Winter 2016

Inside this issue...

• Beef&LambPartnershipForLindenFoodGroup

• Tracesure®Cu/IMaintainsEfficientDailyProduction

• LINERGYWelcomesMergerWithUlsterFarmByProducts

• MaximiseEffectiveLambProductivity

• White’sOatsScoopTopCIMIMarketingAward

• FaneValleyDairies-QualityFocusInMilk

• BVDTags-TheChoiceIsYoursAtFaneValleyStores

• FaneValleySupportLocalBreastScreeningCharity

• ChristmasToysAppealIsHugeSuccessAcrossGroup

• FaneValleyFeedsHostOmaghAgriStudents

• LindenFoodsVoted‘Green’CompanyofTheYear

Linden Food Group Announce New Beef & Lamb Partnership In RoI

Linden Food Group have announced details of a proposed restructuring of its Slaney Foods business in the Republic of Ireland, resulting in the creation of a new partnership with ABP. The companies have confirmed that an agreement in principle has been reached subject to approval by the relevant regulatory and competition authorities.

TheABPGroupwillinvestinSlaneyFoodstoformaJointVenturewithLinden/FaneValley.Thenewpartnershipwillnotimpactontheday-to-dayoperationsofeitherSlaneyorICMwithbusinesstocontinueasusualonallsites.

Trevor Lockhart, Chairman of Linden Foods commented, “Linden Food Group, like ABP, have over many years developed successful national, european and world market/customer positions, focussed on the retail and food service sectors. Exciting new opportunities are continuing to emerge across the globe and the challenge

for us is to create the business models, with internationally competitive scale, capable of securing the best markets and commanding the highest return for our products. Our objective, extending back to our co-operative roots, is to maximise the value of our quality beef and lamb and to deliver competitive and sustainable returns to our farmer suppliers.

“The Allen Family have been exceptional partners for the past 15 years during which time the company has invested heavily to create some of the best processing assets in the country. The continuation of this partnership approach will enable both Slaney Foods and ABP to better service our existing and potentially new customers whilst leading the way on process efficiencies, product quality, innovation and overall supply chain sustainability. The existing operational and management structure of the business will remain in place but now complimented with a shareholder with considerable market reach and processing expertise”,concluded Mr Lockhart.

Linden Food Group Will Welcome New Partner

Dairy and beef farmers who have traditionally supplemented their herds’ diets with conventional minerals are switching to a bolus which delivers a daily dose of the essential trace elements needed for production and performance.

Relyingonmineralstogettheessentialmicro-nutrientsintolivestockishighlyvariable,especiallyinsituationsoffreeaccesswheretheintakesdifferhugely.

Ascommoditypriceshaveincreased,farmersarerecognisingthattheycangetalloftheirselenium,iodine,copperandcobaltneedsfromTracesure®Cu/I.

ThebolusismanufacturedbyAnimaxLtdandthecompany’sapproachistofocusontheelementswhichareoftenlow,andwhichwillcauseproblemsifnotcorrected.

Thefourproductionlimitersareselenium,iodine,copperandcobalt.Ifanyofthesearelowintheanimal,productionwillbelimited,

Tracesure®Cu/Iprovidesaslowreleaseofselenium,iodine,copperandcobaltforuptosixmonths,givingfarmersthereassurancethatanimalsaregettingpreciselywhattheyneed,minusunnecessaryelementswhichreducetheeffectivenessofthese.

Neill Acheson, of Animax Ltd,saysTracesure®Cu/Ionlyincludestraceelementsthatstockneed.“Conventional supplements contain materials that there is absolutely no point in giving to animals,’’he says.“A prime example is phosphorus. Grass won’t grow without phosphorus so we know that stock are getting enough in their diets. And iron, which is frequently given in mineral formulations, doesn’t become deficient in cattle other than in the extreme situation of calves reared on milk. The overall effect therefore is to reduce absorption of key trace elements.

Neill continued; “We provide trace elements by bolus, so that each animal gets enough. To maintain efficient production, farmers should consider how the focused bolus approach might best fit the needs of their herd.’’

Tracesure® Cu/I can be purchased at Fane Valley Stores. For more information with no obligation please speak with a member of our Stores staff.

Tracesure® Cu/I Maintains Daily Efficient Production

Providingtraceelementsbybolusmeansthateachanimalgetswhatitneeds.

Linergy have welcomed the news from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to clear their recent acquisition of Ulster Farm By-Products (UFBP).

