Contrary to common notion, Thailand was not Southeast Asia's number one chicken producer. With a weekly production of 20-21 million birds a week, Indo­nesia was - at least, until last year.

The once little known Halal industry is now gearing up in the Philippines as the local food processors eye the 20-million Muslim population in the country.

One day, the US will join the EU and South Korea in banning AGPs. With medical science and educated consumers already shunning AGPs, agribusiness should reconcile itself to a more sustainable path.

A typical egg or chicken farm in India depicts thousands of birds crammed in a single cage. Yet with consumers' growing awareness of the hazards of such set-up, India slowly moves towards cage-free systems - but it has miles to go towards that end.

As the livestock health markets undergo various trends over the years, Bedson is steadfast to the same principle it was founded on - research, innovation and quality under a client-driven approach.

Thailand's GFPT reviews expansion plans as recession kicks in;JBS aims to become largest beef distributor by end of 2010;Tyson's chicken unit returns to profitability;Thailand's CPF expects good Q1 net profit; Philippine Vitarich ends 2008 with another loss.

WEDA introduces hi-tech dry feeding system for weaning piglets; Intervet/Schering-Plough launches new swine vaccine in Europe.

Lohmann appoints new President; Hypor team expands in the US.

The biggest problem faced by the aquaculture industry worldwide is diseases caused due to various biological and non-biological agents - among these are bacterial diseases due to Vibrio.

Too many times, consumers take things for granted about their food products. Meat inspection and grading are those activities related to meat products that are important in assuring the best product in the world for the consumer.

MEAT & LIVESTOCK Business Asia talked to Dr. Jaime Abella Sison, a technical consultant of the Foremost Farms, Inc., one of the country's biggest piggery farms, and was also the former chief of the Philippine Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) Animal Feed Control Division, on how the Philippine swine sector is reacting on the global outbreak of AH1N1 and how the industry is copy­ing.