According to Meatingplace.com, the European Union has yet to authorize any Brazilian farms to export beef to the EU under new rules that go into effect on January 31. ‘At this stage there will be no holdings authorized to export to the EU', EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou told reporters. ‘Of course, this can change in the next few days. But as of January 31, there will be no list.'

Stahl have recently opened a brand new, purpose-designed application laboratory in Shanghai for the specific purpose of enhancing the technical service provided to customers in China. Stahl have long recognised the importance of the China market. Following on from the building of their new manufacturing plant which began production in Suzhou in 2006, the establishment of a number of application facilities based in close proximity to their customers, of which Shanghai is the first, has become a strategic necessity.

As from January 1, 2008, TFL have moved their operative business to SK Chemtrade Services (Pty) Ltd (SKC), in Johannesburg, South Africa. SKC have been successfully operating as TFL's official agent/distributor since 2001 in the following territories: Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Accordingly, the choice of SKC as TFL's business partner in South Africa makes pragmatic sense.

Tyson Foods will cease beef slaughter operations at their Emporia, Kansas, facility within the next few weeks, citing continued overcapacity in the industry and a view that the US cattle supply will not expand any time soon. ‘We estimate the current slaughter overcapacity in the industry to be between 10,000 and 14,000 head of cattle per day', Tyson CEO and president Dick Bond said in a statement.

Rohm and Haas Company have reported fourth quarter 2007 sales of $2,343 million, a 16% increase over the same period in 2006, reflecting record sales for the company. For full-year 2007, the company reported sales of $8,897 million, an 8% increase over 2006, and earnings from continuing operations of $660 million.

The American Oil Chemists´ Society (AOCS) will be hosting their 99th Annual Meeting and Expo from May 18-21, 2008, in Seattle, Washington, USA.

Belarus' Ministry of Statistics and Analysis reports that Belarus produced 10.6 million pairs of footwear in 2007, an increase of 1.9% compared with production in 2006, according to the Belta news agency.  

Russia's State Statistics Committee reports that Russia produced 2.5 billion square decimetres of chrome-tanned leather products in 2007, an increase of 23% compared with 2006. 

Poland's Central Statistical Office reports that leather and leather products' manufacturers in Poland saw their sales increase by 16.8% in 2007 compared with the previous year. In comparison, manufacturers' sales as a whole were 9.7% higher year-on-year.

Ireland's Central Statistics Office reports that Ireland exported hides and skins worth E81.1 million in the first ten months of 2007, compared with E77.1 million in the same period in 2006. Ireland imported hides and skins worth E2.4 million in the January to October 2007 period, as against E2.6 million in the corresponding period the previous year.

Russia's Agriculture Ministry reports that Russia produced an estimated 8.7 million tonnes of livestock and poultry for slaughter in 2007, an increase of 9.3% compared with the previous year, according to the Interfax news agency.

Montenegro's Statistics Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in Montenegro in the first eleven months of 2007 was more than 100% higher than in the same period in 2006.

Statistics Norway reports that the amount of waste generated by Norway's leather industry remained virtually the same at around 3,000 tonnes a year in the period from 2003 to 2005. The source also reported a figure of 3,000 tonnes of waste for 1999.

Croatia's Central Bureau of Statistics reports that leather and leather products' production in Croatia in 2007 was 20.3% higher than in 2006. In comparison, industrial output in Croatia in 2007 was 5.6% higher year-on-year.

Ukraine's State Statistics Committee reports that Ukraine exported leather and leather products worth US$360 million in the first eleven months of 2007, a year-on-year increase of 33%.

A Greenpeace International report released earlier this month places much of the blame for rising greenhouse gas emissions on agriculture - and specifically on livestock. According the Meatingplace.com, what the report calls 'enteric fermentation' in ruminant animals contributes the largest amount, about 60%, to global methane emissions from agriculture (the other 40% being generated by rice cultivation and manure). In addition, cultivated acreage releases more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than does land used for grazing. The need to grow crops to feed livestock, then, also contributes greenhouse gasses, the report says. 

The Ontario government has allotted C$14 million in funding for provincial slaughterhouses (C$9 million) and deadstock collection services (C$5 million) to help them comply with Canada's enhanced ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban introduced in July 2007. Meatingplace.com say that the stricter requirements, which cover handling, transport and disposal of specified risk materials, are aimed at keeping SRMs out of the feed chain. The rules apply to cattle producers, slaughter plants, renderers, feed manufacturers and fertilizer and pet food plants.

Coach Inc, US manufacturers of high-end bags and accessories, reported a higher quarterly profit yesterday and shares rose on results better than some had feared. They affirmed their earnings forecast for the fiscal year but trimmed full-year sales outlook due to uncertainty among consumers. But even lowered growth is better than many peers, said one analyst.

On January 30, 2008, the German environmental minister Sigmar Gabriel,  together with a German environmental delegation, will be visiting Guangzhou Tantec Leather ltd. The German environmental minister has shown great interest in the Lite leather production system and wants to visit the production site to better understand and support the environmentally conscious production system.

