What's New ? - 2018

This report presents the sales and distribution data for actively marketed antimicrobial drugs approved for use in food-producing animals by drug class, medical importance, route of administration, indication, and dispensing status, as well as species-specific estimates of these sales and distribution for the 2017 calendar year. This 2017 summary report also includes multiple years of domestic sales and distribution data of actively marketed antimicrobial drugs by drug class, medical importance, and route of administration, as well as observations on the changes in the sales and distribution of these drugs from 2016 through 2017.

Casino Group joined hands with three independent organizations recognized for their expertise in favor of animal welfare (Compassion In World Farming France-CIWF France, La Fondation Droit Animal, éthique et sciences -LFDA and the association 'uvre d’Assistance aux bêtes d’Abattoirs' - [OABA]) to offer the first labeling on animal welfare. This approach, unprecedented in France, aims at strengthening transparency on animals’ breeding, transport and slaughter conditions and therefore at giving clear and reliable information to the consumers. The four partners worked during almost two years to build together a solid reference table of criteria fit to evaluate the level of animal welfare (stocking density, outside area, care, transport, method of slaughter, etc.), as well as a notation method. The labeling provides several levels of notation which value the processes that guarantee a significant improvement of animal welfare and go beyond the statutory requirements.

The British Egg Industry Council has signed world champion diver Tom Daley to front its 2019 British Lion egg campaign. It comes as British Lion gears up for a £1m marketing campaign, set to debut next year. The push, dubbed #WonderEgg, aimed to drive continued growth of egg salesand increase awareness of the Lion mark. The campaign is set to target millennials and vulnerable groups across retail, foodservice and care homes. Further ambassadors and partnerships will join the campaign throughout the year. It follows a boom in egg sales after the reversal of FSA guidelines advising vulnerable groups including young children, the elderly and pregnant women to avoid raw orrunny eggs over concerns they could contract salmonella.

Ukraine in January-November 2018 increased exports of poultry by 22.2%, to 303,890 tonnes. At the same time, in monetary terms exports of these products increased by 32.8%, to $471.98 million.

Poultry meat is the only meat for which both EU production and consumption are expected to expand significantly over the outlook period (both by around 4 % between 2018 and 2030). Supported by continued growth of global demand, the EU will increase its exports thanks to the valorisation of different cuts of poultry meat and offal and a wide portfolio of destinations. Poultry meat enjoys several comparative advantages over other meats: affordability, convenience, absence of religious restrictions limiting consumption, healthy image, limited GHG emissions, lower production costs, short rearing time and lower required investments. As a result, production and consumption have been increasing steadily for many years throughout the world, including in the EU.

Bayer AG plans to cut 12,000 jobs and exit its animal health business in an effort to mollify Wall Street, which has punished the company over the tidal wave of lawsuits that came alongside the $63 billion takeover of Monsanto. Bayer’s animal health operations are probably worth as much as 6.5 billion euros. Bayer Animal Health reported 2017 sales of $1.66 billion, making it the world’s fifth-largest animal health company after Zoetis, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck and Elanco.

Over one million tonnes of animal feed in Europe could be contaminated by banned genetically modified organisms contained in a vitamin-based additive. According to EU biosafety regulations, no GM bacterial strain or any DNA is allowed to be present in commercial food and feed supplements. Eight tonnes of a vitamin B2 additive produced by a genetically modified strain of the Bacillus subtilis bacteria had been sold in Poland, Italy and the Netherlands between April and June. The amount of feed that may have been contaminated could run from 800,000 to 1.6 million tonnes. The additive was produced by Chinese company Shandong and distributed by Dutch company Trouw Nutrition, owner of Nutreco.

Twelve months after industry-led targets for antibiotic use were identified for all main farm livestock species in the UK, a review of progress has been released, including details of where targets have been achieved early and where challenges remain. • UK sales of antibiotics for food-producing animals have fallen 40% since 2013; overall use in 2017 was 37mg/kg, one of the lowest in the EU. • Highest Priority Critically Important Antibiotic (HP-CIA) sales fell 52% between 2013 and 2017 from an already low level, and 29% between 2016 and 2017: just 7kg of colistin was sold for veterinary use last year. • Only 30% of the UK’s antibiotics are now estimated to be used to treat disease in farm animals. Over a billion farm animals are reared and managed in the UK every year.

