$28,000 for Ayrshire heifer

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IT is mostly business-as-usual for agriculture in the State Government's 2013-14 Budget.

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Good lines of cattle were penned this week with quality lines holding firm in price, while the secondary lines of cattle found more traction with buyers and improved in price.

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THE annual Reiland Angus autumn bull sale held up quite well for the Lucas family, Tumut, considering the season had turned for the worst and most other sales have been below the $5450 average they recorded last week

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CHARTERS Towers combined agents yarded a total of 542 cattle at the weekly store and prime sale held on May 22.

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Patchy rainfall across several states was welcome over the past week, although totals were still too small to significantly bolster the recent faltering cattle market, with the rain having only a minor impact. With the window for pasture growth in southern Australia rapidly closing, producers will be very closely evaluating their carrying capacity over the winter months, with every dry week that passes by accentuating the supply pressures coming out of Queensland.

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IT’S not your average bacon and egg roll – and it doesn’t come with your average price tag.

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Australian and New Zealand primary industry ministers will consider increased regulations and enforcement measures over battery hen production, following a push by ACT Greens minister Shane Rattenbury.

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Meat and Livestock Australia reports Australian beef shipments for the first four months of 2013 totalled 308,755 tonnes swt , up 10 per cent on the previous year and 8000 tonnes swt ahead of the previous January to April record, set back in 2007.

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AGRICULTURE Minister John McVeigh is calling on feedlotters, backgrounders and grass fatteners to rally behind those affected by bovine Johne’s disease (BJD).

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PREMIUMS of as much as 40c/kg are being offered by meat processors as they attempt to source beef for the European Union.

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The potential co-product value for a Japanese steer (average 331kg cwt) during April increased 7% year-on-year, averaging $206.04/head, with strong demand for hides, and meat and bone meal, buoying prices (Kurrajong Meat Technology – April co-products monitor).

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Total national cattle throughput reported by MLA’s NLRS eased 7%, with showers across the country assisting in reductions recorded at most saleyards. Consignments across Queensland increased 7% compared to last week with increased numbers flowing through Roma store sale. NSW yarded fewer cattle, back 20% week-on-week, as CTLX and Wagga reported 12% and 35% less numbers. Larger yardings at Ballarat, Camperdown and Wodonga assisted in throughput lifting 6% in Victoria, while SA’s throughput increased 8%. Muchea’s throughput lifted 42% with pastoral cattle still in good supply.

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NORTHERN cattle producers have urged Prime Minister Julia Gillard to provide more tailored assistance to help resolve their current financial crisis, caused largely by Labor’s snap suspension of the live cattle trade to Indonesia almost two years ago.

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Graziers in northern Australia are shooting their cattle because they can't feed or sell them.

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IT'S a popular idea, but Australia's potential as a "food bowl for Asia" needs to be subjected to some careful reality checks say those studying the nation's food production options.

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THOUSANDS of head of cattle on Western Queensland stock routes are facing water shortages as they look to head south from current locations around Longreach, Barcaldine and Aramac.

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Eastern states goat slaughter as reported by MLA’s NLRS so far in May has begun to increase. The first week in May saw levels start to ramp up from the end of April and as the dry weather progresses. This week’s slaughter levels were 3% higher week-on-week.

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US BILLIONAIRE Warren Buffett is not waiting around to see how Archer Daniels Midland's (ADM) ambitious takeover plans for GrainCorp will work out - he has quit his ADM shareholding for about $US207 million.

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Eastern states lamb supply as reported by MLA’s National Livestock Reporting Service decreased 14% week-on-week, as all states yarded fewer consignments. Light rain throughout most of the eastern states and the tighter supply helped to push prices higher this week.

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National lamb supply as reported by MLA’s NLRS increased 22% so far this week, with all states yarding larger numbers. Supply in NSW lifted 20%, while throughput in Victoria improved 28%. Consignments in SA and WA were higher this week, up 13% and 21%, respectively.

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National lamb supply as reported by MLA’s National Livestock Reporting Service decreased 20% week-on-week, but when compared to the corresponding period last year remains 7% higher.

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SHEEP and cattle producers now have until August to voice their opinion on the draft of the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines.

