on P1’s, >13 total born and
parity retention rate of >70% to P3. Flow
must be organised at a replacement rate
of 55%.
The goal of a body condition management is to have 90% of the herd
at BCS=3. Feed cost represents 50%
of the cost of weaning a pig. It is a
good idea to recover thin sows faster
after weaning, while fat sows must be
avoided prior to farrowing. It is important
to improve feed intake during lactation.
As far as parity structure is concerned,
the goals should be that 70% of selected
Lee Sanders (Colbourne Farm) en Louis
Jones (Coprex)
gilts reach parity 3. The most productive sows are between parity 3 and 5.
Producers should not cull for productivity
before P3 and they should also take care
not to breed lame sows. A two strikes
policy must be implemented for culling.
Achieving >90% farrowing rate is
one of the three key factors in achieving >30PSY. This is achieved by having
good breeding strategies, paying attention to semen quality, maintaining uterus
health and managing the insemination of
risk sows, says Dr. Kummer.
To have a pre-weaning mortality of less
than eight percent requires healthy birth
weights (>1.45 kg, with <8% below 1kg),
good colustrum intake (>280ml/kg birth
weight), good cross-fostering pracitices,
the right temperature (30 - 32ºC for
piglets) and good sow care.
Hein Engelbrecht (Alzu), Chris Beghin (MG2Mix)
and Koos Roos (MG2Mix)
15
PIC DAY
PIC.. Continued from p. 15
Contract growing may be the
way to go, experts believe
Contract growing can be to the
advantage of farmers as well as
the big company supplying pigs
to the market, said Dr Andrew
Tucker of Charles Street Veterinary Consultants.
He used the example of British Quality
Pork (BQP), a business in the United
Kingdom, who makes use of the system
of contract growing of pigs.
BQP markets more or less 10 000
baconers per week and own feed mills,
abattoirs as well as its own gilt mating units. The company also has the
advantage of owning a large number of
skills, including a veterinary department,
Gerhard Minnaar (Kanhym) en Pierre
Kleinhans (Rica Piggery)
nutritionists, buyers, researchers and a
data base.
BQP prefers to use a system of
contract growing because it means
that they have less capital input, less
management costs and the advantage
of economy of scale.
Advantage
The system of contract growing is also
to the advantage of the farmer, because
he has an assured income, less risk,
less stress and less skills is required. He
doesn’t have to do any marketing, he
has no inputs on feed and can treat the
operation as a part time job.
System
Such a contract system can have the
following advantages to a South African
James en Karin Jenkinson (Swineline) en Kevin
Parsons (Frey’s)
Dr Pieter Grimbeek (Mooivet) en Sagrys Snyman
(Fochville)
16
BQP use the system of al in and all
out. The company supplies the breeding stock, buy weaners for sow herds
and stocks the wean-finish site. The
company supplies everything except
the daily labour needed to feed and
clean the pens. The pigs are owned by
the company and the company markets
them when they are ready. The farmer
is paid for the rent of his buildings and
receives a bonus for a good feed conversion rate.
Barry en Minkie Gibbs (Pro Pig
Development)
Dries Kotzé (Ratzegai Boerdery)
en Tosca Kotzé (Multi Pig)
De Villiers Beukes, Alteli de Villiers en
Cobus Marais (Kanhym)
Porcus Maart 2011
PIC Day
farmers:
• It could be incorporated into an
expansion.
• High land prices, expensive new
building costs and EIA challenges make
contract growing an attractive option
for pig production.
• Multi-site production holds many
health and production benefits.
• With multiple contractors, all-in allout practices could be implemented per
site.
• Urban encroachment becomes a
greater challenge for pig production,
where contract growing could prove to
be a more sustainable option.
• Energy supply becomes a possibility with the construction of a methane
digestor plant on a contract growing
site.
• It is a way of bringing BEE into his
operation.
• With economy of scale, the farmer
can obtain the capital to expand.
• Specialisation is a major advantage
of contract growing, where fewer production focus points apply.
On how to structure the relationship
with the company, Dr Tucker said it depends on the specific model. However,
it is important that the deal is fair and
that both parties are happy. There must
be an honest relationship between the
company and the supplier, which will
assure a long term agreement. Communication between the company and
his suppliers is critical.
Relationship
The relationship between the company
and his supplier can be the following:
• Option 1: To sell weaners of between 7 and 30kg, at a settled price
and terms of cancellation of the contract.
• Option 2: True contracting in a long
term partnership. One of two imbursement options exist here.
• Payment of a basic fee, based on
profit share. The % is model-specific.
• Payment of a production incentive,
based on production better than the
model.
Bob Brcka (PigCHAMP), Dr Peter Evans
(Charles Street Veterinary Consultants)
and Dr Jacolette Jansen (Charles Street
Veterinary Consultants)
Lactation
programme
The objective of the lactation
programme is to make the sow
eat as much as possible during lactation. This will ensure
increased sow lifetime performance and quality of weaned
pigs, said Dr Piva.
The sow must produce as much milk
as possible and her weight losses
must be reduced. It is important not to
increase the energy quantity when entering the farrowing room and to keep
the same level at the end of gestation,
except if a sow is very thin.
Three meals per day can increase
consumption. Make sure that the sow
is not left without feed over-night after
day three of lactation. Ad lib feeding to
appetite can be commenced from day
one.
Simon Mahlangu, Sarah Jiane, Daniel
Lukhele en Piet Bhuda, all from Kanhym
PigCHAMP is the
global market leader
in providing software
and knowledge
services to the pork
industry.
PigCHAMP became a member of the
Farms.com Family of Companies in
2001, which include AgCareers, Risk
Managament Services and Professional
Services. PigCHAMP is a well-estab-
PigCHAMP continued on p. 27
Rodger Dibiloane, Shoes Letsena Mathatho, Joseph Kganya- Arthur Gee (Kanhym), dr Thomas Volker (Penvaan) en Franco
Kriek (Big Dutchman)
go and Johannes Motla, all from Kanhym
Porcus March 2011
17
SAMPA AGM
Highlights of SAMPA’s AGM
The slight oversupply of pork
during 2010 seems to have been
taken up by the market with supply and demand now relatively
well balanced. The price of pork,
driven by increased demand as
well as the recent significant
increase in the maize price,
has started to rise, said Andrew
Cocks in his president’s report
at the annual general meeting of
the South African Meat Processors’ Association (SAMPA).
able. This is a result of negotiations by
the pork industry with the Department
of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
to have fairly stringent import controls
placed on pork imports to protect the
national herd against disease.
