Welcome to the global village!

The days when the pet product sector could go about its business largely unscathed by the trials and tribulations of this world are long since over. Nowadays the fate of our industry is closely linked to factors rooted in the global economy and environmental policy, and individual companies no longer have any influence whatsoever over these. There is a growing awareness of the powerlessness of the individual. And the problems of the world have long since ceased to respect national boundaries. Take raw materials, for example: if a country experiences crop failure due to a heatwave, it jeopardises the supply of raw materials, and this has a substantial effect on our industry. And the same goes for logistics: the introduction of tolls by another state is no trivial matter for the pet product sector, because there may be serious (price) consequences for the supply of goods. The BSE scandal, Foot and Mouth Disease and now bird flu serve to make us even more acutely aware that we all live in a global village, in which everyone depends on everyone else. Above all, pet food manufacturers, whose products contain poultry meat, must be prepared for a turbulent few months ahead. For this reason many companies have already handed out information to their customers stating that any risk from bird flu can be ruled out when feeding pet food to dogs and cats. In fact, scientists are in agreement that the virus is safely killed off by heating products to at least 70° C. The meat meal normally used by pet food manufacturers is generally heated repeatedly, so that there is no danger of any bird flu virus still being present in the finished product. The subject of bird flu also has a psychological angle, however, that should not be underestimated. Reports are emerging from some countries, in particular Italy and Turkey, that human consumption of poultry has fallen off considerably. Producers of poultry-based pet food products are currently having a hard time convincing customers in these countries that their products are quite safe. Even if bird flu doesn’t spread to any appreciable extent in the coming months, the confusion in the raw materials market must have consequences for the pet food industry. If it should result in shortages in the supply of poultry meat products across Europe, then the price of ingredients, and also that of end products in the medium to long term, will rise markedly. The outrage over the cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad is another example of…