In 2019, Russian chicken meat production is forecast to grow 1.2 percent to 4.78 MMT. New processing facilities are gradually replacing older less efficient operations. Consolidation in the poultry industry continues to favor large companies that can access credit and can undertake major investments to improve productivity. Production overcapacity is squeezing profit margins, however domestic consumer demand for chicken meat remains stable, while exports continue to steadily grow. Chicken meat consumption is forecast at 4.8 MMT in 2018 and 2019. This forecast assumes no significant changes in macroeconomic conditions, however there are uncertainties heading into 2019. The Russian Government has announced an increase in the minimum retirement age. VAT taxes have also increased from 18 to 20 percent.

Total Saudi chicken meat production is expected to fall to 650,000 MT in 2018, significantly lower than the 2017 production estimate of 790,000 MT. Domestic chicken meat production in 2019 is expected to increase slightly to 700,000 MT. The production cost of locally produced chicken meat currently ranges between $1.6 and $1.87 per Kg of average dressed weight. Saudi Arabia is a surplus table eggs producer and a significant exporter to the GCC countries (Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman). Estimated domestic chicken meat consumption in 2017 is reduced to approximately 1.27 million MT. The three main reasons for the decline in estimated chicken meat consumption in 2017 are reduced demand by catering companies, lower estimated production, and the departure of several thousands of expatriate families.

California voters approved a measure requiring all eggs sold in the state come from cage-free hens by 2022. That means the Golden State's new rules will apply to farmers nationwide whose eggs are sold in California. Starting in 2020, egg-laying hens must be been given 1 square foot (144 square inches) of floor space each on the way to being cage-free by 2022.

Suzanna’s Kitchen, Inc., a Peachtree Corners, Ga. establishment, is recalling approximately 15,363 pounds of grilled chicken products due to an unapproved substance. The product contains concentrations of thallium. The problem was discovered when the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services tested retail packages of Nature Raised Farms Organic Gluten Free Grilled Chicken Strips produced by Suzanna’s Kitchen, Inc. and found concentrations of thallium in the product.

New legislation has been approved by the European Parliament to ban the prophylactic use of antibiotics in farming, which will come into force in 2022. The overuse of antibiotics has become a growing concern as there is strong evidence to suggest that it has contributed to an increase in the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which can spread to people. According to latest estimates, 73% of the world’s antibiotics are used in farming, and the EU’s position is now largely consistent with that of the World Health Organization, which last year produced guidelines on farm antibiotic use. The WHO called for an end to preventative group treatments and for severe restrictions on the use of certain antibiotics classified as high-priority critically important in human medicine.

A new report from AgriBusiness Consulting (commissioned by Eurogroup for Animals) has called for a complete rethink of the intensive chicken production model that predominates in the EU, which threatens public health, pollutes the environment, and does little to respect animal welfare. Intensive broiler farming is typically characterised by high stocking densities, fast growth rates leading to a young slaughter age, very large holdings, and indoor rearing without access to enrichments. Although poultry farms with more than 100,000 heads account for less than 1% of total poultry holdings in the EU, Eurostat data shows that these holdings account for 38% of total poultry numbers.

Global production is forecast to grow 2 percent in 2019 to a record 97.8 million tons. All major producers gain on the continuation of generally positive conditions: ample feed supplies at relatively low prices, the absence of widespread highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks and modest global demand. Brazil is expected to rebound to attain a new record fueled by export recovery and rising domestic demand supported by stronger economic growth.

A report by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) shows that the overall sales of veterinary antimicrobials across Europe have decreased by more than 20% between 2011 and 2016. This continues the downward trend seen over the last few years and confirms that European Union (EU) guidance and national campaigns promoting prudent use of antibiotics in animals to fight antimicrobial resistance are having a positive effect. A break down per class of antimicrobials shows there was a drop of almost 40% in sales of polymyxins for veterinary use. This class includes colistin, which is used as a last resort treatment in patients with bacterial infections resistant to other antibiotics. Sales of 3rd- and 4th-generation cephalosporins decreased by 15.4%, while sales of quinolones declined by 13.6%.