He said maize price volatility is a key
factor in the production of pork. Highs in
excess of R2 000 per ton were experienced in 2008, to the lows per ton in
mid 2010. It is currently on R1 750 per
ton. To ensure a sustainable pork supply,
a sustainable price needs to be paid.
He said the recent outbreak of foot-andmouth disease in northern KwaZulu-Natal is a confirmation of the need to have
adequate biosecurity measures in place.
It is imperative that the national pig herd
be protected against diseases.
The drive by the South African Pork
Producers’ Organisation (SAPPO) to implement a national farm audit system will
assist in this regard and will also facilitate
compartmentalisation. In the light of the
new Consumer Protection Act, SAMPA
has recommended that pork producers
have their audit programme externally
accredited. The protection of the health
status of the national pig herd is key to
sustainable pork supply, Cocks said.
The protocol for factories is currently
being audited to ensure that the audit
process for the monitoring of imported
products through approved processing
facilities is indeed practical and work-
The consultative process
of agreeing to voluntary
product standards with
the industry and affected
parties is nearly completed. The minimum
processing standards
and micro standards are
also in the final stages of
completion.
The South African Buro for Standards
(SABS) is already mandated by the
government to facilitate in the regulation
of the processing industry and will start
to commence with a policing process
as soon as the compulsory standards
are in place. The industry still needs to
agree on the extent of the policing that
will be done by the SABS. It will be done
Coen Strydom (Deli Spices) and Gordon Nicoll (BMS
Select Foods)
18
in terms of compliance with minimum
product standards as well as minimum
good manufacturing practices, he said.
Given the advanced nature of the
compositional standards, application
was made to, and approved by the Red
Meat Industry Forum for a grant of R250
000 for compositional testing of polony,
viennas, russians and hams. A polony
compositional analysis was conducted
in terms of lean meat equivalent percentage and total meat equivalent percentage on 26 different polonies purchased
form various retailers.
Cocks emphasised the importance
of food safety in terms of protecting the
processing industry.
The SAMPA members’ contribution to
the red meat levies has been ring-fenced
in the levy payments made to SAMIC.
It will be used for the purposes of own
policing of the industry via the SABS
once the relevant standards are in place.
The current levy collection would not be
Frank Matthews (Santam Group), Manie Booysen (FIA) and Simon Streicher
(SAPPO)
Porcus Maart 2011
SAMPA AGM
sufficient for the SABS to adequately
carry out the proposed function and
there would therefore be a cost for the
industry, as is the case in the meat canning and fishing industries.
The current levy is also only on pork
and not on mechanically deboned meat
or soya proteins, and a method of processor contribution to the policing cost
would need to be established.
He said the Consumer Protection Act
comes into effect on 1 April 2011 and
while one of the positive developments
was to give the retailer the impetus
required to agree to use a standardised
and externally accredited factory audit
system namely SAFS. There will obviously also be negatives to the act coming into effect. Presumably, in the initial
stages, there will be much hype from the
consumer. The tendency to push liability
down the supply chain as far as possible
is evident from the flurry of correspondence from retailers in terms of compliance levels from suppliers. The difficulty
with chilled processed meat, is that the
manufacturer looses control in terms of
maintenance of the cold chain when he
delivers to the retailers, and liability therefore becomes problematic.
The Department of Trade and Industry
approached SAMPA about the reduction
of tariffs on ham related products to be
used as a means of getting additional
access into the European Union for
some South African products.
The objection made by SAMPA to zero
rating on fully cooked imported lamb
shanks was also successful and duties
were not reduced, Cocks said.
The processed meat industry showed
a relatively strong total category volume
growth of 12,4% and a very strong polony segment growth of 20.9%. In terms
of value, however, the category reflects
an approximate deflation of six percent,
being mainly driven by polony with a ten
percent deflation in this segment.
The volume: value relationship is
completely reversed in comparison with
the prior year, when the total category
reflected an approximate 17% inflation
rate.
The real growth for 2010 was 2,8%,
compared to the 1.7% contraction of
2009.
The headline CPI annual inflation rate
This will result in the increased cost of imported raw
materials and together with
the high oil prices, will lead to
secondary cost pushes
for January 2011 was 3,7%, 0,2% higher
than the prior month’s reading. Retail
sales growth for the later part of 2010
was around 7,8%.
Cocks said there are two major
concerns regarding processed meats.
The first is the destruction of value in
the polony category which reflects a ten
percent deflation and is now 50% of the
CPM category. Secondly, the industry
is at the bottom of the cost curve in
terms of raw material prices driven by
Thorsten Sachse (Q Meats), Francois van Schalkwyk (Mcallum and Associates) and Andrew Cocks (president of SAMPA)
Porcus March 2011
increased grain prices. These price increases has an impact on pork, beef and
chicken raw material pricing and combined with the rand weakness over the
past few months. This will result in the
increased cost of imported raw materials and together with the high oil prices,
will lead to secondary cost pushes. This
combined with wage and electricity
increases above inflation mean that there
are significant cost pushes coming, and
the concern therefore would be to what
will happen to category volume growth in
the light of these cost pushes, he said.
Dr Beryl Zondagh (ARC-Irene), Jeanette Law-Brown and Terry
Bennet (both from Irvin & Johnston Ltd)
19
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Porcus November/Desember 2010
TOPIGS DAY
Positive results after
changes in gilt management
Highlights of TOPIGS
SA’s annual farmers day
Changes in the management
of its TOPIGS 40 gilt line have
already resulted in more piglets
born alive on clients farms of
TOPIGS SA, said Francois du Toit,
marketing manager of the company at the information day.
Du Toit said that various management
changes were suggested. “Housing,
among others, was improved to ensure
better gilt performance. TOPIGS SA also
invested in staff training. It is important
that junior personnel also have the
knowledge and ability to control and
reach targets in gilt houses themselves,”
Du Toit said.
The breeding focus for the TOPIGS
40 gilt also changed. The new focus is to
inseminate at a later age when gilts are
heavier. The minimum weight for insemination is now 135kg and the minimum
age for insemination is now 230 days.