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SOUTH Australia's livestock producers have received a good report card for the first nine months of the new Australian Animal Welfare Standards & Guidelines Land Transport of Livestock.

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LEUCAENA has out-performed grass, oats and lotfeeding as a cattle finishing system in a two-year producer demonstration site (PDS) in South-East Queensland.

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Merino's come no better than this

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THE latest Australian Lot Feeders’ Association (ALFA) and Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) feedlot survey has shown a 1 per cent rise in cattle numbers on feed over the quarter.

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CATTLE buyers have encouraged producers to mouth their cattle if they want to receive a top price.

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Australian beef and veal exports totalled 85,332 tonnes swt during April, taking shipments for the first ten months of the 2012-13 fiscal year to 822,882 tonnes swt, up 6% year-on-year and putting the financial year total on track to possibly exceed one million tonnes swt for the first time on record.

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Recognising that pregnant sows are increasingly being managed in group housing systems, the CRC for High Integrity Australian Pork (Pork CRC) has driven the production of a manual, ‘Feeding Pregnant Sows in Group Housing Systems’.

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PRIMEAG Australia's privatisation process hit a snag this week as the company advised the market that offers for the remaining $90 million worth of rural land and water assets were "materially below book value".

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The bottom line is that quality cattle are holding up well on price but the poor condition cattle have plunged

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The cracking pace of lamb slaughter so far in 2013 has bolstered export volumes, as total exports for the first four months of 2013 reached 63,560 tonnes swt, a 15% (8,151 tonne) increase in the corresponding period last year and up 24% on the five-year average.

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Butchers reported relatively strong beef and lamb sales for the month of April, despite being slightly weaker year-on-year, according to MLA’s butcher survey carried out by Millward Brown.

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National lamb yardings as reported by MLA’s National Livestock reporting Service decreased 24% so far this week. NSW lamb supply is 10% lower, while Victorian yardings have eased 24%. SA and WA throughput halved, as widespread rain at Muchea saw numbers contract.

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Numbers sightly lifted at this month’s Narromine store sale, with the lack of rain an ongoing factor. Despite larger year-on-year supply, yardings have followed the yearly trend and tightened leading into winter. There was only a fair selection of first cross ewes yarded, although there was some good quality Merino and Merino Dohne cross ewes penned. Store lamb quality was mixed and there were just two pens of young wethers. There was a small buying crowd on hand, with support coming from local districts and processors, combined with buyers from Cootamundra, Walgett and Wagga Wagga.

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AUSTRALIAN woolgrowers recently visited the first Argentine property to buy sheep from Australia, 86 years ago.

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The RSPCA has backed an investigation into the deaths of 46 heifers at a state government research station.

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THE Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) has jumped 30 cents this week, pushing above 1000c a kilogram for the first time in four weeks.

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THE Pastoralists and Graziers Association of WA has questioned the intent of a letter from Animals Australia “addressing any misapprehension” the PGA might have about the length of time the activist group had held video footage of livestock cruelty in Egyptian abattoirs.

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Demand for lean ground beef and other grilling products generally picks up through late spring in the US, but there has been very little in the way of increasing demand for beef so far this year. Due to currency shifts this week, in A$ terms, prices were in fact slightly stronger, with 90CL beef down 5.5US¢, to 184.5US¢/lb CIF, or in A$ terms, were up 1.8A¢, to 384.8A¢/kg FAS – albeit, due currency movements, rather than strengthening demand.

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GROWING up on his family’s farm near Watheroo in Western Australia, Glen Keamy never dreamed he’d one day be a guest of honour at the French Embassy on Perth Avenue in the prestigious Canberra suburb of Yarralumla.

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EXTREME green lobby group WWF has attacked Queensland farmers in a YouTube video protesting changes to the controversial Vegetation Management Act.

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Brazil shipped around 35,618 tons and there was a drop in revenue of 20.86 per cent. Brazil exported $ 99 million last month.