On September 28, 2018, the South African Revenue Service published notifications that a safeguard duty of 35.3% will be imposed on EU bone-in chicken; the duty will depreciate over four years to 15 percent. The safeguard duty is expected to negatively affect the competitiveness of EU bone-in chicken imports in the South African market, which is currently dominated by Brazil and the United States. In 2016, the EU was the largest exporter of bone-in chicken meat to South Africa, followed by the United States and Brazil. However, in 2017, the EU lost substantial market share due to the provisional safeguard duty and the avian influenza outbreaks.

A temporary moratorium on new large-scale poultry farms, comes soon after the formation of a Coordinating Council on Poultry Growth led by representative Sara Hill from the Cherokee nation and Oklahoma’s Secretary of Agriculture. With an explosion of new chicken houses, residents grew more concerned about water quality and supply, property values, road maintenance and air quality. The halt would be temporary as stakeholders worked toward compromise on key issues. The five-year annual average for cash receipts in Oklahoma - money paid to farmers from sales, government programs and insurance - are $835 million for poultry.

Egypt's agriculture ministry says it will put into effect a 2009 law banning the trade of live poultry in a bid to improve poultry production, combat environmental pollution and prevent the spread of diseases like avian influenza. The law bans the slaughtering of poultry outside unlicensed slaughterhouses. It stipulates that live poultry should be transported directly to licensed slaughterhouses after traders acquire special authorisations following veterinary inspection, before the refrigerated or frozen food products are offered at shops. Although the law was in effect in 2009 and 2010, it has not been enforced since. As a first phase, the ministry will ban the trading of live poultry in the capital Cairo and the neighbouring city of Giza, which consume 30 percent of the country's poultry.

RUMA is committed to ensuring antibiotics are used in animal production only when necessary, and when used that the right antibiotics are given in the most effective way possible to cure animal disease while minimising the risk of antibiotic resistance developing. Recent moves to label produce “Antibiotic-Free”, “Reared Without Antibiotics”, “No Antibiotics Ever” or similar have led RUMA to review its position as stated in June 2016, that it does not support the marketing of any meat or milk on the basis of such claims.

A fifth (20%) of meat samples tested in 2017 contained DNA from animals not shown on the label, according to data obtained by the BBC. The BBC acquired the stat via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Food Standards Agency (FSA). The 665 results - from businesses including restaurants and supermarkets in England, Wales and Northern Ireland - showed 145 samples contained 'unspecified' meat - either wholly or partly. According to the outlet, a number of samples contained the DNA of up to four animals - with meat labeled as 'lamb' most likely to be contaminated, and cow DNA being 'the most commonly-found contaminant'.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) unveiled its five-year action plan for supporting antimicrobial stewardship in veterinary settings. This plan builds upon the important steps CVM has taken to eliminate production uses of medically important antimicrobials (i.e., antimicrobials important for treating human disease) and to bring all remaining therapeutic uses of these drugs under the oversight of licensed veterinarians. It also supports the judicious use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals and is driven by the concept that medically important antimicrobial drugs should only be used in animals when necessary for the treatment, control or prevention of specific diseases.

According to a report from eFarmNEws, Argentine poultry industry suffering losses. The official indicators for the poultry industry in the first half of 2018 are not good. The slaughter decreases 4.7 percent, exports also dumped 16.5% and per capita consumption was reduced to the equivalent 42.2 kilograms per year. Some industries are plunged in a deep crisis, like Rasic, the former second largest poultry company in the country, BRF (which had acquired Avex in Cordoba Province) and EcoAve, a medium size company in Buenos Province.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) has reissued its disposition instructions for the poultry meat quality issues known as "woody breast" and "white striping" poultry conditions. The notice issued by FSIS includes a detailed list of background information, responsibilites for how Public Health Veterinarians (PHVs), Inspectors-in-charge (IICs), Front Line Supervisors (FLSs) and Supervisory Consumer Safety Inspectors (SCSIs) ought to work with inspection programme personnel (IPP) to identify and verify that poultry processors are "removing trimmable inflammatory tissues that may be associated with these conditions."

RUMA has released a half-year summary of the UK farming industry’s progress towards achieving 2020 targets for antibiotic use in each of eight different livestock sectors. The half-year report from the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) shows that the use of antibiotics in chickens and turkeys is now below the government-approved sector-specific targets developed by RUMA's Target Task Force of 25 milligrams per Population Correction Unit for chickens and 50 mg/PCU for turkeys. Antibiotic use in the UK poultry meat sector fell by 82% from 2012 through 2017, as poultry farmers stopped prophylactic use of antibiotics, ended colistin use; banned use of 3rd and 4th generation cephalosporins, and reduced fluoroquinolone use by 91%.