Estrus detection and boar exposure
starts at 24 weeks of age.Du Toit pointed
out that good record keeping is of the
utmost importance for successful gilt
management. The following needs to be
recorded on a gilt pen card – gilt card:
• Date of birth
• Minimum date of mating
• Weights at 12, 18, 24, 30 and moment
of insemination
• Dates of heat
• Heat length
• Expected date of mating
• Flushing dates
• Mating dates
TOPIGS plans to double production
TOPIGS International plans to
become at least twice as big
within a ten-year period. We plan
to grow 100% between 2008 and
2018, said Henk Janssen (TOPIGS International Area Manager)
at the information day.
He predicted further concentration of
international pig breeders and pig breeding companies. “In 1998 the top three
breeding companies had 19% share of
the pig breeding market and in 2008 it
was 30%. These three companies may
own 50%
by 2020, he said.
“At the moment a handful of specialised, bigger breeding companies own
more than 35% of the market. They are
PIC, TOPIGS, Danbred, Newsham and
Hypor. There are also a number of pig
production companies such as Smithfield in the USA and CP in Thailand have
their own pig breeding program. The
rest of the breeding market consists of a
number of small, local pig breeders and
herd books,” Janssen said.
TOPIGS is the market leader in the
Netherlands with 85% of the market
share. It is the market leader in Europe
Porcus March 2011
with 15% market share. The company is
currently no 2 in the world.
Janssen said that China is becoming
an important market for TOPIGS as it is
the largest pork producer in the world
and that the demand for safe meat in
China will grow rapidly over the next few
years.
He pointed out that research and developments costs are rising worldwide.
“While governments worldwide reconsider the funding of local and national
breeding programmes further investment
in technology is required,” he said.
According to Janssen, producers
using TOPIGS breeding material benefit
form the company’s worldwide breeding
programme, which ensures access to a
huge amount of data. This guarantees
fast genetic improvement.
“Producers have the benefit of our
international gathering and distribution
knowledge, access to the latest developments and trends as well as special
breeding lines and products for different
markets worldwide. These include our
dam lines with the focus on robustness
and heat tolerance as well as our sire
lines with the focus on leanness, efficiency and robustness.”
Houses must ideally have a temperature of between 20° and 25°C and flooring must be of good concrete or slatted.
At least 1m2 floor spacing and at least
35cm trough space must be available
for every gilt. It is also easier to manage
smaller groups of gilts, Du Toit said.
He pointed out that gilts must be allowed an adaption period after they have
arrived on a new farm. They must be
allowed at least 60 days to adjust to the
new diet and health status of the farm.
“The TOPIGS 40 is a robust, efficient
and easy to handle sow. The line does
not require a high labour input and 26
piglets weaned per sow per year are
being achieved. The TOPIGS 40 returns
rapidly to estrus, has a high appetite and
is heat tolerant,” Du Toit said.
How to enhance
sow productivity
Pig producers should spend
more time planning and less
time fixing problems, said Dr
Pieter Vervoort of Charles Street
Veterinary consultants at the
information day.
In discussing a new approach to sow
management, Dr Vervoort said that it is
worth the trouble to increase the number of piglets weaned per sow per year.
Producers could receive up to
R1 140 per sow per year extra if they
increase born alive from 24 to 29.
“To increase born alive from 24 to 29
is quite a jump but it is possible with
adjustment to your sow management
system. If you however do not also
manage your grower herd well you will
again lose the extra profit,” Dr Vervoort
said.
He pointed out that consistent
weekly or batch production of the sow
Continued on p 22
21
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TOPIGS... Continued from p 21
herd is a prerequisite for effective
grower production. Producers must
either produce an even number of
pigs weekly of produce too many and
sell off the excess.
To ensure even production the
same number of sows must be mated
on the same day. They must farrow on
the same day and produce a predictable litter on the same day. They must
also wean the same number of pigs
on the same day.
To ensure repeatability, producers
must do the basics right as far as
mating, farrowing and weaning are
concerned.
“Producers have to put more effort
into their gilts.
This is your entire future. Repeatability is important. High production
may improve production. Repeatability and high production will however
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22
Porcus Maart 2011
TOPIGS DAY
Future research will focus on bigger profit
Future breeding research will
focus on how to obtain bigger
profits from a pig herd, said
George Aretis (Breeding Program
Manager) at the information day.
He highlighted the following as
possible future research areas:
• Producers will have to produce what
the market wants and quality will be an
important value.
• Litter size will have to improve and will
remain one the highest economic values.
• The weaning capacity of a sow will
grow in importance.
• An increase in the number of teats per
sow will remain an important value in
combination with selction on milkpro-
duction and appetite of the sow.
• More emphasises will have to be
placed on efficiency; produce more quality meat per sow with less feed.
• • The need for uniformity will remain
important. Pigs will have to perform
more uniformly under different farming
conditions.
• There will be a focus on the variation
on protein deposition.
• The elimination of boar taint will be a
focus area of breeders in years to come.
• Special lines for special products such
as Parma ham as well as different lines
for different environmental conditions will
be available.
• Sustainable production of pork will
receive much attention.
• Pig production will have to be “society
acceptable”. Sow crates will be something of the past.
• The social interaction between pigs
to for instance improve further the easy
management of pigs will be a research
area.
• The environment will receive priority attention and producers’ carbon footprint
will be in the spotlight.
• • Antibiotics will be something of the
past
• Pigs will be selected for their health
attributes to reduce the use of medicine.
Aretis said that new technologies as
genomic selection would be the key to
these research areas.
John Wright (Ibis Piggery), Johan van
Stefan Vermaak (TOPIGS SA), Kobus
der Walt (Walt Landgoed), Henk Janssen Humphries (Humphries Boerdery)
(TOPIGS International) en Gerard Braak jr
(GH Braak Trust)
Theo Laubscher (TOPIGS SA), Pierre Vercueil en Willem de Chauvonnes (Curley
Wee Boerdery) en dr Pieter Vervoort
(Charlesstraat Vets)
Dries du Plessis (GH Braak Trust), Phillip
Hörstmann (Swellendam) en Charl Braak
(GH Braak Trust)
Dr Annie Labuscagne (Charlesstraat Vets)
en Pauli Heins (Stellenbosch)
Dieter Labuschagne (Pretoria Pirmal
Traders), Simon Streicher (SAVPO) en
Arnold Prinsloo (Eskort Ltd)
Louis Botha (TOPIGS SA), Drienie
Andries Nieuwoudt, Marius Pretorius
Broodryk (TOPIGS SA), dr Pieter Grimbeek en Melvyn Trollope, almal van GH Braak
(Mooivet) en Johan van Wyk (TOPIGS SA) Trust
Porcus March 2011
George Aretis (TOPIGS International) en
Francois du Toit (TOPIGS SA)
23
????????