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Brazil's JBS SA will continue to push toward a goal of reducing the company's ratio between net debt and earnings to below 3x by year's end

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JBS SA has agreed to purchase a pork slaughterhouse and nearly half a million swine in Rio Grande do Sul state, through its Brazilian poultry subsidiary JBS Aves, from local competitor BRF for BRL200 million (US$99.8 million), the companies reported Tuesday through Brazil's Securities Commission (CVM).

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JBS SA (JBSS3), the world’s largest beef producer, said first-quarter profit almost doubled after a weakening Brazilian currency helped it boost exports. The shares jumped.

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In its latest quarterly report, Marfrig reports an increase in net revenue of 28 per cent for the period compared to the same quarter of 2012. The company announced the closure of four poultry plants at Seara Brasil and two Marfrig Beef plants in Argentina as well as a restructuring of the feedlot structure in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.

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Canadian cattle on feed placements during April lifted 24% year-on-year, to 134,769 head, however, despite the increase, cattle on feed inventories (911,200 head) were 6% lower year-on-year (Steiner Consulting Group).

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Trial is set to begin the case of a Canadian food company that says it's owed more than $600,000 from a North Dakota hog farming operation.

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Federal food inspectors have allowed a beef slaughter and cutting plant in Ontario's Niagara region to resume operating after a temporary suspension.

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What’s in a label? In the case of Canada’s export of cattle and hogs, constrained by the impact of U.S. country-of-origin labeling (COOL), about $1-billion in potential retaliation.

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Shanghai authorities are testing mislabelled "New Zealand" mutton from a wholesaler that a government website said supplies a chain of hot pot restaurants run by American fast food firm Yum Brands.

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Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) excited investors with phenomenal growth over the last several years. This year, however, the stock has moved sideways, leading some to believe that Yum!'s growth prospects have finally hit the wall, and investors will only be rewarded with 2% dividend from here. That belief may be overwhelmingly misguided.

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The antimicrobial resistance data among zoonotic and indicator bacteria in 2011, submitted by 26 European Union Member States, were jointly analysed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Data covered resistance in zoonotic Salmonella and Campylobacter isolates from humans, food and animals, and in indicator Escherichia coli and enterococci isolates from animals and food. Data on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in animals and food were also presented.

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The European Commission has approved 22 programmes to promote agricultural products in the European Union and in third countries.

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At the edge of the new century the European Commission ?adopted the directive on the protection of farming animals. For pigs, group housing for gestating sows is a well-known outcome. The directive is likely to influence market prices for pigs. How much?

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The Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira has ordered all beef delivered to Finland by a Dutch company to be recalled.

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WELTEC BIOPOWER aprovecha y construye una planta de 1,8 MW

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Campylobacter is the most commonly reported gastrointestinal bacterial pathogen in humans in many developed countries, according to Geertrui Rasschaert of the Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO) in Melle, Belgium and co-authors there and at Ghent University.

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Ghana has a human population of 24 million and livestock production is a major feature in Ghana's agriculture and contributes largely towards meeting food needs, providing drought power, manure to maintain soil fertility and structure and cash income. The livestock sector contributes in direct products about seven per cent of agricultural GDP, according to Aviana Africa.

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Government fodder schemes to help sustain starving cattle during the summer heat have not materialised resulting in pregnant cattle being sent for slaughter in Karnataka.

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Horse meat scandal can make us stronger - ABP

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Remember the Angel Dust, the greatest ever concoction to boost growth rates in cattle?

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Japanese food-makers are increasingly seeking halal certification for their products, with the global Islamic population forecast to grow from 1.6 billion at present to more than 2 billion by 2030.

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Northern Ireland is now aiming to follow the example of Scandinavian and Central European nations in eradicating BVD, Bovine Viral Diarrhoea.

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Chinese officials are yet to explain exactly why they are blocking meat from entering the country.

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NEW Zealand meat exports to China are at a standstill as the government tries to sort out problems that are holding up consignments.

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Labour says the Government's explanation of why New Zealand meat is being blocked from entering China is "contradictory", creating suspicion that there is something else behind the issue.

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Sheep producers have been slow to commit to using performance recording as a method of improving their financial returns but one of the enthusiasts for using breeding figures yesterday claimed that there could be a bonus of around £1,000 per ram from doing so.

