Livestock and Meat

In the fourth week of August, the prices for young bulls remained stable and the supply was sufficient. For slaughter cows, on the other hand, supply exceeded demand in some regions, putting prices under pressure. According to the provisional overview, the weekly average for Germany as a whole for young bulls in the R3 class remained unchanged at 2,59 euros per kilogram slaughter weight. Class O3 cows fetched 2,06 euros per kilogram slaughter weight, two cents less than in the previous week. The situation in the wholesale meat markets has hardly changed; Purchase and sale prices remained at the level of the previous week. There was sometimes a little more money for roast beef and fillets from young bulls, legs and leg parts were difficult to place. Slight surcharges were enforced in some cases for shipping premium items such as filets and roast beef to Italy and Spain. – In the coming week, young bull prices should tend to be stable if supply is not too extensive. The prices for slaughter cows could just about hold their ground. – Prices for slaughter calves increased. Veal was in greater demand at the wholesale markets; both acquisition and selling prices tended to be mostly firmer. – The demands for Black and Pied calves mostly fell, since the supply increased regionally and the demand was calm to subdued. For calves from Simmental and Brown Swiss breeds, on the other hand, prices tended to be stable.

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The Friedrich Loeffler Institute sees no reason for an increased risk to humans in the finding of the bird flu pathogen in pigs in China.

On August 20, French news agency AFP reported that "a deadly strain of avian influenza virus has been detected in pigs" for the first time, according to Chinese authorities. This is a reproduction of a statement by the head of the Chinese reference laboratory for avian influenza, Dr. Chen Hualan. According to this, a virus of the H2003N5 type was found in four herds in the southeast Chinese province of Fujian as early as 1, but only in very few animals and only in very small quantities. A reference to this can already be found, among other things, in a publication from July of this year.

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Food safety from farm to fork

A group is set up to advise the European Commission on food safety issues, bringing together consumers, the food industry, retailers and farmers. This Advisory Group on the Food Chain, Animal and Plant Health will be composed of 45 members from organizations operating at EU level and will meet at least twice a year. In line with the principle of ensuring food safety from farm to fork, the Commission will consult the group on various food policy issues. The Commission has also announced that it will set up an Internet Food Safety Consultation Forum, open to all European organizations working in this field. The new Advisory Group is expected to meet for the first time towards the end of the year.

David Byrne, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, said: “Debate and dialogue with stakeholders will help us make better policies because they are an essential part of good governance. The EU has introduced world-class food safety rules in recent years. Now it is time for us to modernize our food safety advice system as well.”

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Production and consumption increase

Sufficient pigs for slaughter should continue to be available in the European Union in the future. According to information from the EU Commission in Brussels, pork production in the EU-25 is expected to grow by six percent to around 2011 million tons in the coming years up to 22,79. This would continue the trend of the previous eight years in a weaker form: from 1995 to 2003, pig production in the old Union expanded by more than eleven percent to 21,56 million tons.

The forecast for pork consumption in the EU-25 in 2011 is 21,46 million tons, which would also be around six percent more than in 2003. In the period 1995 to 2003, consumption in the EU-15 had increased by around nine percent.

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Consumer prices are at a level that is favorable for consumption

Despite the cooler weather, local consumers still prefer poultry meat that sizzles well on the grill. They like to use ready-to-grill chicken pieces, but turkey brisket is also popular. Appropriately, food retailers are running campaigns this week with poultry meat, with fresh chicken breast fillet available from as little as 5,99 euros per kilogram, and fresh turkey breast in special offers from as little as 5,49 euros per kilogram. But the normal shop prices are also at a consumer-friendly level: the national average for all types of shop, a kilogram of chicken breast now costs 7,73 euros in August, compared to 7,88 euros a year ago. Turkey schnitzel can be had for an average of 7,76 euros, which is about the same price as last year.

In September, there will usually be little change for local consumers in terms of these low poultry prices, because the supply will continue to cover demand. In the case of turkey meat, however, slight price increases cannot be ruled out, because the supply on the German market is no longer quite as plentiful due to fewer deliveries from abroad. On the other hand, consumers will more often find turkey thigh meat for heartier dishes in the cooler season, in the form of legs for roasting or braising, as goulash or rolled roast, after turkey breast for grilling and light summer cuisine were the focus in summer .