24
Porcus Maart 2011
rESEArcH
Alltech opens $200 million
algae facility in Kentucky
Alltech cut the ribbon on its
$200 million Alltech Algae plant
in Winchester, Kentucky. Alltech
Algae is a state-of-the-art algae
fermentation facility that was
acquired in 2010 from Martek
Bioscience Corporation for approximately $14 million and has
been renovated in the past few
months to begin in April as one of
the largest algae production sites
in the world.
“For Alltech, algae fermentation presents
the latest technological frontier from
which we expect incredible opportunities in the areas of food, feed and fuel
to arise,” said Dr Pearse Lyons, founder
and president of Alltech. “We have
already been working in this area for
several years and see it playing a major
role in both human and animal health
and nutrition.
“I am confident that this will be one of
the key pieces that will help our company
pass the $1 billion revenue threshold in
2015,” Dr Lyons said.
A ribbon cutting ceremony at the
plant was attended by local and state
government officials as well as the 60
global attendees of the first Annual Algae
Conference hosted by Alltech in Lexington, Kentucky.
“The Commonwealth of Kentucky
and Alltech have a longstanding partnership that has created hundreds of jobs
and millions of dollars in investment in
Kentucky,” said secretary Larry Hayes
of the Kentucky cabinet for economic
development. “We are proud to play a
role in making Alltech’s newest Winchester operation possible and look forward
to witnessing the technological advances
Alltech will make in its state-of-the-art
algae fermentation facility.”
“The community of Winchester and
Clark County are pleased to welcome Dr
Pearse Lyons, a world class innovator
and business leader, and his company to
join our business and corporate community,” said Ed Burtner, mayor of Winchester. “We are excited that Dr Lyons has
chosen Clark County as the location to
launch the next generation of biomass
uses at his algae production faculty in
Winchester. This will allow Alltech to
become a world leader in algae production which will serve as the platform for
a host of biomass uses in the years to
come.”
The primary focus of the facility will
be the development of products derived
from algae. The algae will be used for
value-added feed products, algaederived bio-fuel and the production of
ethanol.
Algae capture CO2 and release it as
pure oxygen. It also creates 70% of our
atmosphere’s oxygen, more than all forests and fields combined. Algae are the
fastest growing plants in nature and have
the ability to convert large amounts of
carbon dioxide into oxygen, a characteristic that makes it particularly interesting
in today’s environmentally conscious
world.
President of Alltech, Dr Pearse Lyons cuts the ribbon at Alltech Algae in Winchester alongside his wife Deirdre (center), (from
left) Judge Executive Branham, Mayor Burtner, Secretary Hayes, and Alltech’s Nathan Hohman.
Porcus March 2011
25
NuTrITIoN
Understanding micro nutrients:
Why are they important?
By Tracy Meyer, ADVIT Animal
Nutrition
Vitamins and minerals constitute
a small percentage of the pig diet,
but their importance to the health
and well-being of the pig cannot
be over-emphasised. About five
percent of the total body weight of
a pig consists of mineral elements.
These elements are essential for
most of the basic metabolic reactions in the body. They also have
a role in the structure of chromosomes, enzymes, nerves, blood,
skeleton, hair and milk. Additionally, they play an important part in
reproduction, growth, production
and resistance to parasites and
disease.
Vitamins are required for normal metabolic function; development of normal
tissues; and health, growth and maintenance. Some vitamins can be produced
by the pig’s body in sufficient quantities
to meet its needs. Others are present
in adequate amounts in feed ingredients
commonly used in pig diets. However,
several vitamins need to be added to pig
diets to obtain optimal performance.
Vitamin and mineral needs are more critical today than in previous years because
of changes in feeding, housing and
management systems. These changes
include:
• Housingpigsindoorshasremoved
the access to soils and grazing crops
which would have provided vitamins and
minerals.
• Theuseofslottedfloorshasprevented the recycling of faeces, which may be
high in B-vitamins and Vitamin K that are
synthesised by microorganisms in the
large intestine.
• Reducedusageofmultipleprotein
sources in the diets. When multiple protein sources are used, they may complement each other in providing the vitamin
and mineral needs of the pig.
• Thedailyfeedintakeduringgestation
has decreased, and therefore the dietary
vitamin and mineral concentrations must
be increased as daily feed intake is decreased. Moving sows from outdoor to
indoor housing lowers the maintenance
requirements of that sow, and hence the
feeding levels are lowered.
• Astheweaningageofpigsde-
creased, the quality of the diet with regard
to all the nutrients becomes more critical.
• Thebioavailabilityofnutrientsinfeed
ingredients varies and inhibitors/moulds
may result in reduced absorption,
increasing the requirements for certain
vitamins and minerals.
The vitamin and mineral requirements
of the pig are also affected by:
• Healthandimmunechallenges.
• Temperaturechanges–especially
when moving piglets from environmentally controlled housing to open housing.
Where pigs are housed in open facilities
through the entire growth period, seasonal temperature changes will increase
the stress on the pig.
• Stockingdensity.
• Physiologicalageandgrowthphase
• Reproduction.
Figure 1 illustrates the effect of vitamin
fortification when an animal is under
stress.
A number of decades ago, vitamins
Performance, health,
Economics
Figure 1: Vitamin fortification and the effect when an animal is stressed
Optimum
Requirement
Additional
Effects
Minimum
Requirement
Vitamin supply
Vitamin supply = Optimal Requirement (+ Additional Effects)
Figure 2: The effect of vitamin supply on the performance, health and
economics of the pig.
28
Porcus Maart 2011
NuTrITIoN
and minerals were added to the diet to
protect the animal from a deficiency, but
today, health, ecology and economy are
the most important reasons for their addition. Figure 2 illustrates the benefit of
supplying vitamins (and minerals) to the
animal.
