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SEPRA Member Services
Just to remind you all that as a member of SEPRA you have the free use of the egg poises and also the electronic egg, which lets you know, when placed on the grader, where any protrusions may be lurking, which could injure the shell while the egg is passing through the grading procedure. All it costs to receive the use of these SEPRA aids is the postage !
Pressure Egg
I was reminded of your electronic egg by a phone call via your web site from Canada. A gentleman by the name of David McNally gave me a call telling me of his company’s latest innovation and I have printed below their press release. It will be of interest to the large egg packer but it will be of interest to you all allowing you to see the very latest Quality Egg Control system.
SENSOR WIRELESS LAUNCHES NEW PRESSURE CHECKER SOLUTION FOR GLOBAL EGG INDUSTRY.
Sensor Wireless is pleased to announce the launch of our newest Quality Control Solution for the Breaking, Table Egg, and Hatchery industry.
The Pressure Egg was designed specifically to meet the needs of our customers. Our Solution helps pinpoint and verify where pressure check damage is occurring while the Eggs are being handled.
"The Pressure Egg, along with our Impact and Temperature Egg systems, can go anywhere a normal Egg will", says Tony Kamanos Vice President Sensor Wireless
In January 2003, Sensor Wireless launched the Original Impact Crackless Egg system. Through the success of this launch we were able to add Dynamic Temperature monitoring capabilities.
Now with the addition of Pressure Checking technology we can offer the Total Solution for the egg industry.
"We drive solutions based technology, that's what SWI is all about, customizing our technology to meet the needs and demands of our clients, its that simple", Tony continues.
This technology is only available through Sensor Wireless Inc. We are the global leader and innovator in providing wireless technologies to quality conscious companies.
As with all Sensor Wireless products the Pressure Checker Egg comes field ready for use, and is customized to mimic the look and actions of an egg in a real handling environment.
Contact Sensor Wireless for more information on this and many other products for the Food and Beverage Industry.
TOTAL QUALITY SOLUTIONS FOR THE EGG INDUSTRY
Sensor Wireless Inc. is pleased to announce new package combo options for the Egg Industry
Our Total Quality Solutions Packages allow the company your choice of monitoring capabilities, depending on what your concern is.
You can now combine all 3 Crackless Egg Systems for the Total Solution or choose the individual precise solution for your targeted problem.
New Pressure-Checker Egg The Original Impact Egg Dynamic Temperature Egg
Sensor Wireless is the only company in the world who can offer such RF wireless technology solutions and ideas needed to solve everyday quality monitoring techniques for the Food and Beverage Industry.
Begin your cost-reduction journey by contacting Sensor Wireless to find out what customized unique solutions we can offer your company today.
You can read of this Company on www.sensorwireless.com Their phone number is 001 902 626 3303
Poultry World magazine
Another piece of surprising news came in my copy of Poultry World yesterday. It announced that Graham Cruickshank was to retire on 6th February.
I thought that since Graham took over from John Farrant that the contents had improved and there were lots of newsy items. There even seemed to be more pages than had been in the past ?
Richard Allison, present deputy editor, is to take over; we met Richard at the Poultry Club of Scotland Dinner*.
I am sure you will join me in wishing Graham a happy retirement, and he will be missed by your Organisation for all his help in the past.
* The dinner this year is on Friday 6th October at Dunblane Hydro Hotel and the speaker will be Jim Brown of Fettercairn.
Bird Flu…..the continuing saga.
The Report dated 20th January gave you the news that the Intervet A I vaccine had been given a ‘marketing authorisation‘ .
DEFRA remains opposed to its use in a UK outbreak. A spokesman said, “ we have no objections to vaccination, but there are a number of technical and practical difficulties. “
Anyone who was tuned into Radio 2 on Wednesday would have been both annoyed and amused by the 2pm discussion which was broadcast using phone ins from listeners?
