Technology to grow meat in a laboratory has entered the next stage of testing in more than 10 sites around the world after successfully completing proof of concept in Scotland.

The new approach to generating pig cell lines for cultivated meat has been developed by Roslin Technologies and the University of Edinburgh with support from the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC). Researchers say it could overcome a critical bottleneck in the commercial production of laboratory-grown meat, which has been a lack of cost-effective ways of growing cells at large scale.

By Kirsty Dorsey / The Herald

VACCINATION rather than mass culling of livestock should be Australia’s response to foot and mouth disease (FMD), according to livestock biosecurity experts.

Addressing an MLA biosecurity breakfast in Brisbane on Tuesday, the three speakers endorsed vaccination over the ‘triple D’ response – “destroy, dispose and decontamination”.

One exception, however, could be small localised outbreak, said Dr Peter Dagg: “If we have a very localised, a very small outbreak – if that happens – then we might not use vaccine. Slaughter will be a component in the hot spots where the disease is actually identified on an infected premises.”

Animal Health Australia’s head of AUSVETPLAN continued: “The strategy is more about movement controls because FMD is a contagious disease, so it’s all about movement controls and restricting the  potential spread of the virus.”

He stressed the availability of vaccine for Australian livestock producers. “We have a vaccine bank held over in the UK and they will make up vaccine and move it to Australia within seven days of us requesting it, if we have an outbreak,” he said.

MLA’s program manager of animal wellbeing, Dr Michael Laurence said: “I don’t believe culling animals would be the way to control foot and mouth, should it come into Australia. Vaccine will be the first line of defence.”

Sue Webster / Beef Central  

Meat group Danish Crown has pared its plans for potential job job cuts at two local slaughterhouses.

Last month, Danish Crown flagged 350 redundancies at abattoirs in Sæby and Ringsted because of fewer pigs coming in for slaughter as farmers grapple with “record-high” feed and energy costs, with some giving up all together.

However, those numbers have now been more than halved through a combination of longer working days with more breaks and a reshuffling of staff.

At Sæby, a town on the east coast of Denmark, 275 jobs were originally slated to be culled but that now falls to around 115, a company spokesperson confirmed. More staff will shift to a daytime working pattern producing ham and will take an additional 15-minute break to allow for a longer day.

A further 75 jobs were set to be axed at the abattoir in Ringsted, a city 60km from the capital Copenhagen. Those have been cut to 25 as some workers have opted for voluntary redundancies or moved into other functions at the slaughterhouse.

The reduction in pig numbers has also affected Tönnies in Germany. Between 500 and 600 slaughtering and cutting positions have been eliminated since June across its sites in Sögel, Lower Saxony, and Weißenfels in the south of Saxony-Anhalt. The UK arm of meat processor Pilgrim’s Pride has also set out plans to close two pig slaughterhouses, putting 675 jobs at risk.

By Simon Harvey / Just Food

British lamb has now been exported to the United States for the first time in over 20 years, in a deal estimated to be worth £37m in the first five years of trade.

The first consignment since the deal was struck last year was flown to the US this week, containing lamb produced by processors Dunbia from its site in Carmarthenshire.

A ban on British lamb exports to the US had been in place since 1989 due to concerns around BSE, commonly known as ‘mad cow disease’.

The small ruminant rule that banned the product was rescinded by the US government in January of this year.

The industry estimates that the US market will be worth £37m in the first five years of trade, opening up access for farmers to a market of over 300m consumers.

Andrew Smyth, commercial director at Dunbia said: “As the largest processor of lamb in the UK, it is imperative we continue to have access to new and emerging international markets, and we welcome the small ruminant rule amendment.

“We continue to work closely with AHDB to identify and develop new market opportunities for our quality British produce.”

Farming UK

Exports of livestock by sea will cease from April next year, following a 2019 review of the trade in response to concerns around the ongoing risk to New Zealand’s reputation.

The Bill, which passed in Parliament today, does not cover the export of live animals by air, for which the travel times are much shorter.

Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor said the move will protect the country’s reputation for world-leading animal welfare standards.

“The Animal Welfare Amendment Bill future-proofs our economic security amid increasing consumer scrutiny across the board on production practices.”

O’Connor said the objective of that review was to provide New Zealanders with an opportunity “to reflect on how we can improve the welfare of livestock being exported”.

“Our primary sector exports hit a record $53 billion last year, delivering us economic security.

“That result is built on our hard-earned reputation and this is something we want to protect.”

“The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee supported the ban. There are different opinions on its long-term value among farmers, how it affects New Zealand’s commitment to animal welfare, and our image in the eyes of international consumers.