Antibiotic Usage: Sales of antimicrobial veterinary medicinal products (AVMP's) in 2017 (181 tonnes) showed an increase of 3% compared to 2016 (176 tonnes). The use of antibiotics of critical importance to human health care (especially cephalosporins of 3rd and 4th generation) is reduced to an absolute minimum, even in the unmonitored sectors. Import of these AVMP's from other EU member states is not monitored in sales data, but if used in the monitored animal sectors, veterinarians are obliged to report these VMP’s. Antimicrobial resistance: In 2017 S. Enteritidis (25.6%) followed by S. Typhimurium (15.9%) together with the monophasic variant of Typhimurium: S. enterica subspecies enterica 1,4,[5],12:i:- (15.7%), were most frequently isolated from humans suffering from salmonellosis. In poultry (including poultry products and broilers), the number of S. Paratyphi B var. Java was equal to 2016. The most isolated serovar in poultry meat in 2017 was S. Heidelberg.

Around 73,000 Dutch eggs have been withdrawn from German supermarkets after they were found to be contaminated with fipronil. The eggs were supplied by a Dutch biological farm to supermarkets in six German states. Tests had found contamination levels of 0.014, 0.019 and 0.007 mg/kg. EU regulations allow no more than 0.005 mg/kg. The news comes less than a year after the insecticide found its way into millions of eggs in the Netherlands.

The poultry meat sector became the first UK livestock sector to pioneer a data collection mechanism and share antibiotic usage data with the Government’s Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). Data collected by the British Poultry Council (BPC) is published every year as part of the UK-Veterinary Antimicrobial Resistance and Sales Surveillance (UK-VARSS) Report. The BPC collects and monitors usage ofall antibiotic classes in the UK poultry meat industry to promote and apply best practice throughout the supply chain. In 2017, the poultry meat sector used 14.38 tonnes of antibiotics and achieved an 82% reduction in the net use of antibiotics as compared to 2012. In the last year, the sector has achieved a 39.36% reduction in net use of antibiotics (23.72 tonnes used in 2016). In 2016, the sector used 9.72% of the total antibiotics licensed for use in food producing animals as compared to 21% in 2012.

Taste is important in guiding nutritive choices and motivating food intake. The sensory organs for taste are the taste buds, that transduce gustatory stimuli into neural signals. Initially, it was reported that chickens do not have taste buds and later about 70 taste buds were found in the oral cavity. This number is low compared to mammals, e.g., rats (~1000 taste buds), humans (~10,000 taste buds) and cattle, which have about 15,000-20,000 taste buds. Further studies demonstrated that chickens have a higher number of taste buds varying in number from 240-360 on average according to the breed, e.g., broilers have more taste buds compared to the layer-type. In addition, recent studies have demonstrated that the number of taste buds varies among lines in the same type (broiler-type) of chickens.

Following the detection of fipronil residues in eggs resulting from a misuse of non-approved veterinary medicinal products in poultry farms against red mites, an ad-hoc monitoring programme was set up in the EU. Member States have provided results for 5,439 samples of eggs and chicken muscle/fat which were analysed for fipronil and a number of additional active substances which were proposed by the European Commission to be monitored in view of potential misuse in poultry farms against red mites. The European Commission requested the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for technical assistance in the framework of Article 31 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 to set up the ad-hoc data collection and to summarise the results of the ad-hoc monitoring programme in a scientific report.

Boehringer Ingelheim is set to invest almost €65 million in a high-tech building at its Lyon Porte-des-Alpes site in Saint-Priest, France (Rhône), to meet the growing demand worldwide for avian vaccines. The German group has laid the first stone of a 5,700 sq m building at its Lyon Porte-des-Alpes (LPA) site. Known as F2IVE (Formulation and Filling of Inactivated Vaccines Extension), this major project will comprise a three-storey building - including 1,000 sq m of clean room space – mainly for formulating and distributing avian vaccines. As poultry consumption continues to rise around the world, there is an increasing demand for avian vaccines. This meant that our LPA production site in Saint-Priest was going to reach a saturation point by 2020.