Aninitialinquirywasopenedon20thMay2015,followingthecompletionofthemergerbetweenthetworenderingcompanies.TheclearancefollowsanindepthPhase2investigationcarriedoutbytheCMA,whichhasconcludedthatthemergerhasnotresultedinasubstantiallesseningofcompetition,andisnotexpectedtodoso.

LinergyisaCategory1renderingplantbasedinGranvilleIndustrialEstateDungannon.Itprocessesanimalby-productsfromanimalslaughteringprocesses,aswellasfallenstockdirectlyofffarms.Linergyhaveenteredintothefirstever‘ProsperityAgreement’withtheNorthernIrelandEnvironmentAgency(NIEA)andhaverecentlybeencrowned‘GreenCompanyoftheYear’attheprestigiousUTVBusinessEyeAwards.

UFBPisaCategory3renderingplantlocatedatGlenavy,processingby-productsfromanimalslaughteringprocesses.Originallyestablishedin1952bytheGlenfarmHoldingsCo-Operative;itwasthenpurchasedin2012bySAPISpAanItalianbasedrenderingcompany.SAPIhaveintereststhroughouttheworldinrenderingplantsandalsotradeintheendproductsoftherenderingprocess,TallowandMeat&BoneMeal.

Richard Moore, Managing Director of Linergy, commented:“We are delighted to have received full clearance from the CMA on this matter. It has been a long and complex process and we are pleased that the final outcome is as we expected. We can now focus on the future and plan to meet the demands of the ever-changing rendering industry, as it emerges from the BSE era. We aim to bring value to the market and meet the needs of our customer base and this merger is an important step in achieving this. We look forward to working with SAPI and believe that their wide-reaching network and global expertise will help achieve our goals.”

Francesco Arico, Managing Director of UFBP, said:“This is an important decision in the future development of UFBP which will allow us to expand our capabilities and offer a greater service to our current customers and potential new customers. It will also give us the base from which to further develop our processes and bring more efficiency and value into our day-to-day operations. Linergy are an established and well recognised local partner who will add expertise to our business in UFBP. Additionally, Linergy share our commitment towards maintaining and promoting high environmental standards within our operations.”

Linergy CompletesMerger With UFBP

Forward-Thinking In Late Pregnancy Maximises Effective Lamb Productivi-

With the main lambing season fast approaching, it is critical to start planning ahead for the feeding and management of pregnant ewes. Matthew Armstrong, Ruminant Technical Specialist at Fane Valley Feeds outlines some of the important factors affecting pre-lambing ewes.

Twin Lamb Disease (Pregnancy Toxaemia)TwinLambDiseaseaffectsewesbearingtwinortripletlambsandistheresultofupto70%offoetalgrowthoccurringinthelast6weeksofgestation.Duringthistime,theincreasingsizeoftheuterusrestrictsthespaceavailablefortherumen,reducingfeedintake.Thepre-lambingewe’sappetitecanbereducedbyupto30%duringthisperiod,resultingindecreasedenergyintakeandtheewebeingunabletomeetherenergydemandsleavingbodyreservestobepartitionedtowardsthegrowinglambs.Ewesthataretoofatortoothinaremostatrisk.

Prolapsed UterusEwesfedpoorqualitysilagewillstruggletomeettheirenergyrequirementsandwillincreaserumenfillinanattempttoclosetheenergydeficit.Thisresultsinthevaginabeingpushedoutduetotheintra-abdominalpressure.Ewesinexcessbodyconditionwillbemoreatriskandovercrowdingorinadequatefeedspacewillalsoputadditionalpressureonthepregnantewe.

Body-Condition Score and NutritionEwesthataretoofathavemoredifficultlambingsthanthinnerewes.

Ewesthatareunder-conditionedatlambingwillhavelambsoflowerbirthweight,producepoorerqualitycolostrum,producelessmilkandhavelowerlambsurvivalrates.Forevery0.5kgextralambbirth-weight,weaningweightincreasesby1.7kg.Mammarydevelopmentisofkeyimportancethereforeenergyandproteinsupplementationarevitaltomaximisecolostrumqualityandmilkproduction.

Withmostflockshavingalreadycompletedpregnancydiagnosisatthisstage,ewesthatrequireadditionalconcentratefeedingcanbeidentified.Silageshouldbeanalysedandthecorrectfeedingregimeshouldbeinplacetomaximisefeedutilisation.