Nguyen Thi Tong, general secretary of the Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association (Lefaso), has said that Vietnam's leather and footwear sector is competing well in quality terms with products from other countries, according to the Vietnamese News Agency.

Sourcing Leather with Confidence, an international conference scheduled to take place during the Asia Pacific Leather Fair in Hong Kong on 1 April 2008, is an ideal event for those selling leather, supplying to the leather industry or buying leather products and footwear in Asia.

According to meatingplace.com, the long-running saga of the failed Mississippi meat processing plant seems finally to be nearing a happy ending. Houston, Texas-based Windsor Quality Food Co have begun renovations on the 140,000 square-foot facility in Oakland (Miss) and expect to begin production in the second half of the year.

Vietnam expects to earn US$4.5 billion from footwear exports this year, an increase of 15.4% over last year, according to the Viet Nam Leather and Footwear Association (Lefaso).  The association said the country's chief export markets are the US, the EU, Japan, Canada and Australia. However, it said there was great potential for Vietnamese footwear products in Africa, Southern Asia and Eastern Europe where competition is not so intense and regulations are less stringent.

France's Rostaing Vietnam have recently put into operation a new tannery in the Long Thanh industrial park in the southern Vietnamese province of Dong Nai, according to the Vietnamese News Agency.

APLF MM&T 2008, the premier international leather, materials and components exhibition, opens in Hong Kong on 31 March and will run until 2 April. APLF - MM&T has attracted 58 first-time exhibitors (as of 8 January 2008), bringing an injection of fresh interest for buyers, the vast majority of whom have attended APLF - MM&T for many years.

In 2007, BASF bought back shares for €1.9 billion as part of their ongoing share buyback programme. A total of approximately 21.5 million shares were repurchased at an average price of €88.35. This corresponds to 4.3% of the company's share capital. The €3 billion buyback program is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2008. Taking the shares bought back into account, the weighted average used for calculating earnings per share for 2007 is 488,892,917 shares.

Processing of raw hides in Bangladesh is facing a setback due to an acute shortage of chemicals. Tanners fear about 40% of the country's total raw hides and skins, collected during the Eid-ul-Azha might decompose as many factories have not started processing them into wet-blue due to a shortage of ammonium sulfate.

ion-mask, the revolutionary super-hydrophobic treatment from P2i Ltd, Oxford, UK, has won the functional Sportswear category in the 2008 ISPO BrandNew Awards. Originally developed to protect soldiers from chemical attack, ion-mask applies a protective layer, just nanometres thick, over the entire surface of the item being treated by means of an ionised gas or ‘plasma'.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's Federal Office of Statistics reports that the production of leather and leather products in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2007 was 8.8% higher than in 2006.

The Czech Statistical Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in the Czech Republic in the first eleven months of 2007 was 1.2% higher than in the same period in 2006.

Statistics Norway reports that Norway exported raw hides and skins worth US$86 million in 2007, a year-on-year fall of 9.5%.

Slovenia's Statistics Office reports that the number of cattle slaughtered in abattoirs in Slovenia in November, 14,913, was 19.8% higher than in October and 3.7% higher than in November 2006.

Hungary's Central Statistical Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in Hungary in the first eleven months of 2007 was 49.9% higher than in the same period in 2006.

Kazakhstan's State Statistics Agency reports that livestock production in Kazakhstan in 2007 increased by 4% year-on-year to a value of US$3.9 billion, according to the Interfax news agency.  

Bulgaria's Ministry of Agriculture has indicated a fall of around 5% in cattle numbers in Bulgaria in 2007 as compared with the previous year, according to the Bulgarian Telegraphic Agency. The fall was attributed to adverse weather conditions and insufficient feed supplies.

Slovenia's Statistics Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in Slovenia in the first eleven months of 2007 was 22.5% lower than in the same period the previous year.

Statistics Iceland reports that Iceland exported raw hides and skins worth US$9.45 million in the first eleven months of 2007, compared with US$9.63 million in the same period in 2006.

According to Meatingplace.com, Tyson Foods are phasing in a new cattle pricing system designed to reward producers of animals that are not too heavy. Customers have consistently expressed concern about excessive piece weights from heavy carcases', the company said in a written statement. ‘These beef subprimals are subsequently difficult to portion and merchandize.'

The conversion of BASF Aktiengesellschaft into a European Company (Societas Europaea) was officially completed on January 14, 2008,  with the entry of the name in the commercial register of the Ludwigshafen district court. As of that date, the company's name is BASF SE. The conversion process took less than twelve months.

Industry leaders, such as 3M, Dae Woo and Emtex, will be out in force at the inaugural Materials at WSA Expo & Conference, Las Vegas (February 19-21).  They will sit alongside innovators from across the globe, which have never before been seen in Europe or America.

The All Other Leather Goods Manufacturing Industry report is an in-depth analysis of the industry's structure, competitive landscape, internal financial performance, and trends and opportunities. This new release contains complete 2006 data, forecast for 2007, and outlook into year 2012. When applicable, the new report also includes the most recent information on the global market, revealing overseas growth opportunities.  

