A dinner was held at Leathersellers Hall in London at the beginning of October to celebrate the centenary of the UKLF. Records show that in 1908 there were 37 members of the first national leather trade association while today, sadly, there are only twenty.

An outline history of a lost industry: nineteenth century tanners and tanneries by Martin Bodman.

As James Lang, director, states: if you walk onto a plane and find leather upholstery, the likelihood is that it came from Andrew Muirhead. This even holds true if you are the President of the United States!

Brown Cow Organics are a unique Somerset company involved in the entire leather production chain from the very beginning to the finished article.

Owen Barry, based in Street, a traditional centre of UK sheepskin and leather processing, work with leading designers and retailers to create beautiful garments, accessories and lifestyle products.

The hides, skins and leather industry is one of the key agricultural sub-sectors in Kenya and has a high potential towards commodity development that addresses pertinent issues of socio economic importance and positively impacts on rural development, creation of wealth and employment. By Dr M Mwinyihija.

ECCO's new Xiamen tannery in the Tong'an Chengnan Industrial Zone is extremely impressive and represents ECCO's biggest investment so far. The tannery is also the biggest one to have been built by ECCO and, like the others in the group, aims to turn out leather of international standard which can be replicated at any of their plants.

Introduction

Azo dyes used to be among the leading colouring agents in the textile industry, especially in developing countries. Since the 1990s, when legislation was introduced restricting certain azo dyes, there has been much confusion and misunderstandings concerning azo dyes. This article aims to clear these up.

For good or for bad, chromium remains the tannage we all have to work with: its properties and performance have, as yet, been unmatched by any single tanning agent. Yet it is not the only effluent concern tanners face. Graham Lampard reports on the green issues.

This is the second in a series of articles that will explain the principle components that are found in hides and skin, what their functions are in life and what their implications are for the tanner. In this issue we will discuss, in simple terms, what is probably the most important component, collagen, which forms the basis for all leather produced.

When writing this, we are two months away from Meet In Africa 2008 which is scheduled to be held in Khartoum, Sudan, November 15-18, after being rescheduled twice. I don't know about you but I haven't heard anything about this fair which should in principle be ‘the' African event and represent the whole African leather trade.

Croatia's Central Bureau of Statistics reports that the average gross monthly wage in Croatia's leather industry in the first nine months of this year was US$650, a year-on-year increase of 4.4%.

Ukraine's State Statistics Committee reports that Ukraine exported livestock worth USD2.2 million to Uzbekistan in the first nine months of this year, equivalent to 0.5 per cent of Ukraine's total exports to Uzbekistan during the period, according to UzReport.

Belarus' Economy Ministry reports that the volume of cattle and poultry sold for slaughter in Belarus in the first ten months of this year was 5% higher in liveweight terms than in the same period in 2007, according to the Belta news agency.

Macedonia's State Statistical Office has reported that the production of leather and leather products in Macedonia in the first ten months of this year was 8.7% lower than in the same period in 2007.

Poland's Central Statistics Office reports that the production of cattle and calves for slaughter in Poland in the first ten months of this year was 3% cent higher in weight terms than in the same period in 2007. 

Ireland's Central Statistics Office reports that Ireland exported leather and leather products worth E12.5 million in the first eight months of this year, compared with E24.2 million in the same period in 2007.

While South Korea has cited fears of bovine spongiform encephalopathy as its rationale for banning imports of beef from the US and Canada, Seoul still has not established its own regulatory measures to protect against the disease.

Brown Shoe Co's profit dropped 62% in the third quarter due to a rapid decline in consumer spending. As a result the company have decided to slow their store expansion plans and postpone their new $568 million headquarters development in Clayton, USA.

The members of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (Bapa) have stressed the need to stop manufacturing poultry and fish feed using tannery waste. They have demanded that setting up effluent treatment plant be made compulsory to stop dumping of untreated waste into the Buriganga and its adjoining water bodies.



Montenegro's Statistics Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in Montenegro in the first ten months of this year was 59.4% higher than in the same period in 2007.

Croatia's Central Bureau of Statistics reports that the production of leather and leather products in Croatia in the first ten months of this year was 9.7% higher than in the same period in 2007. In comparison, industrial output in Croatia was 2.5% higher year-on-year.

The Statistical Office of the Bosnian Serb Republic reports that the production of leather and leather products in the Republic in the first ten months of this year was 6% lower than in the same period in 2007.