Thedifferenceingoodandpoorqualitysilagecouldbetheequivalenttoupto1.0kgof

concentrateperheadperday.Freshsilageshouldbeoffereddailytopreventsecondaryfermentationandenergyloss.Table1indicatesthelevelsofconcentratefeedrequiredforgoodandpoorqualitysilages.

Lamb Survival and Colostrum QualityColostrumisvitaltolambhealthandsurvival.Ideallylambsshouldsuckwithin30-40minutesofbirthandrequiretheequivalentof50ml/kgbirthweight.Ewesshouldbevaccinatedforclostridialdiseasestoprotectnew-bornlambsagainstthesecommondiseaseswithdefenceimmunitypassedthroughthecolostrum.

FaneValleyFeedsEwefeedrangehasauniqueyeast,“Safmannan”whichincreasestheimmunoglobulincontentofcolostrummaximisingimmunitypriortothelambdevelopingitsownimmunesystem.

TheFaneValleyFeedsmineralpackageisspecificallyformulatedtoensurehighlevelsofVitaminE,Selenium,IodineandCobalttoproducevigorouslambswhicharereadytosuckle.

FaneValleyFeedshaveacompleterangeofcompoundsheepfeedsandblendsavailabletomeettherequirementsoflocalsheepfarmers.Allproductsarenutritionallybalancedtomeettheenergyandproteinrequirementsofhighproductionewes.

Allproductscontainqualityproteinandenergysources.Theseincludeenergysourcessuchasmaizeandbarleywhichcomplementeachotherwiththeirdifferentspeedsofdegradationwithintherumen.

Hi-ProSoyaandRapeseedareutilisedtoprovidehighlevelsofundegradableproteintoincreasemilkyield,improvetheproductionofqualitycolostrumandmaximiselambgrowth.

To find out more about the complete range of Fane Valley sheep feeds please contact Matthew Armstrong on 07714 950585 or your local Fane Valley Feeds Sales Specialist.

Table 1:Recommendeddailyconcentratefeedratesaccordingtosilagequalityandthenumberoflambsbeingcarried.

Pictured:MathewArmstrong,RuminantTechnicalSpecialistatFaneValleyFeedscarryingouton-farmsilageanalysis.

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White’s Oats, the local producer of porridge, granola and oat snacks, received the winners accolade from the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ireland (CIMI) “Marketing with Impact within the Food & Drink industry”.

ThejudgescommentedonWhite’swinningentry;“The difference was the creative response…. clearly presenting the marketing challenge, the process that led to the development of the tactical communications plan, setting out the creative response and the results.’’

TheCIMIrecognitionisthelatestinaseriesofprestigiousawardswonbythecompany,whichisbasedatTandrageeinCo.Armaghinthepast12monthsforarangeofoat-basedproducts.

Other Awards won in 2015 include:

-UKGreatTasteAwardsGoldAwards;

-BlasnahEireann,IrishNationalFood&DrinkAwardsGoldandSilverAwards;

-IrishQualityFood&DrinkAwardsWinnerinCerealcategory;

-UlsterGrocerMarketingAwardsforBestNewProductLaunch.

Danielle McBride, White’s Oats Brand Manager said:“This is an immensely important and encouraging award for White’s,

reflecting the strength of our strategic and integrated marketing campaign for the launch of our rebrand from marketing professionals.”

Mark Gowdy, White’s Oats Sales & Marketing Manager commented;“The awards celebrate the best marketing achievements in Ireland. Our award acknowledges the high standard of our campaign and the tremendous contribution made by everyone at White’s Oats.”

TheCIMIExcellenceAwardsisnowinits15thyearandtheawardsprogrammeandcategoriesarespecificallydesignedtoattractentriesfrombusinessesofallsizes,operatinginallsectorsinNorthernIrelandandtheRepublicofIreland.

WinningaCIMMarketingExcellenceAwardmeansthatarecipientcompanyhascreatedresultsthatdeliverrealbusinessbenefits.

White’swasfoundedin1841andcurrentlyemploys36peopleinitsmillingandprocessingoperationstoproducearangeofbrandedandprivatelabelporridgeproductsandoatsnacks.

NorthernIreland’sonlyoatmiller,White’salsosuppliesproductstoothermanufacturersofbreakfastcerealsandhasgrownsalesinexportmarketsincludingtheRepublicofIreland,Spain,US,Russia,theUnitedArabEmirates,MalaysiaandHongKong.