The Canadian turkey industry is a vital part of the Canadian poultry sector, producing turkey products worth $412 million a year and a pillar for growth, job creation and innovation across the country. Member of Parliament for London North Centre, Peter Fragiskatos, on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lawrence MacAulay, announced today (April 4) at the National Poultry Show in London an investment of almost $240,000 to the Turkey Farmers of Canada (TFC) to assist producers in meeting the highest animal welfare, biosecurity and food safety standards. TFC received $98,235 to conduct the final government recognition stages of its On-Farm Food Safety Program that will help enhance the credibility of production practices with buyers, stakeholders and consumers.

The global poultry industry will likely be challenged by its biggest trade shake-up in decades this year, driven by a number of factors that might come together in a powerful way. The global poultry outlook, has so far been quite good for most regions, with reasonable price levels and margins, as well as fewer avian influenza (AI) outbreaks compared to last year. However, market participants are focused on the potential for a big shake-up in global poultry trade in 2018; the biggest in many years. In the coming months, the global poultry market is set to go through turbulent times, especially due to ongoing restrictions because of AI, the weak-flesh investigation in Brazil, and recent temporary restrictions on exports to the EU for one of Brazil’s leading exporters, as well as the pending ban on stunning for exported products into Saudi Arabia.

Brazil has temporarily halted production and certification of poultry exports from scandal-hit food processor BRF SA to the European Union. BRF is currently under investigation on the suspicion of food fraud to evade food safety checks. The export suspension affects 10 out of 35 BRF plants in Brazil.

McDonald's has topped a global ranking of farm animal welfare standards among fast food chains, according to the annual benchmark report. The fast food giant beat KFC, Burger King, Subway and Starbucks in the sixth Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) ranking of 110 global food companies. No fast food company achieved the top "tier one" status in the ranking but McDonald's, which feeds 68 million people every day, ranked towards the top of tier two after making farm animal welfare a part of its business strategy.

Legislation to make CCTV cameras mandatory in slaughterhouses in England to safeguard animal welfare and give Official Veterinarians unfettered access to footage has been laid by secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs Michael Gove. Environment Minister Michael Gove confirmed the plans this morning (February 23) following a public consultation which found more than 99 per cent of 4,000 respondents backed the calls for CCTV to be required in every slaughterhouse in England where live animals were present. The legislation will also cover unrestricted access for Official Veterinarians (OVs) to the last 90 days of footage.

Up until recently, very little data was available on farm use of medically important antibiotics in different animal species in both the UK and the US. This was due to the fact that the regulatory bodies only collect data on the sales of veterinary antibiotic products from the pharmaceutical companies, and many of these products are licensed for use in more than one animal species. However, in the past three months, a large amount of new information on antibiotic use in different livestock species has become available, although the data is still incomplete. This information has largely been published by the regulatory bodies, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) in the UK and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US. In the UK, the information has been based on collections by the British Poultry Council and the National Pig Association of actual usage data, and on a large survey of cattle farms. Very recently published information by some supermarkets supplements this dat

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a critical step forward in making egg products safer for Americans to eat. FSIS is proposing to amend the egg products inspection regulations by requiring official plants that process egg products to develop Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) systems and Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (Sanitation SOPs) and to meet other sanitation requirements consistent with the meat and poultry regulations. FSIS is proposing that official plants will be required to produce egg products in such a way that the finished product is free of detectable pathogens. FSIS is proposing to eliminate those current regulatory provisions not consistent with that of the meat and poultry regulations.

Transparency Market Research observes that global poultry health market is highly fragmented due to strong presence of several players. The consistent entry of new players in the market is making the competitive landscape extremely tough for the existing companies. Some of the key players operating in the global market are Bayers AG, Merck Animal Health, Bimeda Inc., Zoetis Inc., and Ceva Sante Animale. Companies are expected to focus on expanding their distributorship in the near future to improve their revenue-earning prospects. Investments in research and development are also anticipated to help the companies stay ahead of the competition in the near future. The global poultry health market is estimated to be worth US$11.0 bn by the end of 2025 rising up from US$5.7 bn in 2016. During the forecast period of 2016 and 2025, the global market is estimated to surge at a steady CAGR of 7.6%.

The Bulgarian company Huvepharma announced that it has acquired the human and animal health firm AgriLabs, which operates a plant on the North End of St. Joseph. AgriLabs will operate as a division of Huvepharma and remain in place at its facility located on Missouri Route K.