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H1N1
Influenza A Fallout Assessed
To say it has been a tough week in the pork business would
be a monumental understatement. And the pain is worse when it is
completely undeserved.
I really don’t know how to express how badly I feel for pork producers
today. After seeing last year’s record-high hog prices yield no
profits due to ethanol-driven feed prices, you must now cope with a pork
demand crisis caused by a virus whose only tie to your animals is a bit
of ancient genetic material and, unfortunately, a name. It isn’t
right. It isn’t fair. But such is life at times. I’m so sorry
this has happened to you but it is time to cinch it up a bit tighter and
get back to work. The sun will shine again. And these will still be
the wonderful animals we have always enjoyed.
First, let’s assess the demand situation:
It is too early to determine if U.S. consumers have actually reduced
pork purchases. We think that has happened to some degree, but we
don’t know how much. We do know that wholesale demand has softened
this week with packers reporting that retail orders have declined. That
doesn’t necessarily mean consumers aren’t buying, however.
Retailers are likely waiting as long as they can to order product,
concerned about consumer buying behavior. Plus, this is a golden
opportunity for them to buy at lower prices, so why would they be in any
hurry? It is likely they are hand-to-mouth on pork purchases regardless
of what consumers are doing. I would be if I was in their
shoes.
FULL ARTICLE
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Dealing
with H1N1 Flu Questions
The outbreak of H1N1 influenza A virus that started in
Mexico in recent weeks has been of great concern internationally. The
National Pork Board (NPB) and the American Association of Swine
Veterinarians (AASV) have provided excellent resource materials for
dealing with the issues related to this outbreak: (www.pork.org/NewsAndInformation/WebFeaturePage2.aspx?Id=472
and www.aasv.org/).
You are encouraged to follow these recommendations and to work closely
with your veterinarian as questions and concerns regarding influenza
arise.
There are also some technical diagnostic questions that should be
considered in light of this outbreak. Following are some producer
questions that have come up at the diagnostic laboratory the past week.
Many questions remain unanswered at this point, and the electronic rumor
mill is probably about ready to blow a hard drive from the weight of all
the misinformation spinning about. We hope these answers will provide
some of the information you need.
FULL ARTICLE
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USDA Says
Pork is Safe
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack stated this week that
U.S. pork is safe as he addressed the growing global concern over the
outbreak of H1N1 flu in Mexico. Secretary Vilsack said, “I want to
reiterate that U.S. pork is safe. While we in the U.S. are continuing to
monitor for new cases of H1N1 flu, the American food supply is safe.
There is no evidence or reports that U.S. swine have been infected with
this virus. USDA is reminding its trading partners that U.S. pork and
pork products are safe and there is no basis for restricting imports of
commercially produced U.S. pork and pork products. This is not an
animal health or food safety issue. This discovery of the H1N1 flu virus
is in humans. Any trade restrictions would be inconsistent with World
Organization for Animal Health (Office of International Epizootics
[OIE]) guidelines. According to OIE, because the current H1N1
flu-related human health event has been described as swine influenza,
the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) announced that there has
been no infection in animals confirmed in the zones where cases of human
infection have been detected. Therefore, it is not necessary to
introduce specific measures for international trade in swine or their
products, nor are consumers of pork products at risk of infection.” A
number of congressional hearings were held this week concerning the flu
outbreak in Mexico.
FULL ARTICLE
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Pork
Board Authorizes Funds For 'Pork is Safe' Message
To reassure consumers that pork is safe and will continue
to be safe to eat, the National Pork Board on Thursday authorized funds
for a national media advertising campaign. Starting next week, ads will
be targeted to major daily newspapers and a variety of Internet-based
media.
“We have been conducting nightly consumer research
this week to measure consumer reaction to the deluge of information
about ‘swine,’” says Chris Novak, chief executive officer of the
National Pork Board. “Even though the World Health Organization, the
U.S. State Department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
the U.S. Department of Agriculture and others have said this influenza
strain should be called H1N1 and not swine flu, we needed to know if
consumer behavior is being impacted.”
More than 8 of 10 consumers surveyed continue to believe that pork is
safe to eat, based on the daily consumer tracking research. Also, more
than 9 of 10 consumers who have purchased pork products recently believe
that pork is safe.
FULL ARTICLE
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Swine Handling & Transport Forum – Des Moines Marriott
Downtown – Des Moines, IA – June 2, 2009
The forum will provide pork producers, swine handlers and transporters
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