White’s Oats Scoop Top CIMI Marketing Accolade

World dairy markets remain under pressure from the usual supply and demand factors and unfortunately it continues to be a buyers market. In Fane Valley Dairies we are focussing on aspects which are in our control such as improvements in quality.

MourneMaiddairyproductshaveanexcellentreputationintheglobalsupplychain.Qualityisthesinglebiggestfactorineverylinkofthatchain,fromtherawmilksuppliedbyourdairyfarmerstofinishedproduct.

Increasingly,productspecificationsarebecomingtighterparticularlyinrelationtomicrobiologicalqualityandthebestwaytokeeplevelsofbacterialowindairyproductsistolimitthelevelsinrawmilkatfarmlevel.

With this in mind the following schedule applies to all milk supplied from 1st January 2016:

Penalties marked *willbeincreasedifTVCofgreaterthan101aredetectedinconcurrentmonths.However,itisnotourdesiretopenaliseproducersbutrathertoencourageandincentiviseproducerstoreachthebaseorbonuscategories.

AstudyofSocietyaveragesonrecentmilkstatementswillconfirmthatmostproducersalreadyhaveTVCoflessthan25andthereforethischangeinstructurewillhavelittleeffectonthevastmajorityofoursuppliers.Thebiggestchangeisaroundbaselevels(TVC26-50)andabove.Thesechangesbringourpaymentscheduleintolinewithotherprocessors.

Fieldstaffareavailabletodiscussanyissues/problemsyoumayhavewithTVClevelsandaninformationleafletisavailablewhichcontainspracticalguidelines.

Below is a summary of good practise which, if implemented, will deliver low TVC levels:

•Presentcleancowsformilking

•Wash/pre-dipteats

•Dryteatsthoroughly

•Useapprovedchemicalsatthecorrect concentration

•Hotwashesneedtostartat85°Candfinishatnolessthan55°C

(Please ask our field staff for indicator strips to check your plant.)

•Replacerubberwareregularly

•Checktheplant/bulktankregularlyforanyresiduebuildup

•Coolmilkquicklytoatleast3.5-4°C

Fane Valley Dairies Quality Focus In Milk

Pictured:(L-R)JamesMathers-GeneralManager,GrainneMaher-JewelleryDesigner,StuartBest-BusinessDevelopmentManager,DanielleMcBride,BrandManager

&MarkGowdy-Sales&MarketingManageratWhite’sOats

TVC Range Financial Adjustment

20andUnder +0.25ppl21-25 +0.12ppl26-50 Base-noadjustment51-100 -0.15ppl101-300 -2.2ppl*Greaterthan300 -6.2ppl*

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www.fanevalley.com

BVD Tags - The Choice IsYours With Fane Valley

ALL three types of BVD tissue sampling ear tags approved for use in NI are promptly available at Fane Valley Stores.

WiththeBVDeradicationschemebecomingcompulsoryfromTuesday1stMarch2016,FaneValleyStorescanofferyouthechoiceofCaisley,AllflexorTypifixtissuesamplingeartags.

“No matter which tag type a customer chooses our experienced staff can offer clear advice and guidance on their use and how to send the resultant tissue samples to the testing laboratories.“ explained Pat Donnelly, Livestock Identification Manager at Fane Valley Stores.

TestingtoeradicateBovineViralDiarrhoeaisamajorstepforwardinprotectingherdhealthandlivestockperformance.BVDinyourherdcostsmoneyduetolackofthrive,increasedriskofpneumoniaandmortality.

Bytakingtissuesampleswhentaggingcalves,stockcarryingthiseasilyspreadviraldiseaseareidentifiedandshouldbequicklyremovedfromyourherd.Remember,thelongerananimalidentifiedasbeingpersistentlyInfected(PI),remainsincontactwithothercattlethegreatertheriskofBVDspreadingthroughoutyourherdtherebycausinglongtermlossofpotentialincome.

“No wonder almost 5,000 NI farmers joined the voluntary scheme to remove BVD from their herds.” continued Pat Donnelly

ForthosestartingtoundertakecompulsorytestingFaneValleyStoresofferauniquelevelofservicecombinedwithchoiceofBVDtagtypetosuityourfarm.Ordersplacedoverthecounterorbyphoneareefficientlyprocessedandcompletedusingourin-housetagprintingtechnology.

TimeismoneyinfarmingandgettingPIindividualsidentifiedandremovedwithhastefromothercattleisvital.Thus,allourtissuesamplingisundertakenrighthereinNIusingtheworldclassexpertiseofAFBIveterinarylaboratories.

