State Secretary Seif presents a certificate to agricultural direct marketers in Pfungstadt

The State Secretary in the Hessian Ministry of the Environment, Karl-Winfried Seif, recognized the successful self-marketing of the Pfungstadt farmer Klaus Renner and presented him with the certificate "Tested Quality - HESSEN". “The Falkenhof in Pfungstadt has found its way. Courage, creativity and entrepreneurial skill have turned a farmstead into a flourishing, versatile direct marketing business," says Seif. This is where location advantages, proximity to consumers and the trend towards natural, regional specialties come together with favorable internal conditions.

Because of the award, the farm butcher's shop with the affiliated party service is allowed to advertise its products with the "Tested Quality - HESSEN" quality mark. "Pigs, cattle and poultry are mainly fattened with the farm's own feed, without animal meal and antibiotics and processed into high-quality specialties in our own slaughterhouse with the greatest care and experience," praised Seif, who finally explained that the quality brand was officially approved by the European Commission last year approved and recognized as eligible and thus registered as a trademark and protected from misuse.

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In July 2004, the North Hessian Ahle Wurscht was the first Hessian product to be included in the "Ark of Taste".
 
The Ark of Taste is an international Slow Food project. Crops, animal breeds and foodstuffs that are rare or threatened with extinction and at the same time create identity for certain regions are included. You have to contribute to taste diversity and sustainability. Another condition is that the animals come from species-appropriate animal husbandry and that the products are free of genetic modifications. In addition, they must be purchasable. Several hundred products have been included worldwide, some examples: Angeliter Tannen Kegel (potato variety, Germany), Finkenwerder Herbstprinz (apple variety, Germany), Pumpernickel (bread variety, is cooked and not baked, Germany), Coucou (chicken breed, France), salami from Mangalica Pork (Hungary), Black Okinawa Domestic Pig (Japan), Meyer Limonene (USA), Argan Tree Oil (Morocco), Souvas (reindeer meat, Sweden).

The North Hessian Convivium (= round table) led by Gerhard Müller-Lang, Hanns Ernst Kniepkamp and Gerhard Schneider-Rose applied to the German board of Slow Food for the inclusion of the North Hessian Ahlen Wurscht in the Arche. Before the necessary reports could be drawn up, a series of expert discussions took place with North Hessian butchers and in-house slaughterers who produce and market North Hessian Ahle Wurscht. The hardest part was narrowing down the manufacturing region. The description of the typical and unmistakable manufacturing process for the Ahle Wurscht, on the other hand, was unanimous.

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Constant further development of the company's position

Up to and including June 30, Wasgau recorded consolidated sales of almost EUR 230 million. Compared to the previous year, this means an increase of 2,28 percent. The two production plants in Winzel are on course for growth - and continue to generate income for the company. The butcher increased its turnover by 3,8 percent, the bakery showed a 7,4 percent increase in turnover. Report of the board of directors in the report for the second quarter of 2004

Consumer sentiment and thus consumer behavior in households is still less than optimistic. The low economic growth in the first half of 2004 resulted exclusively from exports. Domestic demand continues to suffer from consumers' reluctance to buy. The main reasons for this are the reform debates and the tense situation on the labor market, as well as the additional uncertainty among consumers as a result of the Hartz IV discussion.

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Exports are also down

For several years now, the Dutch government has been trying to reduce the number of pigs through various measures and thus get the liquid manure and emission problems in the Netherlands under control. The difficult economic situation of fatteners and the animal epidemics of recent years - such as swine fever in 1997 and foot-and-mouth disease in 2001 - are causing more and more farmers to take advantage of the government's support measures and give up their production.

In 2003, Dutch gross domestic production fell by 3,7 percent to 20,1 million pigs. Since 2000, it has already fallen by more than 13 percent. Dutch market experts expect a further decrease of almost four percent to 2004 million pigs in 19,36. According to preliminary calculations, gross domestic production in the first half of 2004 was 9,74 million animals, which was almost 3,5 percent less than from January to June 2003. A reduction of 2004 percent is forecast for the third quarter of 4,3, and in In the fourth quarter, production is likely to be 4,6 percent lower than in the same period last year. This decline should also continue in the first quarter of 2005 and, according to preliminary estimates, be around 5,5 percent.

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Our film tip

In a pitch-black comedy from Denmark, a very special butcher's shop takes center stage.

Two friends both work in a butcher shop. Svend, the ambitious one, has great professional ambitions and an inferiority complex. Bjarne likes to smoke and is not interested in anything but hash and his girlfriend.