He said the impacts on export flow would be small in the context of total primary sector exports.

“Live exports by sea represented approximately 0.6 per cent of primary sector exports last year.”

NZ Herald

Madrid: Sealand – A Maersk Company – is launching a new rail product from Spain to the UK, designed for temperature-sensitive cargo such as fruit and vegetables.

The new transport option will initially have three weekly departures from the Valencia terminal to the Barking terminal in East London. The trains will also carry non-refrigerated cargo on their southbound journey from the UK back to Spain.

After successful trials in September with positive customer feedback, the regular departures will start at the end of October, just in time for the Spanish peak season for fruit and vegetable exports.

Over 90% of these exports are currently going North, resulting in up to 1,400 trucks daily crossing the northern Spanish border towards the main markets in the UK, France, Benelux, Germany and Scandinavia.

Diego Perdones Montero, area managing director France, Iberia and Maghreb, at A.P. Moller – Maersk, said: “Our new product solves several challenges that our reefer customers in Spain are faced with when exporting.

“Firstly, many large retailers want to reduce the carbon footprint of the products they sell.

“Secondly, we have a prevailing shortage of truck drivers, which means that currently cross-border road transport is often limited and unreliable. Thirdly, capacity and quality of the major roads are limited which leads to congestion.

“Our rail transport makes Spanish exporters independent from the driver shortage as well as road bottlenecks, and offers more than 90% lower CO2 emissions than a truck on the road.”

MAERSK

Christmas turkey supplies could be at risk if the worst avian flu outbreak in UK history continues to spread, the National Farmers’ Union has warned.

More than three million birds have had to be culled so far, with Avian Influenza Prevention Zones introduced in Norfolk, Suffolk, parts of Essex and the whole of the South West of England.

While wild bird populations have been severely affected, poultry farmers are growing increasingly concerned about their livestock – and whether Christmas turkey supplies could be impacted.

“It is a risk,” James Mottershead, chairman of the NFU Poultry Board, told Sky News.

“If bird flu, for example, gets into turkeys that could cause holy carnage; that could cause real supply chain issues in the run-up to Christmas time. The realities of it are quite severe.

“I do know of some instances where seasonal turkey producers have been affected by this, so far, this year. If you have an outbreak on your farm and your farm is classed as an infected premises, it is serious – you could be out of production up for up to 12 months.”

By Dan Whitehead  / Sky News

The UK beef sector needs to chase better eating quality rather than yield, because consumer satisfaction is everything.

According to influential US Stabiliser breeder Lee Leachman: “You should be worried you are not producing lovely steaks. As a beef consumer I would say that would be my concern in the UK. I am not saying it tongue and cheek. The UK should put a quality grid in place.”

By John Sleigh /  The Scottish Farmer 

Consumers will soon be able to buy ready-to-eat meals, made with New Zealand beef and lamb, from vending machines in Shanghai.

Major red meat exporters Beef + Lamb NZ, Alliance and Silver Fern Farms are piloting beef and lamb vending machines with meals ready for time-poor consumers.

Beef and Lamb spokesperson Michael Wan said the two Pure Box vending machines will be located in Shanghai’s busy business districts, offering another food option for busy workers.

Wan said buyers would be able to choose from six meals that had been co-designed by Shanghai chef Jamie Pea. They fuse traditional Chinese ingredients and flavours with Western food trends to highlight the taste of New Zealand-produced beef and lamb.

Radio New Zealand

Meat processor Tönnies has cut hundreds of jobs since June at two pig plants in its home market of Germany as slaughter numbers continue to “slump”.

Between 500 and 600 slaughtering and cutting positions have been eliminated across the sites in Sögel, Lower Saxony, and Weißenfels in the south of Saxony-Anhalt, a spokesperson for Tönnies confirmed, adding to a reduction in headcount at other facilities in the past two years.

Animals coming in for slaughter have dropped amid higher costs for farmers, leading to some exiting the trade altogether, Tönnies said. It was a similar story at Danish Crown, which announced 350 job cuts earlier this month at two abattoirs, citing “record-high costs” for energy and animal feed linked to the war in Ukraine. Like Germany, some pig farmers in Denmark are also shutting down production completely, Danish Crown said.

German politicians are also pushing for a general reduction in meat consumption due to environmental considerations and a national strategy to promote plant-based alternatives and organic farming.

“The entire industry is currently struggling with a slump in slaughter numbers. The reduction in animal husbandry pushed by some politicians is having a full impact. Many farmers have given up their farms and there is a shortage of animals,” Tönnies explained in a statement.

By Simon Harvey / Just Food