Slovakia's Statistical Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in Slovakia continued to decline year-on-year in the first eleven months of 2007. Production was 1.9% lower than in the January to November period in 2006. In comparison, industrial output in Slovakia was 14.5% higher year-on-year.

Russia's State Statistics Committee reports that Russia produced 2.3 billion square decimetres of chrome-tanned leather products in the first eleven months of 2007, a year-on-year increase of 31.3%, according to the Interfax news agency.  Production of ‘stiff leather product' was 0.5% higher at 68.6 million square decimetres.

Statistics South Africa reports that the production of leather and leather products in South Africa in the first eleven months of 2007 was 4.9% higher than in the same period in 2006.

Ireland's Central Statistics Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in Ireland in November 2007 was a substantial 86% higher than in the same month in 2006. The turnover of leather industry companies in Ireland in November 2007 was 47% higher year-on-year.

Latvia's Central Statistical Bureau reports that Latvia exported raw hides and skins, and leather, worth US$2.63 million in November, of which 79.3% were exported to the European Union. Latvia imported the same types of commodities worth US$5.1 million in November, of which 76.5% came from the EU.

Turkey's State Statistics Institute reports that the production of leather and leather products in Turkey in November 2007 was 8.% lower than in the same month the previous year. In comparison, industrial output in Turkey in November 2007 was 7.7% higher year-on-year.

Belarus' State Customs Committee reports that Belarus exported 12,481 tonnes of raw hides and skins worth US$41.8 million in the first ten months of 2007, respectively 31.6% and 15.9% lower than in the same period in 2006. Imports of the same types of commodities in the January to October period 2007 totalled 9,407 tonnes worth US$59.9 million, respectively 36% lower and 10% higher year-on-year.

According to The Korea Times, Seoul, an heir to one of the nation's largest shoemakers was arrested on January 5, 2008, for allegedly hiring gangsters to beat up a former co-worker.

Galym Orazbakov, Kazakhstan's Minister of Industry and Trade, says that the leather industry has been the most rapidly developing industry in Kazakhstan over the past two years, according to the Interfax news agency.Production in the leather industry was reported to have increased by 37.8% during that period.

The Nepszabadsag daily reports that the former leather plant that employed 1,500 workers in the central Hungarian town of Simontornya remains unsold, according to the Interfax news agency.

Iranian and Vietnamese officials signed an agricultural co-operation agreement in Teheran in early January, according to the IRNA news agency. Iran's Agriculture Minister, Mohammed-Reza Eskandari, said that the two countries can implement joint projects in the cattle breeding sector.

Israel's Central Statistics Bureau reports that Israel imported leather and leather products worth US$117 million in the first eleven months of 2007, compared with US$91 million in the same period in 2006.

Albania's National Statistics Institute reports that Albania imported leather and leather products worth US$85 million in the first eleven months of 2007, compared with imports worth US$73 million in the same period in 2006.

Turkey's State Statistics Institute reports that Turkey exported raw hides and skins, and leather, worth US$112 million in the first eleven months of 2007, compared with US$93 million in the same period in 2006.

Croatia's Central Bureau of Statistics reports that Croatia exported leather and leather products worth US$312 million in the first eleven months of 2007, a year-on-year increase of 11.%. Croatian imports of the same types of commodities in the January to November 2007 period were 15.2% higher year-on-year at US$404 million.

Ireland's Central Statistics Office reports that Ireland exported hides and skins worth E73.3 million in the first nine months of 2007, as compared with E68.8 million in the same period in 2006.

The number of sheep at the Tamdy livestock enterprise in the district of the same name in Uzbekistan has increased to 61,700, according to the Uza news agency.

Serbia's Statistical Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in Serbia in the first eleven months of 2007 was 2.3% than in the same period in 2006. In comparison, Serbian industrial output in the January to November 2007 period was 4% higher year-on-year.

Ukraine's State Statistics Committee reports that leather and leather products' manufacturers in Ukraine recorded sales totalling UAH1.35 billion (USD268 million) in the first eleven months of 2007. This figure was equivalent to 0.2 per cent of all sales of products by Ukrainian manufacturers during the period.

Macedonia's State Statistical Office has reported that the production of leather and leather products in Macedonia in the first eleven months of 2007 was 0.5% higher than in the same period in 2006. In comparison, manufacturing output in Macedonia in the January to November 2007 period was 5.6% higher year-on-year.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's Federal Office of Statistics reports that the production of leather and leather products in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the first eleven months of this year was 9.9% higher than in the same period in 2006. In comparison, industrial output in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the January to November period was 10.2% higher year-on-year

Ukraine's State Statistics Committee reports that the production of leather and leather products in Ukraine in the first eleven months of this year was 2.4% higher than in the same period in 2006. In comparison, overall industrial output in Ukraine in the January to November period this year was 10.7% higher year-on-year.

Hungary's Central Statistical Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in Hungary in the first ten months of this year was 49.5% higher than in the same period in 2006.

Slovakia's Statistical Office reports that the production of leather and leather products in Slovakia continued to decline year-on-year in the first ten months of this year.