Out top story last month, in terms of most traffic, was our report on how US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had identified problems with some manufacturing practices, hazard analysis and reporting at a Cargill plant in the US.
The US agency outlined, in a letter, how it had identified regulation non-compliance at a Cargill facility in North Carolina after a series of inspections it conducted at the facility in June 2019. The agency was on site after the agri-giant recalled several lots of animal feed for high aflatoxin levels earlier in the year.
The FDA reported that its inspectors found violations of Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis and Risk-based Preventive Controls for Food for Animals, which caused its products to be adulterated within the meaning of the FD&C Act.
Our next most read story was one about US farmers panic buying feed, concerned that they could run out of supplies if feed mills shut due to employees becoming ill, or deliveries are reduced due to truck shortages. It was based on article on Bloomberg.
US farmers were anxious that slaughterhouses might see more measured production due to COVID-19 restrictions, thus forcing farmers to hold onto animals for longer than they normally would, increasing costs. To add to their challenges, as ethanol plants shut down in the US, the livestock feed market there is also seeing a distinct lack of the by-product from that sector, dried distillers grains (DDGs).
The article also tracked how French feed producers had intensified ingredient purchases at the start of the lockdown, the story was similar in Germany.
A story that was published in March was still generating a lot of interest in April - the article about US corn prices weakening following the coronavirus pandemic was our third most read story last month.
The USDA's March World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report noted how price bids for corn had fallen based on the uncertainty generated by the spread of Covid-19. Dynamics in the South American market and disease challenges were also playing a role in lower prices for that agri commodity.
Our fourth most read story was one about the outbreak of COVID-19 and how the subsequent measures implemented by EU governments to contain it had resulted in an abrupt closure of most of the continent’s food services and the subsequent negative impact on suppliers to these services from across the agricultural sector.
EU farmer representatives, Copa and Cogeca, said it has gathered data from its members showing the impact that the COVID-19 crisis has had on the dairy, beef, sheep and goat sectors.
Our report on how feed industry representatives, feed manufacturers and ingredient suppliers reacted to the outbreak of coronavirus, putting protocols in place to ensure continuity of production and feed supply, while protecting workers, was our fifth most read story last month.
FEFAC, in what was our sixth most read story in April, said due to recent foodservice sector and restaurant closures, EU feed demand will be lower in the near future.
Alexander Döring, secretary-general, FEFAC, told us:
“The closure or substantial reduction of the activities of the foodservice sector has also hit the veal and beef sector, as well as aquaculture and lamb production. EU livestock and aquaculture farmers as well as processors have already called on the EU Commission for market crisis management measures such as private storage aid. [Such aid] will also become available for the first time for the EU aquaculture sector through the EU fisheries funds, but FEFAC expects that feed production could be reduced in Q3 and Q4."
Our piece on how the ASF outbreak in Vietnam is starting to be controlled proved popular.
According to Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), in our report mid-April, some 44 of 63 provinces had gone more than 30 days without an African Swine Fever (ASF) case, leading the ministry to declare the ASF epidemic over in those provinces.
A piece on hemp feed regulatory developments in the US generated significant interest last month.
A US industry and policy stakeholder group is planning to submit an application in August this year to get approval for the use of hemp seed, meal and cake as protein supplements for use in the diets of layers and broiler chickens.
Hemp products are currently not approved for use in animal feed in the US. However, the Hemp Feed Coalition (HFC) says large scale production of hemp will create by-products that are nutritious and valuable as animal feed ingredients.
A story about Danish Agro’s computer systems being hacked was also a big traffic hitter.
The agribusiness group was the target of a ransomware attack on Sunday, April 19. A section of the group’s IT environment was affected by the incident:
“It is a ransomware attack. We are still in the process of getting the full overview and making sure that we can support our customers – which we can. Feed factories, ordering and logistics are running with the help of IT systems that were not hit, some workarounds and manual processes,” Søren Møgelvang Nielsen, communication director, Danish Agro, told FeedNavigator.
An update on feed additive movements, showing how the price of Vitamin C 99% continues to rise, was our 10th most read story last month.
The global price of Vitamin C 99% continues to move upward with no ceiling in sight, said analysts at Glowlit.
Vitamin C 99%, as of April 20, was being traded at a price of around $5.95 per kg, with the highest quote on Glowlit reaching $9.5 per kg.