FarmerownedFaneValleyStoresoffersacompletepackageofBVDeartags,applicators,trainingandtherequiredpackagingforsendingtissuesamplestothelaboratoryfortesting.

Taking the Fane Valley Stores route to BVD tagging and testing is a simple first step to becoming BVD free.

Fane Valley Support Local Cancer Charity

Fane Valley and its group of companies have raised over £5000 for Action Cancer Breast Screening Services.

Over60freemammogramswillnowbemadeavailablebecauseofstafffundraisingeffortsandthegenerousdonationsmadeacrossFaneValleyStoresbycustomers.

“We are very pleased to help support Action Cancer and specifically their breast screening services and to know that all proceeds will go specifically towards completing 60 local breast screenings is very reassuring and most of all, life changing.” commented; Trevor Lockhart – Fane Valley Chief Executive

Christmas Toy AppealSuccess At Fane Valley

Fane Valley recently donated 100s of toys and gifts from across their wider Group for local charity ACTION FOR CHILDREN during the Christmas period, through a Business In The Community initiative.

“It was our pleasure to be able to help with the children’s toy appeal through ‘Business In The Community’ in aid of Action for Children. The charity provides a very important and valuable service all year round, but most importantly, during the festive season they make it their priority to help those children in real need. Our staff were very happy to help the appeal again this year.” said; Trevor Lockhart – Fane Valley Chief Executive.

For further information about Caisley, Allflex or Typifix tissue sampling ear tags please contact Pat Donnelly - Livestock Indentification Manager Tel: 028 3839 4900

Pictured: PatDonnelly,LivestockIdentificationManageratFaneValleyStores.

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Fane Valley Feeds Host Local SchoolFane Valley Feeds recently welcomed a group of GCSE Agricultural students from the local Omagh CBS for a mill tour.Thestudentsenjoyedadetailedvisitofthestate-of-the-artmillwheretheywereintroducedtotheprocessofmanufacturinganimalfeed.Theagripupilsreceivedatalkfromtheveryexperiencedstaffonsiteandhadanopportunitytoengageandaskquestions.FaneValleyappreciatetheimportantroletheycanplayinhelpingtoeducateandshapethenextgenerationwithintheagriindustry.

“We are delighted to welcome Omagh CBS students to our feed mill. We hope this experience will help contribute towards their GCSE Agriculture programme and we wish them all the best in their future studies.”said; Ronan McCanny - Operations Manager - Fane Valley Feeds

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Linden Voted ‘Green’ Company of The Year

Linden Foods the red meat processor based in Dungannon have recently been crowned UTV Business Eye ‘Green’ Company of The Year.

Nowinitsninthyear,thestar-studdedeventheldinTheCullodenEstate&SpahonoursthehighachieversoftheNorthernIrelandbusinesscommunityaswellasthepublicsector.

Hundredsofentriesfromacrosssixteendifferentcategorieswereenteredandtheluckywinnerschosenbyadistinguishedpanelofjudgesincluding;UTV’sBusinessCorrespondentJamieDelargy,BusinessEyeEditorRichardBuckleyaswellastheBusinessEditorofNorthernIreland’smainmorningnewspaperGaryMcDonald-IrishNews.

LindenFoodswasoneofthebigwinnersonthenightwhentheypickeduptheaccoladefor‘Green’CompanyofTheYear2015/16

“We are delighted to be voted ‘Green Company of the Year’ at the UTV Business Eye Awards.

We have really enjoyed the environmental and sustainable journey we have been on since establishing our GreenTrack strategy. To win an accolade of this stature is a testament to the great efforts and major difference we are making as a whole company. We are all passionate about what we do and how we do it. We have trusted and established relationships with our farmers, customers and colleagues. We pride ourselves on putting the customer at the heart of the business and doing it right first time every time.“ commented; Mael Wilford – Environmental Manager Linden Foods

SpeakingonthenightRichard Buckley Editor - Business Eye said;“Linden Foods was a clear winner in this category, which drew a wide-ranging variety of entries from companies covering a diverse selection of environmental initiatives. Linden is a pace setter in an industry which hasn’t been renowned for its environmental best practice through the years. This is a company that applies environmental standards across all that it does.”

Pictured: (L-R) BrendaBuckleypresentsMaelWilford-EnvironmentalManagerFromLindenFoodswiththe‘GreenCompanyofTheYear’Award2015/16