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Federal Research Institute for Nutrition and Food (BFEL) starts new national consumption study

What's on the table in Germany? Who is not sufficiently supplied with nutrients? Who cooks their own meals and who prefers to eat out quickly? The Federal Research Center for Nutrition and Food (BFEL), based in Karlsruhe, has developed a concept for a nutrition study on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Consumer Affairs. From spring 2005, 20.000 people nationwide will be asked about their eating habits. This information is extremely important for consumer education, prevention programs and specific nutritional recommendations.

The last national consumption study was 15 years ago. However, how and what is eaten in Germany has changed significantly in recent years. In addition, the last survey was only representative for western Germany. This shall be changed now. 

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Preview of the slaughter cattle market in September

In Germany, the main holiday season is gradually coming to an end in September and more and more consumers are returning from vacation. The demand for meat should therefore be more lively again in the coming weeks. In addition, the meat product factories in Germany and abroad will start production again at the end of the company holidays. Accordingly, the demand for slaughter cattle is growing. Producer prices are therefore pointing slightly upwards. Stable young bull prices expected

The prices for young bulls have been able to strengthen steadily in recent months, although the lowest prices for the season are usually realized in the summer months. At the beginning of August, young bulls in the meat trading class R3 were already fetching an average of 2,55 euros per kilogram of slaughter weight in Germany, and the trend is rising. And this despite the fact that the high summer temperatures and the holidays in Germany resulted in subdued demand for beef. The last time prices were comparable was in 1999 and 2000.

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British Sugar, the UK's largest sugar producer, will end organic sugar production from domestic beets due to weak demand. The company entered this branch of production last year. At the time, British Sugar estimated the UK market potential at 4.000 to 5.000 tonnes of organic sugar. At the beginning of July, however, the company declared: "The initially great market interest in organic sugar unfortunately proved to be insufficient for economic production".

Nevertheless, British Sugar wants to continue doing business with imported organic sugar. The remaining amount of organic sugar from the last domestic campaign is to be sold as conventional goods. Yeo Valley, the UK's leading producer of organic dairy products and the largest buyer of organic sugar to date, said: "British organic sugar will last well beyond next year for our needs, but we need to find new sources of supply abroad."

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Senate President comments on the situation of federal research

Research with high standards and under massive austerity pressures: The scientific institutions of the Federal Ministry of Consumer Affairs (BMVEL) are currently moving in this field of tension. In the current issue of the research report, Professor Dr. Gerhard Flachowsky, President of the Senate of the Federal Research Institutes, comments on the range of services offered by the institutions, their integration into the scientific community and the evaluation of departmental research by the Science Council.

Despite the upheaval in which several federal research institutes of the BMVEL are currently finding themselves, the institutes are sought-after partners for specialist colleagues at home and abroad. More than 900 guest scientists have worked in the institutions over the past four years, and numerous joint projects in national and EU-wide research cooperations are evidence of the competence of the researchers on federal pay. But President Flachowsky also has cause for concern. For example, the age structure in the institutions is becoming increasingly unfavorable: "Among the permanent scientific staff, we have more over-55s than under-35s," he explains. This aging is a direct consequence of the job cuts. The federal research institutes are required to reduce their 1995 staff by a third. "The massive job problems mean that entire branches of research are disappearing in many institutions," says Flachowsky.

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Conflict material: farmers' association regrets legal dispute

[dvt] - The Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe has upheld the constitutional complaint of a compound feed manufacturer who was resisting a decision by the Higher Administrative Court in Münster (OVG) that he had to state the percentage composition of his feed. The Higher Administrative Court now has to decide again in accordance with the provisions of the Constitutional Court.

After the company was initially able to obtain a temporary injunction against the obligation to declare percentages from the Administrative Court in Düsseldorf, the Higher Administrative Court overturned this decision. The Federal Constitutional Court is now of the opinion that the decision of the Higher Administrative Court was not lawful. It violates the company's right to provisional legal protection enshrined in the Basic Law. However, this must be preserved with regard to violations of rights that may arise in connection with the implementation of Community law into national law.

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The prices for piglets benefited last year from the unexpectedly strong increase in pig prices for slaughter in September and, contrary to the seasonal development at the time, rose by two to three euros per piglet. However, it should be noted that the piglet price fell to a very low level in the summer months of 2003, leaving room for price increases. In the current year, the situation is completely different: the piglet listings rose noticeably from May to June and have since been at an above-average level compared to the average of the last ten years. In September, prices for piglets could fall slightly, since the price expectations for the animals housed at the end of fattening in January/February are not all that rosy.

On the other hand, in the main production areas for pig fattening, fattening capacities should remain free for reasons of liquidity. These could be used again once the harvest work is completed. An increased willingness of fatteners to stall would support the piglet price.

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