One of the arguments in the UK used to dumb down the disease is that those out in the Far East live with their poultry and their living conditions are poor, and this could lead to many of them catching bird flu ? We heard on the BBC radio of the family, like others on the phone, with 7 hens in the garden. When their children came home from school they put on their wellies and went right out to the garden to play and lift their pet hens. In gardens listeners admitted that they had no control over visits to their hens from wild birds.
Some said they would in no way register their flocks or even inform DEFRA that they kept some hens.
The programme came about because of the fact that DEFRA have said they will make a register of all flocks of poultry over 50. I know of one flock owner with more than 50 who has told me that he will not be registering.
As you know I have in the past queried the fact that DEFRA and our own Scottish ‘DEFRA’ are not to use the already in-place register of poultry. SEERAD told me that they could not use the database of poultry which they already have because of the Data Protection Act.
I enquired about this statement with the office of the Data Protection in Edinburgh. They in turn put me in touch with their Head Office at Wilmslow. I have now had a reply !
Ref Data Protection Act Ref EN00098940
“You have asked us to give you some information as you are concerned that the Act may impede measures being taken to against avian influenza
From your email, I am unclear as to what the particular data protection concerns of this issue are.
The Act regulates the processing of personal data, which, generally speaking, is information relating to living identifiable individuals
This regulation is mainly through the eight data protection principles of good information handling
More information on the Act can be found via our website.
The Act will require that any personal data to be processed fairly and lawfully, and for specified and lawful purposes
In the case of public authorities, the requirement for law processing of personal data will mean that they have to have the legal powers to use information for a particular purpose. There are some exemptions in the Act, which, for example, allow personal data to be disclosed in circumstances where this would otherwise breach the Act. “
From this reply I have the impression that Wilmslow do not understand the problem of bird flu?
I am having a suitable reply produced for me and I shall hope to have this for your information later.
Another retirement announced this month is that of Aled Griffiths. Aled, a fellow Nuffield scholar is to retire from the posts of vice-president of COPA-COGECA which is the working party for Poultry Meat and Eggs at Brussels. In addition he is also standing down as NFU UK producer representative for Meat and Eggs standing group on Livestock Products to the EU Commission and NFU National Poultry Board.
Aled will be sorely missed as in addition to having about a million layers, therefore having first hand experience of egg problems, he fought hard not only for the ‘big’ boys but also remembered his days when he was a small egg producer. Big in tatties, sheep and beef, he at one time had a large dairy herd at his 4,500 acre farm in Shropshire. Aled has been a true fighter for our industry.
Back to avian flu. This is regards a vaccine.
Purdue researcher close to developing avian flu vaccine.
The United States is one step closer to an effective avian flu vaccine that could be stockpiled for use in humans, thanks in part to a Purdue University researcher. The Lancet, a United Kingdom medical journal, published an online report on Thursday detailing the successful testing of a vaccine which uses an adenovirus, or common cold virus, to combat avian flu.
In experiments, the vaccination was shown to be 100 percent effective in protecting against both mortality and weight loss in mice injected with several different strains of H5N1, commonly known as avian flu.
New Food Hygiene Laws
I told you last week about these new rules and regulations and it has caused quite a bit of concern to many members. I believe that the FSA have issued a booklet explaining the new rules and that members will have received their copies. I have yet to see this leaflet.
The concern by members appears to centre on floor and wall coverings of their grading rooms. I know some are asking about wooden floors and their suitability.
The other concern is the HACCP and its consequences.
Another Regulation which could cause you agro is the Animal Welfare Bill which is going through Parliament. Margaret Beckett is to produce codes of conduct telling pet owners how to feed their animals and where they should go to the toilet, and also ways of owners providing mental stimulation for their animals. I can see the Press producing special cross word puzzles and Sudoku for cats and dogs. I am told that the code of conduct for cat owners, 18 pages of A4, warns cat owners of the danger of dogs. Also cats have to be kept indoors at night.
My fear is that some of these rules could rub off onto farm animals? Though I can not see a Hy-Line or Lohmann attempting a Rubik cube ?
Dennis Surgenor
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