The Statistical Office of the Bosnian Serb Republic reports that the production of leather and leather products in the Republic in the first ten months of this year was 6% lower than in the same period in 2007.

Ukraine's State Statistics Committee reports that there were 5.66 million head of cattle in Ukraine on November 1 this year, a decrease of 8% compared with the number on the same date in 2007.

Ukraine's State Statistics Committee reports that Ukraine exported leather and leather products worth US$293 million in the first nine months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 6.9%.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's Federal Office of Statistics reports that the production of leather and leather products in Bosnia and Herzegovina in October was 0.9% lower than in September and 5.4% lower than in October 2007.

Slovenia's Statistics Office reports that the number of cattle slaughtered in slaughterhouses in Slovenia in September, 10,931, was 34.9% higher than in August and 14% higher than in September 2007.

Statistics Norway reports that Norway exported hides and skins worth US$52.4 million in the first ten months of this year, an increase of 6.7% compared with exports in the same period in 2007.

Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) says that Vietnam will modernise its livestock breeding sector to make it based on industrial farms by 2020, according to the Vietnamese News Agency.

BASF have reduced their profit forecast and will cut production because of a ‘massive' fall in demand. They plan to suspend output at about 80 plants and cut production at 100 more, a move that will affect about 20,000 workers worldwide.

R-CALF (Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund), United Stockgrowers of America and the Organization for Competitive Markets have filed a lawsuit to block JBS's acquisition of National Beef.

Some of the UK leather industry's ‘hidden heroes'  have been honoured with national awards.They may not be as famous as Stella McCartney or Alexander McQueen, but their 
talent is up there with the sector's best - that was the verdict on employees at
 six footwear and leather companies, who were named as the fashion and textile 
industry's Behind the Seams heroes this week.



Russia's State Statistics Committee reports that there were 22.2 million head of cattle in Russia on October 1 this year, a decrease of 1.1% compared with the number on the same date in 2007, according to the Interfax news agency.

Poland's Central Statistical Office reported that there were 257 occupational accidents in Poland's leather and leather products industry in 2007, compared with 209 accidents in 2006.

The Statistical Office of Kosovo reports that Kosovo exported leather and leather products worth E193,000 in September, compared with E679,000 in September last year.

Albania's National Statistics Institute reports that Albania imported leather and leather products worth US$53.6 million in the first nine months of this year, compared with imports worth US$59.4 million in the same period in 2007.

Hungary's Central Statistical Office reports that Hungary imported leather and leather products worth E172 million in the first eight months of this year, a year-on-year decrease of 5.6%.

Ireland's Central Statistics Office reports that the number of cattle slaughtered in Ireland in the first nine months of this year was 4.8% lower than in the same period in 2007. The number of sheep slaughtered was 12% lower year-on-year.

Israel's Central Statistics Bureau reports that Israel imported leather and leather products worth US$110 million in the first nine months of this year, compared with US$96.1 million in the same period in 2007.

Croatia's Central Bureau of Statistics reports that Croatia exported leather and leather products worth US$268 million in the first nine months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 6.5%.

Serbia's Statistical Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in Serbia in the first nine months of this year was 3.8% lower than in the same period in 2007.

Montenegro's Statistics Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in Montenegro in the first nine months of this year was 13.8% higher than in the same period in 2007.

Kosovo's Statistics Office reports that Kosovo exported leather and leather products worth E81,000 in August, compared with E331,000 in the same month in 2007.

Serbia's Statistical Office reports that the average monthly wage in Serbia's leather industry in the first nine months of this year was US$321, 20.3% higher than in the same period in 2007.

Ukraine's State Statistics Committee reports that Ukraine exported leather and leather products worth US$262 million in the first eight months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 6.2%. Leather and leather products accounted for 0.6% of total Ukrainian exports during the period.

Croatia's Central Bureau of Statistics reports that the production of leather and leather products in Croatia in the first nine months of this year was 11.2% higher than in the same period in 2007. In comparison, industrial output in Croatia was 2.9% higher year-on-year.

The Statistical Office of the Bosnian Serb Republic reports that the production of leather and leather products in the Republic in the first nine months of this year was 7% lower than in the same period in 2007.

Bata Shoe Company (Bangladesh) Ltd renewed their agreement with CARE Bangladesh, a non government organisation, for implementing the shoe company's rural sales programme for another one year after successful completion of the first three years of the programme.