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Fruit, vegetables and eggs required

Organic products are becoming increasingly important in out-of-home catering. A study commissioned by the Federal Organic Farming Program showed that a third of canteen kitchens already use organic products. Those responsible for 618 communal catering facilities and 676 kitchens in the catering trade were surveyed. As the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) further reports, potatoes, eggs, vegetables and fruit from organic cultivation are in demand in communal catering.

An above-average number of organic foods are processed in prevention and rehabilitation facilities, in day-care centers and in children's homes. A good way to explore the organic potential for canteen kitchens are special offers with individual organic ingredients or complete organic dishes. 38 percent of the facilities surveyed use individual organic components as part of campaign weeks, and more than half already use organic products regularly.

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Grape harvesting in the Palatinate and Rheinhessen has begun

began. "In many places, the grapes of the very early ripening varieties such as Ortega, Huxel and Siegerrebe are already ripe enough to be the first Federweißer to announce the approaching autumn in the next few days," informs Armin Göring, Managing Director of the German Wine Institute (DWI). And this specialty will not be long in coming in the other German wine-growing regions either. “Depending on the weather conditions, the harvest of the grape varieties intended for the actual winemaking will only begin in the second half of September. Germany's most-cultivated grape variety, Riesling, often ripens throughout October and well into November,” explains Armin Göring. Enjoy Federweißer fresh

"Federweißer" - also called "Bitzler", "Sauser", "Rauscher" or "Brauser" depending on the growing region - is a grape must on the way to wine. When fermentation starts, yeasts come into action with the fresh must in the barrels. They convert the sugar in the grapes into alcohol and carbonic acid, turning the must whitish. Its naturally cloudy color is reminiscent of a thousand whirling little feathers in a glass, hence the name "Federweißer". While Federweißer initially tastes very sweet, like sparkling grape juice, it becomes increasingly drier and more alcoholic as the fermentation progresses.

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But: "Only a first step towards nationwide standards."

The increased cooperation in food monitoring in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia has met with approval from the consumer centers in the three states. "More consumer protection requires more cooperation across national borders," says a joint statement by the consumer centers in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia and the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv). "However, the cooperation between the three countries can only be a first step towards nationwide uniform standards in food monitoring," according to the consumer advice centers.

The three state health ministers signed an administrative agreement on Wednesday to coordinate the inspection of food, cosmetics and consumer goods. "In view of empty coffers, more cooperation is the only way out of the impasse of broken savings," commented the consumer centers on the state agreement. "But the agreement must be a signal that it's not just about saving, but about more intensive, better and more effective controls." One should not stop at data exchange between three federal states. It is necessary to further improve data exchange throughout Germany.

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At a high-level agricultural conference on November 9th and 10th, 2004 in Amsterdam, another groundbreaking step towards the harmonization of quality assurance standards in the globally expanding trade in agricultural products and foodstuffs will be presented.

The conference is organized by EurepGAP, an association of agricultural producers, processors and retailers who strive for harmonization in terms of food safety and quality assurance in agriculture at international level. The aim of the conference is to ensure more transparency between agricultural producers and consumers worldwide.

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When it comes to eggs, the origin counts

 In the first six months of this year, German consumers mainly bought caged eggs. A total of 2,77 billion stamped eggs went over the counter, 54 percent of which came from cage farming, according to data from the GfK Household Panel commissioned by ZMP and CMA. Free-range eggs ranked second with a sales share of 24 percent, followed by barn eggs with 14 percent and organic eggs with eight percent. In addition, the local shops and producers marketed around 0,93 billion eggs for which the type of husbandry was not recognizable when purchased. The stamp with the designation of origin was missing either because the eggs were bought directly from the producer or because they were boiled, brightly colored eggs.

In Germany, between 12,5 and 14 billion eggs are produced annually, with around 80 percent of laying hens being kept in cages and almost ten percent each in barn systems or outdoors. In addition to local production, around six billion eggs come from abroad every year, mainly from the Netherlands. Smaller deliveries also reach us from Belgium/Luxembourg, Spain and France.

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Imports exceed domestic production

The market for poultry meat in Russia is equally interesting for domestic producers and foreign suppliers because of its size and limited domestic production. In a study from February 2004, the Institute for Agricultural Marketing in Moscow got to the bottom of trends in this market and gave an outlook up to 2006.

 Russia is pushing poultry meat production

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