When formulating rations and premixes for the pig, nutritionists apply the
“barrel analogy” to make sure that the
minimum requirement for all individual
nutrients is met. Wikipedia describes this
as “Liebig’s Law of the Minimum.” This
is a principle developed in agricultural
science by Carl Spregel (1828) and later
popularised by Justus von Liebig. It
states that growth is controlled not by
the total amount of recourses available,
but by the scarcest resource (limiting
factor). Liebig used the image of a barrel
– now called Liebig’s barrel – to explain
his law. Just as the capacity of a barrel
with staves of unequal length is limited
by the shortest stave, so a plant/animal’s
growth is limited by the nutrient in shortest supply.”
Mineral
Primary Function
Iodine
Vital component of the thyroid hormones which affect the pigs
metabolic rate
Iron
Required as a component of haemoglobin in red blood cells, also
a constituent of a number of metabolic enzymes
Copper
Required for the synthesis of haemoglobin and for the activation of
several oxidative enzymes needed for normal metabolism
Zinc
Required for normal epidermal tissue development and proper
function of several metabolic enzymes
Selenium
Is a component of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase which
detoxifies lipid peroxides and provides protection of membranes
against peroxide damage
Manganese
A component of several enzymes involved in metabolism and is
essential for the synthesis of bone chondroitin sulphate
Magnesium
A co-factor in many enzyme systems and is also a constituent of
bone
Table 1: Minerals in the premix and their primary function in the body
Vitamin
Primary Function
Vitamin A
Protection of the epithelium, fertility, cell metabolism,
immunity
Vitamin D3
Involved in calcium, magnesium and phosphorus absorption and balance, immunity
Vitamin E
Functions as an antioxidant at the cellular membrane
level with a structural role in cell membranes
Vitamin K3
Essential for synthesis of prothrombin for normal clotting of blood
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
Essential for carbohydrate and protein metabolism
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
A co-enzyme component important in metabolism of
proteins, fats and carbohydrates
Niacin
A co-enzyme component important in metabolism of
proteins, fats and carbohydrates
Pantothenic acid
Is a constituent of co-enzyme A in the synthesis and
degradation processes in the metabolism of proteins,
carbohydrates and fats
Vitamin B12
Production of blood cells and growth
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
A co-factor for many amino acid enzyme systems and
has a role in nervous system function
Choline
Essential component of the cell membrane and has a
function in the nervous system. Also involved in liver
fatty acid metabolism
Folic Acid
Involved in conversion of homocysteine into methionine
Biotin
An enzyme co-factor involved in fatty acid synthesis
and glucose recycling through gluconeogenesis
Figure 3: Liebigs barrel
It is important to understand from a pig’s
perspective, why these vitamins and
minerals are required. The most important minerals and vitamins are listed
(right), together with a basic description
of their individual role in the body.
Porcus March 2011
Table 2: Vitamins in the premix and their primary function in the body
Continued on p. 31
29
we’ve
been
resq’d
A high quAlity post-weAning diet for feeding to smAll/
sick pigs with A unique growth promoting Action
MODES OF ACTION
SHOULD YOU USE IT?
• Activationofgrowthhormoneproduction.
• Small/sick/fallbackpigs.
• Efficientutilisationofahighquality,nutritionally
enhanceddiet.
• Willnotsignificantlyimproveperformancein
healthyanimalswith100%receptoractivity.
• Maximisesgrowthpotentialinsmall/sickpigs.
ResQ APPLICATION
EFFECT OF ResQ ON GROWTH RATE (G/DAY)1
190
Low Birth Weight Pigs
Inactivecellspecificreceptorsinthelivercanbe
activated,inceasinggrowthhormoneefficiency.
Sick Pigs
Cellspecificreceptorsareblockedbyinflammation
duetoillness.Thesereceptorscanberevertedbackto
activation.
180
170
160
150
140
130
120
110
100
Trial 1
Control
RegistrationNo:V-22737
30
ProductsDistributedinSouthAfricaBy
AddconAfricaFeed&GrainAdditives(Pty)Ltd.
POBox4193,Dainfern2055,SouthAfrica
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For more information on ResQ please contact: Johann: 082-780 5240 Wessel: 082 - 321 8210 Klaus: 083 - 675 3141
Porcus Maart 2011
Understanding.. continued from p. 29
Figure 4: Antagonistic mineral interactions
NuTrITIoN
The minerals and vitamins in the diet are involved in
a complex inter-relationship. David Watts (1990) in the
Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine made this statement:
“Nutrient interrelationships are complex, especially among
the trace elements. A mineral cannot be affected without
affecting at least two other minerals, each of which will
then affect two others, etc. Mineral relationships can be
compared to a series of intermeshing gears which are all
connected, some directly and some indirectly. Any movement of one gear (mineral) will result in the movement of all
the other gears (minerals). The extent of effect upon each
gear (mineral) will depend on the gear size (mineral quantity),
and the number of cogs in the gear (number of enzymes or
biochemical reactions the mineral is involved in). This meshwork of gears goes beyond just the mineral relationships,
extending to and affecting the vitamins, hormones and
neurological functions.” These relationships are represented
by Figure 4, 5 and 6.
As can be seen in these Figures there are a vast amount
of interactions which can occur, which emphasises the
importance of using a certified premix company as your
preferred supplier. It is very important to remember that the
computer input to your feed mill, after mixing and what the
pig finally eats can be different rations. The use of a “tonic”
on top of your feeding regime may be of benefit to ensure
that all the nutrient requirements are met to their individual
needs so as not to fall victim to the barrel effect.
Pig Tonic is a concentrated liquid containing vitamins,
trace elements, essential amino acids, fatty acids, electrolytes and nucleotides. It can be used throughout the life
cycle, and will benefit the pig when under stress, disease
challenge and at times of feed change.
In conclusion, to maximise the genetic growth potential
of the pig, it is essential to ensure that the supply of nutrients is at an optimum level. The vitamin and mineral premix
complements the raw materials used in a formulation, guaranteeing that the pig will receive the correct level of nutrition
at all times.
Figure 5: Antagonistic vitamin interactions
Figure 6: Antagonistic vitamin and mineral interactions
Porcus March 2011
31
32
Porcus Januarie/Februarie 2011
PROVINSIES
Bedryf neem
afskeid van dr
Edgar Payne
Dr Edgar Payne, wat vir sewentien jaar die
voorsitter van die Vrystaatse Varkvleisprodusente-vereniging was, het verlede jaar
die tuig neergelê. Daar is vroeër vanjaar in
Bloemfontein van hom afskeid geneem.