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A RETIRED Edinburgh University professor has been trampled to death by a rampaging herd of cows while out walking his dog.

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THERE was unanimous support for only one issue yesterday at the EU Agricultural Council yesterday and that was a need to have all the main bones of the next common agricultural policy (CAP) settled by the end of June when the Irish will lose the council presidency.

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The company that gave America the Bacon Sundae opened with a big splash in South Africa – but no bacon.

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Big brands are embracing a new sustainability initiative which will imaginatively engage previously disinterested UK consumers… by not mentioning the ‘S’ word. The ‘UK Dream’ challenge is to make a sustainable lifestyle sexy and aspirational. (1) There is evidence of a shift in mindset among corporates in favour of this approach. M&S, Unilever, Mars and Rapanui were among the founder attendees at the first UK Dream workshop.

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What about Bovine TB taking 3,000 cattle a month and nothing is done yet we are farting around over a handfull of bloody sheep.

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The Cattle Information Service (CIS) is making available a new tool for producers in the management of the reproduction cycle. Using IDEXX technology, CIS will offer a milk pregnancy confirmation test to aid producers in improving and managing successful reproductive programs.

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FRIMA has appointed Graham Kille to head its UK operations. Graham is a familiar face in the foodservice market, having worked for Rational UK for the last 11 years covering many different roles, most recently as a regional sales director.

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The NFU is getting behind a series of Host-a-Roast events being held across the country to celebrate Great British Beef Week and to raise money for the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI).

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Rumenco has launched a new ruminant livestock summer pasture supplement to help cattle and sheep producers combat the anticipated and well-reported challenges of the 2013 grazing season.

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As temperatures begin to rise and blowflies become more of a nuisance to sheep, the National Sheep Association (NSA) urges farmers throughout the UK to use a new online tool to keep abreast of the regions affected and report any problems on their own farms.

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Rumenco New 4 In 1 Grazing Supplement

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The reputation of the KellyBronze turkey for flavour is enhanced by the latest accolade for the product, gaining the Taste of Excellence Award at the Pig & Poultry Marketing Awards at the London Marriott County Hall by the River Thames.

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The value of Australian beef and veal export for the first quarter of 2013 exceeded $1.1 billion - up 11% year-on-year, underpinned by a significant jump in volumes over the first quarter.

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According to Australian Bureau of Statistics data released late last week, cattle slaughter for the first quarter of 2013 reached 1.87 million head, up 7% year-on-year and the highest first quarter total since 2009. With the widespread dry conditions placing pressure on producers, the eastern states slaughter information collected by MLA’s NLRS for April and May indicates that the second quarter kill will also be very high, most likely exceeding 2 million head for the quarter.

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TENSIONS between Independent MP Tony Windsor and Queensland Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce flared up in a robust exchange in the parliamentary press gallery in Canberra on Wednesday.

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Welcome showers were experienced across most states this week, with light falls over much of NSW, Queensland, the NT and northern WA. Isolated regions of Victoria, Tasmania and south eastern SA received decent rain, from 25 to 50 mm, which assisted sheep markets.

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His family said the "black dog" of depression had already sapped his spirit and now he sits in a chair all day, his short-term memory gone.

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THE draft Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for sheep is outdated and unworkable and needs to go back to the drawing board, says the Australian Wool Growers Association (AWGA).

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Numbers at Dalby this week decreased 21%, with restocker interest lifting in places subsequent to recent isolated rainfall. The C2 calves returning to the paddock were 9ȼ dearer, averaging 161ȼ, while light weight C2 yearling steers to restock improved 10ȼ, to average 160ȼ/kg. Light D2 yearling heifers to restock eased 3ȼ on 104ȼ, while the C3 bullocks to processors declined 7ȼ, selling from 133ȼ to 146ȼ/kg.

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Numbers at Toowoomba this week increased with the majority of young cattle selling to a cheaper market, while a reduced number of restocker buyers were present. Medium weight C2 vealer heifers to feed were 2ȼ cheaper on 143ȼ, while heavy C3 yearling steers to feed dropped 3ȼ to average 152ȼ/kg. Light D2 yearling heifers to slaughter were 9ȼ dearer, making 129ȼ, while light D1 cows to processors were unchanged on 65ȼ/kg.

