A look at Marek’s Disease
with features on
Dr. Richard Witter,
Dr. Ton Schat,
Dr. Bart Rispens, and
Dr. Maurice Hilleman
Fifth Anniversary!
Celebrating
5 years!
SPECIAL ISSUE
Vol. 6, No. 1
JANUARY 2010
andfourresearcherswhowere
significantinthedevelopment
of critical vaccines
Alookat
Marek’s Disease
HV T: Dr. Richard Witter
SB-1: Dr. Ton Schat
CVI 988: Dr. Bart Rispens
MMR: Dr. Maurice Hilleman
Keith’s Komments
In this issue:
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tons to Yemen and 1,700 additional
metric tons to Saudi Arabia.
Unprocessed frozen chicken helped
to maintain export volumes towards
the Middle East and Africa, while
chicken cuts slumped, particularly
towards Russia. Chicken made up 70%
of French poultry meat sales.
Exports of processed goods
were up by 18%, with turkey-based
products doubling from the same
period last year. Processed chicken
remained stable, despite depressed
sales in Russia. Slowing national
consumption failed to o;set
declining foreign sales. Exports by
value reached Euro 446.4 million
(-9%), according to French customs.
The trade surplus amounted to Euro
66.7 million in the first six months of
the year, compared with Euro 123.9
million during the same period in
2008 and 135.4 million in 2007.
Domestic consumption
Annual poultry meat
consumption, which stood at 1.57
million metric tons or 24. 6 kg per
capita in 2008, registered a 2% rise in
the first nine months of 2009.
Poultry meat ranks third in
France after pork and beef and has
experienced growth over the last
three decades. The share of poultry
meat increased from 15% in 1970s to
23% in 1990 and 28% in 2008.
However, overall consumption
is now tending to stagnate.
Notwithstanding the poor
performance of duck sales between
January and September in 2009,
chicken proved competitive, with
broilers enjoying a 2.4% rise. Turkey
sales, on the other hand, have fallen
by 50% since the the beginning of
the decade.
Hypermarkets and supermarkets
accounted for 85% of sales. However,
their share is now at a standstill, due
to increasing pressure from discount
stores. At the same time, and despite
the economic crisis, markets and
small retail outlets have regained
World poultry output
up, but trade falls
www.WATTAgNet.com/10138.html
French producer wins
with heavier birds
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some of the popularity they had lost
to the detriment of large stores.
Long-term prospects
Faced with competition from
countries such as Brazil and Thailand,
and other EU states, the French
poultry market could nonetheless
benefit from the relatively low
prices and good nutritional quality
of poultry meat, the French poultry
farming technical institute (ITAVI),
believes.
The industry needs to rely on its
strengths and make the most of the
low environmental impact of poultry
farming, as well as its safety and
positive image in terms of health.
Other criteria such as animal welfare,
freshness and proximity to market
should also weigh in the balance.
Substantial progress has been
made by the French industry over
recent years, and excellent health
standards have been achieved.
However, countries such as Germany,
Spain and Poland have developed
at a quicker pace and France’s
competitiveness within Europe is
now in jeopardy.
Greater emphasis on traceability
and quality, combined with a
single industry-wide structure and
common strategy, should help
the French market to meet the
challenges ahead, ITAVI deputy
manager Jean Champagne says. ◻
❯ Valerie Herczeg is a Paris-based,
English-French bilingual journalist
with experience in the French and
UK press.