Die nuwe voorsitter van die vereniging,
Shane Cotty en Geoff Leach, ’n staatmakerlid van die vereniging, het albei hulde aan dr
Payne gebring en hom geloof vir sy reusebydrae tot die varkvleisbedryf in die provinsie.
Dr Payne het onderneem om steeds
kontak met die vereniging te behou.
Geoff Leach (links) het namens die Vrystaatse Varkvleisprodusente-vereniging ’n
geskenk aan dr Payne oorhandig. By hulle is dr Payne se vrou, Lizette.
Die Vrystaatse promosiespan spog nou met hulle eie T-hemde.
Op die foto is Babs Bochenek (links) en Bettie Luyke.
Geoff Leach en Anita Coetzer deel ’n grappie by die geselligheid.
Porcus March 2011
Liz Wolff van die Vrystaatse promosiespan, Sally Bosman (SAVPO)
en Babs Bochenek, ook van die promosiespan.
Charles Malherbe (Kimberley), Leens Alexander (Trompsburg) en Raedun Malherbe
(Kimberley).
Freddie Alexander (Trompsburg) en Bettie
Luyke van die promosiespan.
33
TO TASTE
Asian pork and prawns
4 servings
approximately 500 g pork stir-fry strips (you
can ask your butcher to cut this for you from
the leg, shoulder or any other lean part of the
pork carcase)
25 ml olive oil, or a little more if necessary
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
25 ml lime juice
25 ml chopped coriander
125 ml red, yellow and green sweet peppers,
cut into strips
125 ml mushrooms, sliced
30 ml Thai fish sauce or light soy sauce
15 ml clear honey
1 – 2 chillies, finely chopped
approx. 250 cooked, de-veined prawns
30 – 45 ml bean sprouts
15 – 25 ml boiling water
1 packet (4 servings) vermicelli noodles
15 ml finely chopped mint leaves (optional)
34
Heat the olive oil and fry the garlic and onion until soft.
Add the lime juice, coriander and pork and stir-fry 5 minutes. Add more oil if needed, and add the peppers and
mushrooms. Stir-fry until the pork is just cooked.
Add the fish sauce or soy sauce, honey and chillies and
cook for another 5 minutes.
Add the prawns, bean sprouts and boiling water and
steam-fry until everything is heated through. Taste and
season with more fish or soy sauce, if preferred.
Cook the vermicelli noodles according to the instructions
on the packet, tip into a serving dish and spoon the pork
and prawn mixture on top.
Sprinkle with finely chopped mint leaves, if preferred.
Porcus Maart 2011
TO TASTE
Sweet and sour pork nuggets
4 servings
approximately 450 g lean pork mince
4 spring onions, finely chopped
1 small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2,5 cm piece fresh root ginger, finely chopped
25 ml mixture of chopped fresh coriander, mint
and sage
approximately 85 ml soft breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste
1 small can corn or 125 ml corn, cooked and cut
from the cob
1 bottle of ready-bought sweet and sour sauce
jasmin rice for serving
• Mix pork mince, spring onions, chilli, ginger, herbs, sweetcorn or mealie pips and breadcrumbs lightly with 2 forks.
• Season to taste. Divide into friccadel size balls and shape
into round ball shapes.
• Steam the pork balls in a steamer, or bake on an oven
sheet at 180°C until cooked through. (Approximately 30 – 35
minutes.)
• Heat the sweet and sour sauce in a saucepan, spoon over
the warm pork nuggets and serve with steaming hot jasmin
rice.
Winter stew with white wine
4 – 6 servings
1,2 – 1,5 kg pork stewing pieces (ask your butcher
to keep the pieces quite big)
25 – 40 ml olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
3 – 5 ml each fine cumin, coriander and your favorite meat spice
2 – 3 mealies on the cob, cut into round slices
½ cauliflour, broken into pieces
350 ml white wine
5 ml chicken stock powder
15 ml cornflour, mixed with a little water
• Pat the pork pieces dry with kitchen paper. Fry the pork
pieces in heated olive oil until golden brown. Add the onion
and garlic, and sauté until the onion becomes soft.
• Add the white wine, chicken stock powder, salt, pepper
and spices and cover with a lid.
• Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently until the
pork pieces are almost tender.
• Add the mealies and cauliflour and cook until the mealies
are soft.
• Test and adjust seasoning. Add a little hot water during the
cooking process if it tends to become dry.
• Just before serving, thicken the sauce with the cornflour
paste and heat until the sauce is thick. Serve with mash
potato or noodles.
Variation: replace the white wine with pineapple or apple
juice. Add 1 tablespoon of chutney to the ingredients for a
delicious, tangy taste.
Porcus March 2011
35
INTERNATIONAL
Sources: Pig Progress, The PigSite, Pork Australia
Foot-and-mouth disease vaccination
‘viable’ alternative to mass culling
Vaccinating livestock against
foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)
and returning them to the food
chain could be a “viable alternative” to mass culls in the case of
a future outbreak.
This was said at a recent UK conference
that hosted farmers, veterinarians, food
processors and the Scottish and UK
governments. The meeting discussed
the “significant” role vaccinating animals
could play in controlling a future epidemic - ten years on from the worst outbreak
of the disease in the country.
Future control models for the disease
may include vaccination of animals and
then entering the food chain. Members of the meeting also discussed the
practicalities of vaccine manufacture and
Import restrictions
following dioxin scare
removed
Hong Kong, the Philippines and
Serbia are to lift all import restrictions they introduced after
the dioxin incident in Germany.
The countries have received the necessary information and reassurance that
the situation is under control and that
products can be safely imported from
the EU, according to European Commission Trade officials.
On 27 December 2010, the German authorities informed the European
Commission that a batch of fatty acids,
which was meant to be used for technical purposes, had been mixed with fat
for the production of feed. At the earliest
opportunity, the German authorities had
imposed strict controls to ensure that no
contaminated feed or food was placed
on the EU market or exported to third
countries.
A fact-finding mission by the Food
and Veterinary Office (FVO), the European Commission inspection service of
the Health and Consumers Directorate
General, took place in Germany from 26
to 28 January 2011.
36
distribution, when and how the vaccine
could be used and challenges vaccination may present.
Veterinary virologist Peter Nettleton
said vaccination was the “modern alternative” to mass slaughter. He said: “The
use of vaccination to resolve the next
outbreak could help to prevent the tragic
scenes, social upheaval and psychological trauma that were witnessed ten years
ago.”