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The extended dry conditions across the majority of the eastern states over the last six months have caused many buyers to reassess their purchasing options, and consequently causing shifts in saleyard purchasing patterns.

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While the Korean economy is suffering, there is a sign of an improvement in the economic situation. Hankok IIbo suggests Korean private consumption expenditure during the first quarter of 2013 rose for the first time this year on the back of the Gross Domestic Product expanding 0.9 percentage points during the first quarter of 2013, compared to the December quarter last year. Additionally, jobless rates improved in April to 3.2%, from 3.5% in March, assisting April consumer sentiment index being higher than 100 points, at 102 points – above 100 points for fourth consecutive months since the start of the year (Bank of Korea, Yonhap News).

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Indonesia has had no shortage of scandals in its decade-long fight against endemic corruption, mostly involving middle-aged politicians, suspicious bank accounts, handoffs of briefcases in hotel elevators, or boxes of cash in the trunk of a car in a dark parking garage.

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A NEW political party that wants to ban live exports and rodeos and heighten animal welfare awareness in Canberra has demanded federal Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig’s resignation.

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STATE forests and national parks could be opened to grazing in Queensland to help desperate cattle farmers.

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With rainfall recorded around parts of the state cattle numbers dropped 25% at MLA NLRS markets week-on-week. Wagga and Goulburn were the exceptions as Wagga increased 20% and Goulburn lifted 5%. All other selling centres lost numbers with Dubbo yarding 2,000head less, while consignments at CTLX Carcoar dropped 1,000 head compared to the previous market. Gunnedah yarded 48% less as the Hunter markets both penned fewer cattle, with Scone easing 42% and Singleton penned 50 head less. The northern sales of Casino and Armidale along with Inverell all yarded significantly fewer cattle.

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Eastern states over-the-hooks prices have been on a downward trend since January, predominately across the cow and yearling categories.

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Eastern states cattle prices were generally weaker this week, despite widespread showers across most of the country.

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Unseasonal rainfall in the north

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SOUTHERN Australia's cattle market is feeling the brunt of a tough season and subdued international demand for beef.

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THE proliferation of city-based activists lining up to attack traditional food production systems due to environmental fears or animal welfare concerns are saddling agricultural industries with red tape and increased costs.

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The 2013-14 Budget strengthens the foundation of Australian agriculture, prepares our farmers for future challenges, and lays the groundwork for the opportunities for rural Australia in the Asian Century.

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Export goat rates were mostly unchanged in recent weeks, with all categories averaging 183¢/kg cwt. Lighter weight goats are being turned off earlier.

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THIS week the ABC's 7.30 broadcast footage of the shocking abuse of cattle in an Egyptian abattoir.

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With the sustained higher lamb slaughter, skin supplies remain high for this time of year. While raw skin types are holding firm, quality is very mixed, but good quality types are still making a premium. Demand from overseas markets still remain lacklustre.

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Australian manufacturing beef exports were generally higher during April, especially across the leaner categories, with 85CL beef was the largest category, lifting 18% on last year, to 8,237 tonnes swt (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry). While there was a large drop in shipments of 85CL beef to the US (down 42%, to 1,987 tonnes swt), there were significant increases to Indonesia (up more than 600%, to 1,837 tonnes swt), South Korea, China, Saudi Arabia, most of South East Asia and Canada. Exports to Japan were 4% lower, on 2,231 tonnes swt.

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TWENTY-THREE studs from as far afield as South Australia are battling it out at the 2013 State Sheep Show in Roma. The two-day show has attracted 132 Merino and Poll Merino sheep from 14 Queensland studs, eight NSW based studs and one South Australian stud.

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Not only China, but the remainder of South Asia (excluding China) chased more Australian red meat during April. Australian beef and veal exports to South Asia during April lifted 36% year-on-year, to 11,136 tonnes swt (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry). Volumes for the first four months of 2013 totalled 37,445 tonnes swt (up 5% on the corresponding period last year), which placed the region as the fifth largest regional export destination for Australian beef, following Japan, the US, China and Korea.

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