3 2 PET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009www. pettradeworld. com Start- ups to save the UK economy, says Digby Jones The former head of the Confederation of British Industry ( CBI), Lord Digby Jones, claims that small businesses alone will rescue the struggling UK economy. ' They are the only ones which create the wealth that can pay the taxes which can repay the public debt,' says Jones, who was speaking at the opening of BT's Small Business Week. Jones urges small businesses to ' move up the supply chain by providing value- added, innovative goods and services' that can be sold internationally. He notes that China and India's rise in GDP during the recession is still enviably high ( 9 and 6 per cent respectively), whereas the UK's economy continues to contract. ' These people want your lunch,' warns the ex- CBI chief. ' The only way to get out of the economic mess we're in is to trade our way out of it.' The entrepreneur and Dragons' Den investor Peter Jones made a similar point. ' We need to think about how to make smaller businesses compete, not just on a national, but on a global scale.' According to research conducted by BT Business, 75 per cent of 7,200 respondents believe the UK economy will see an upturn in 2010, with 35 per cent predicting the improvement will start as early as January. ¦ Infl ation Figures Rising The Consumer Price Infl ation ( CPI) annual infl ation, the government's target measure, was 1.5 per cent in October, up from 1.1 per cent in September. Meanwhile, the retail infl ation ( RPI), which includes mortgage interest payments and housing costs, rose to - 0.8 per cent from - 1.4 per cent, according to fi gures from the Offi ce for National Statistics. Infl ation accelerated during the month mainly because of upward pressure from fuel prices. David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce, says: ' These fi gures are closely in line with the Bank of England's recent forecast that infl ation will accelerate sharply in the next few months, possibly reaching 3 per cent, before falling again later next year.' He adds: ' Given the serious risks facing the UK economy and the dangers of a double- dip recession in 2010, it is important for the MPC to persevere with an aggressive quantitative easing programme, and to consider special measures aimed at boosting bank lending to businesses.' ¦ Half of employees say they have left a job at some point in their careers as a direct result of bad management, new research reveals. The poll, by the Chartered Management Institute ( CMI), suggests there is a crisis of confi dence in UK management which could be adding to the woes of the economy. The research also found that half of workers believe they could do a better job than their current manager, while a similar number would be prepared to take a pay cut in exchange for a better leader. Ruth Spellman, CMI chief executive, said: " The fi gures reveal the depth of the crisis of confi dence in UK management and leadership and the enormous toll bad management is taking on the UK economy and people's wellbeing." One possible explanation given for the lack of confi dence in managers is the high number of leaders who have fallen into the roles by chance, according to the report. Nearly 70% of managers polled said they had not aspired to take on managerial roles while 40% did not want the responsibility. More than 60% of managers said they had received no formal leadership training. Ruth Spellman added: " It's not surprising bad management is such an issue in the UK. We invest less in our managers than our global competitors and it shows. " It's telling that the majority of individuals never set out to manage people, and have not been trained to do so. If we're going to stay competitive internationally, the government and employers need to address this worrying skills gap." ¦ Bad managers forcing staff to quit Unfair dismissal claims rise by almost a third since 2008 The number of unfair dismissal claims has risen by 29% to 52,711 since 2008, according to the Tribunals Service. Although on the whole the number of employment tribunals fell by 20% in the year ending March 2009, the statistics from the Service show this still marked a 14% increase on the 2006/ 2007 fi gure. The data also revealed an increase in the number of single claims accepted, which rose to 63,000 in 2008- 09 - a rise of 15% on the year before, although sex discrimination cases also dropped by 31%. ¦ Business News

www. pettradeworld. comPET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009 33 Small Animal Food Focus Compared to dogs and cats, there are relatively few small animals kept as pets but the number is growing, particularly in urban areas, due to them being perceived as relatively low maintenance. This is defi nitely not an area though, that should be overlooked by pet shops as it was the most buoyant part of the pet food market throughout 2008 showing growth in volume of 3% and growth in value of 14%. The total size of this market currently standing at £ 64m. Most of these small animals will survive on a diet based on cereals ( oats, barley, maize), plus dried vegetables and biscuit meal, with the addition of fresh fruits for their vitamin / mineral content and ( largely in the case of rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas) a plentiful supply of good quality hay for bulk, roughage and to prevent boredom. There are many commercially developed diets or feed pellets representing balanced rations for each type of small animal. Please discourage any customer from feeding their small pet a diet designed for another type of animal. For example, rabbit food is not suitable for guinea pigs because it does not contain added vitamin C. Rabbit diets can also often have added coccidiostats ( to prevent rabbit diseases) which can cause liver and kidney problems in guinea pigs. Consequently it is never advisable to house rabbits and guinea pigs together. Also remember that guinea pigs, in the same way as humans and primates, lack the enzyme L- gulonolactone oxidase needed to produce vitamin C from glucose and therefore must obtain their vitamin C from their diet. Most commercial dry diets have added vitamin C, but those levels do start to fall once a bag of food has been opened. For that reason, advise your customers to supplement diets with a selection of fresh green vegetables high in vitamin C, like kale, parsley, spinach and broccoli. The main idea, with any type of animal feed, is to mimic an animal's natural diet as closely as possible. Vegetables and fruit should therefore only be used as necessary supplementation or treats. As a rule treats should not exceed 10% of any daily food intake and all fresh fruit and vegetables should be washed thoroughly prior to be being fed to pets. Other foods high in fat, such as peanuts and sunfl ower seeds should also be kept to a minimum to reduce the risk of obesity, particularly in caged pets. Sunfl ower seeds are low in calcium and have been implicated in osteoporosis and spontaneous fractures in Gerbils fed solely on these. Some other types of rodent ( notably rats) can develop corn allergy, manifesting itself as an irritant dermatitis. All small animals like to chew and gnaw - and for rabbits and guinea pigs it is essential as their teeth grow continuously throughout life. Remind your customers to provide hard items, such as fruit tree bark, to help keep the incisors worn down. It is also advisable to use solid earthenware or ceramic dishes which cannot easily be chewed as soft plastic, if swallowed, can harden in digestive enzymes causing damage. Water should be changed at least daily and provided in gravity drinking bottles where possible to keep it free from contamination and prevent small rodents from drowning in open dishes. ¦ Small Animal Food Burns Plantain and Dandelion The dried Plantain and Dandelion for rabbits and other small animals is a tasty, high fi bre complementary food which can be used as part of a healthy natural diet. Both are excellent for the support of digestive function and dandelion also helps support urinary tract health.