Nigel Miller, the president of NFU
Scotland, said: “Fundamentally, we must
find a way to avoid the scenes of mass
slaughter of 2001. “The economic disruption caused by culling livestock from
huge areas, and the scars that were left
on both individuals who were directly affected and the wider countryside, is not
something any of us want to see again.”
China: Officials
suspended following
illegal drug in pork
meat
Following the discovery of the
illegal drug, Ractopamine, in
pork in China, it has been reported that at least six officials
have been suspended.
Initially farm closures in Henan province
were reported after the drug was found
to be used in pig feed.
Further reports stated that Henan
Shuanghui Investment & Development
Co Ltd, China’s top meat processor,
as one of the main companies that had
sold the contaminated pork meat.
Currently, 1 300 pig farms and 130
feed and veterinary drug stores are
under investigation by the Chinese
government.
It was reported that the pigs were
fed the additives - described by state
media as either ractopamine and/or
clenbuterol - to produce lean meat.
Lean meat brings in a higher price
tag. Henan is a major pork producing
province of China.
Wake up and smell the
bacon
While Australian Bacon Week is an
annual celebration of everyone’s
favorite breakfast food, it is more
importantly a show of support for the
local pork farmers as well as bacon,
ham and retail manufacturers that
are committed to using and selling
products made with 100 per cent
Australian pork.
An initiative of Australian Pork Limited
(APL), Australian Bacon Week is conceived to raise awareness of the local
industry’s ongoing fight against imported
pig meat, spearheaded by the PorkMark
programme. According to the APL,
countries such as Denmark and Canada
have highly subsidised agricultural industries and as such are able to export
frozen product in enormous amounts,
destined for manufacturing. According to
the APL more than $10 million worth of
imported pork meat arrives in Australia
Bacteria in pig
feed can protect
the environment
Specially developed bacteria
added to pig feed can help
reduce nitrogen emissions.
The little Bacillus subtilis is particularly
welcome in pig feed because it has the
attractive quality that it is expected to be
able to help farmers reduce the impact of
nitrogen from agriculture on the environment. Scientists are now aiming at
developing new strains of Bacillus subtilis
that are tailor-made for this function.
In order to ensure optimum growth development, pigs are fed feed that fulfils all
their nutritional requirements. With regard
to protein, pigs are actually fed more than
they need. This is done to ensure that
their requirements for the individual amino
acids are met. Amino acids are the building blocks that make up protein.
An excess of protein in the feed is a
burden on the pig and the environment.
The pig’s metabolism has to work overtime to break down the excess protein
and the resulting excess nitrogen goes
straight into the environment via the pig’s
urine and manure.
Best case scenario would be if the
farmer could reduce the protein content
in the feed without risking an amino acid
Porcus Maart 2011
INTERNATIONAL
deficit in the pigs. The first limiting amino
acids – typically lysine and methionine
– can be added to the feed as artificial
amino acids so that the protein content
can be reduced. This is, however, not
possible for all amino acids when the
price of feed needs to be kept within
reasonable limits.
Massive culling of pigs
in Taiwan
Pigs that were affected by footand-mouth disease in Taiwan
have been culled. Sources report
that 999 pigs have been culled
thus far on Penghu Island due to
the disease. Taiwan’s epidemic
prevention authorities confirmed
the culling. Currently, 3 000 pigs
are quarantined.
According to a report, the current outbreak is the worst seen in the past three
years on the island. It is currently not
permitted to transport pork or live pigs in
or out of Penghu.
US pork producers
partner with USMEF
to assist Japanese
residents
US pork producers have partnered
with the US. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) to provide pork for
victims of the massive earthquake
and tsunami that struck northeastern sections of Japan on March 11.
Estimates are that more than half a
million Japanese residents are without
adequate food and shelter.
The National Pork Board has allocated $100 000 from the Pork Checkoff on behalf of US pork producers and
importers, to provide pork products
and to help it being distributed to
those in need in Japan.
Key to minimising
losses resulting from
FMD
The chair of the Canadian Swine
Health Board says early detection and quick response are key
to limiting the losses that would
be caused by an outbreak of
foot-and-mouth disease, reports
Bruce Cochrane of the PigSite.
“The most severe form of swine vesicular
disease is foot-and-mouth disease as
it can really devastate a country’s entire
livestock industry. “But there are other conditions that
mimic foot and mouth disease.
“One of the real keys of dealing with
this disease is early detection and control. The Canadian Swine Health Board
is focusing on early detection to get on
top of any outbreak.” Ten year outlook for animal protein
Feed prices are here to stay,
Brazil’s corn potential could grow
faster, Russia will soon become
self-sufficient with regard to pig
and poultry production, China
will most likely face large grain
imports – and by the way, China
also suffers from foot-and-mouth
disease these days.
In short, these were some of the key
elements of the presentation of David C.
Nelson, global strategist, Animal Protein,
Grains & Oil Seeds. He spoke at the
official opening of VIV Asia 2011, held
in Bangkok, Thailand, 9-11 March. His
topic was “Focus 2021” – an attempt to
look ten years into the future for global
agriculture in general and Asian agriculture in particular.
Feed prices will remain high, Nelson
said, as yield improvements are decelerating and the challenge remains to
service growing markets. One of the
countries that could well profit from this
growth could be Brazil, he said. The
country had, however, increased its total
Porcus March 2011
surface of planted crops by a mere one
percent in 2010-2011. Input costs, fertiliser prices, land prices and an unfavourable currency were named as reasons
why the message to grow more crops in
Brazil was not yet taken up.
Nelson also compared Brazil’s Mato
Grosso province to the Black Sea region
in Ukraine/ Russia. Both have high potential, but are relatively landlocked and
badly reachable – hence high transport
costs need to be added to relatively low
costs of cultivation.
Meat integrators
At the moment, JBS, Tyson and Smithfield top the ranks of largest meat producers in the world. These companies
will be challenged, Nelson mentioned.
The last couple of years already saw the
rise of the Brazilian conglomerates, and
the size of Russian (e.g. Cherkizovo) and
Chinese (e.g. Zhongpin) integrators is
growing rapidly.
Russia’s official policy is to become
self-sufficient in protein production, i.e.
domestic production will meet domestic
demand. Nelson expected Russia to be
at 85% in 2015 and at 95% in 2020.
“What this means? All meat exporting
countries have to find new markets!”
The Chinese market, with approximately 50% of all pigs in the world, may face
shortage of corn stocks and will need to
import shortly. Official figures may draw a
somewhat overly optimistic picture, Nelson
said: “China’s corn supplies appear to be
desperately low.” He expects strong grain
imports in the years to come.
Nelson added that China also may
experience an outbreak of foot-andmouth disease (FMD), just like in the
neighbouring Koreas at the moment. He
had observed indications that it occurred at various locations throughout
the country and added that he could see
sow liquidations for this year. Hence he
predicted total pork production for this
year to be at the level of 2005-2006.
Pork imports for 2011 could grow fourfold to 1.1 – 1.4 million metric tonnes
with potentially more imports in the years
to come.
37
STudY Group
producTIoN
Pondering Points
Strange
new world
From time to time, in fact almost all the time, picking up
a journal or even a newspaper
leads one to say “How’s that
again?” or something a bit more
colourful.
Even allowing for the wish of newspapers to extend their life expectancy
by a few more years by hitting you in
the eye with a dramatic, often poorly
researched, headline, some intriguing
true stuff emerges.
How about:
• Baby frozen to save her life
(How’s that again?)
Well OK, she wasn’t frozen like next
Sunday’s pork roast, she had her
body temperature reduced from 37ºC
to 33.5º C in a “thermakid suit” while
the swelling in her brain subsided and
the oxygen starvation of her system,
caused by a severely delayed birth and
heart insufficiency had a chance to be
reversed. After a few hours, the little
girl was back in this world and apparently shows no brain abnormality.
Hold thumbs that she develops
normally from now.
So is this hypothermia a new thing?
Not really, the lay and medical press is
full of stories of survival and full recovery after long immersion in very cold
water, and what about Lewis Gordon
Pugh, the English “human polar bear”
who has particular connections with
South Africa and Prof Tim Noakes?
Pugh has swum from Robben
Island to the Cape mainland and from
Cape Town all the way round Cape
Point to Muizenberg.
Anyone who puts a foot into that bit
of sea will know that about half a metre
is far enough for unprotected swimmers, never mind the 100 kilometers
that Lewis Pugh seemed to enjoy. And
now a 1 km swim across a lake half
way up Mount Everest yet? We hope
38
his intention to raise awareness of
climate change bears more fruit than
frozen popsicles.
How about:
• Labrador better than laboratory for finding cancer (Is this the
ultimate “lab test?”)
Anecdotal and some critical research
seems pretty convincing that some
dogs, notably Labradors, had amasing
success in picking out cancer cases:
88% of breast cancer sufferers, 99% of
lung cancers, and, more recently, 90%
of colon cancers where conventional
methods were identifying 10% at early
stages.
Perhaps PP’s daughter’s Bassets,
who live in a world dominated by their
noses, may at last find a more useful
outlet for their talent than just looking
Ag shame-pretty!
How about:
• City gives approval for hemp
farming (is that your socks you’re
smoking?)
Cape Town – wouldn’t you know it —
has not only a “Hemporium” in Long
Street, but also a Coffee Shoppe in the
suburbs with all sorts of hemp products on display and for sale.
In case you are getting excited, PP
is reliably informed that the variety of
hemp getting the city’s approval, Cannabis sativa,is abysmally low in THC
(tetrahydrocannabinol,the main mindbending active ingredient of the real
dagga Cannabis indica)
Not only that, C sativa has been
around for a long time as an innocent,
indeed virtuous, producer of industrial
fibre, textiles, clothing, paper, biodegradable plastics and even food.
Not only that, it seems that the
Western Cape has the soil and the
climate to cultivate hemp with high
yields, no or very little herbicide or
pesticide requirements and a great
potential for giving employment in the
secondary value-added industry. Bully
for hemp.
So what about the pigs?
Well, the best sound that a pig can
make is the satisfied, even blissful,
grunting that a mother sow makes
when feeding her piglets. She doesn’t
know this, but what she is experiencing is a rush of dopamine — the happy
compound that works for all of us —
the sow, the Cannabis indica user who
gets a second-hand euphoria – often
followed by a desperate depression,
and the pensive, dreamy chocolate
eater — no problems here.
Porcus Maart 2011
TRAINING
Porcus March 2011
39
PRODUCTION
Porcus August/September 2010
41
PRODUCTION
42
Porcus Augustus/September 2010
PIC DAY
PIC... Continued from p 17
lished brand, and can be found in more
than 50 countries, and in 13 languages.
Major components
Bob Brcka, president of PigCHAMP,
explained the three major components of
the software: PigCHAMP Reproductive,
PigCHAMP Grow-Finish and PigCHAMP
Mobile. PigCHAMP Reproductive builds
on the great success of its predecessor, PigCHAMP DOS, which was the
global program of choice for decades.
PigCHAMP Reproductive is a Windowsbased program, and quickly became the
premium product in the industry after its
release in 2007. PigCHAMP Grow-Finish
is a new product on the market, and the
first “no compromise” solution for finishing pigs. PigCHAMP Mobile incorporate
handheld data collection, which saves
time, eliminates mistakes and ensures
data accuracy.
PigCHAMP Benchmark
PigCHAMP Benchmarking and Knowledge Center incorporate many years of
Porcus March 2011
data collection from around the globe
into the PigCHAMP databank. A great
many swine research studies had been
based on this databank.
The PigCHAMP Benchmark Magasine is published quarterly, and license
holders receive a personalised report of
their herd’s production against that of the
global database.
Modern pig production
Brcka drew a parallel between modern
pig production, and an efficient automobile factory operation, where communication between upstream suppliers, deliveries, logistics, quality control
etc. is of utmost importance in order to
optimise processed. He foresees a future
for the pig industry, where information
between feed and genetics suppliers,
the pig operation and the abbattoir will
be much more integrated. Such information integration will mean a more efficient supply of pigs to the abbattoir and
just-in-time feed deliveries. PigCHAMP
Grow-Finish projects the weight of
pigs at a given age, and predicts sales
planning according to a customisable
growth curve.
Opportunity
An opportunity lies in predicting the
variance in weight at marketing, based
on historical data for each farm. A
farmer would thus be able to reduce
the variance in the marketing group,
by selling his pigs closer to exactly the
right time, thereby optimising profits.
Martin Hobbs (Newquip) en Trevor Ryan
(Mtonjeni Piggery)
27