General News www. pettradeworld. comPET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009 9 GA Pet Food Partners Retains BRC Grade A status - for the third year running. GA Pet Food Partners is one of a select number of pet food companies in Europe to retain for the 3rd time, the top grade of the much coveted British Retail Consortium ( BRC) Global Standard for Food Safety. It is used by certifi cation bodies world- wide and is recognised as the benchmark for best practice in the manufacturing and retail supply chain. Following a switch to version fi ve of the BRC standard, auditors revealed that other food fi rms have struggled to maintain their grades, falling from grade A to B, or even C. Following rigorous audits, GA has successfully retained grade A status for its manufacturing site, based at Bretherton, near Preston. The news brings major benefi ts for everyone concerned - from the 150- strong workforce to a growing list of UK and overseas customers. It verifi es GA as the leader in quality and integrity for private label dry pet food, allowing pet food brands and companies to partner with GA with confi dence. A delighted sales and marketing director Ben Helm, described the latest standards as very tough adding that a ' fully committed and fantastic team effort' ensured the audit was hitch- free, ensuring that the Grade A status was attained for the 3rd year in succession. ¦ New code introduced to reduce risk of Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances in feed The British Equestrian Trade Association ( BETA) has introduced a new voluntary code of practice for feed manufacturers to reduce the risk of naturally occurring prohibited substances ( NOPS) in equine feeds. The Code was implemented on 1 October 2009 with commitment from leading manufacturers including Baileys, Blue Chip, British Horse Feeds, Dodson & Horrell, Natural Animal Feeds, Red Mills, Saracen, Spillers, TopSpec and Dengie ( subject to FEMAS approval). The Universal Feed Assurance Scheme ( UFAS), Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances ( NOPS) Code was developed by BETA in conjunction with assurance scheme experts in response to an increased incidence of positive dope tests for the morphine, a high priority NOPS in racehorses. The International FEI rules for competition and the British Horseracing Authority's Rules of Racing state a no threshold policy for naturally occurring substances that could affect performance, with the exception of theobromine. The consequences of a positive dope test are disqualifi cation and loss of prize money. Feeds and supplements conforming to the new Code will carry labelling to reassure owners and trainers of the stringent quality management procedures that have been undertaken during every step of the sourcing, storage, transport and manufacturing processes for each product. Suppliers of raw materials will be regularly audited and staff will also undergo rigorous training to ensure strict adherence to the Code. The Code has been endorsed by the British Horseracing Authority ( BHA) and the National Trainers Federation ( NTF) with endorsement being sought from the British Equestrian Federation ( BEF) in the future. Professor Tim Morris, Director of Equine Science and Welfare for the BHA said: " By signifi cantly reducing the risk of NOPS the new Code provides important protection for those competing or racing under rules. The fact that most of the UK's major feed manufacturers have already agreed to comply with the Code confi rms its viability as a workable verifi cation system." For further information contact BETA on 01937 587062, email info@ beta- uk. org or visit the www. beta- uk. org ¦

General News 1 0 PET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009www. pettradeworld. com Ferreting about - Fert / James Wellbeloved census results! Over the summer, James Wellbeloved and the Ferret Education & Research Trust ( FERT) carried out a survey of almost 1400 ferret owners, with a view to focussing on one of Britain's popular, but perhaps little known, pets. Peter Lancaster, James Wellbeloved marketing director, said: " We were delighted with the level of response, and came up with some myth- busting facts which have gone down well with the national media. On the serious side, we also found that 85% of respondents were feeding our food, which is good news - for ferrets as well as for us and our pet trade partners! However, there are also some concerns - 40% of owners don't bother with regular veterinary checks, let alone vaccination or microchipping." Opportunities for the specialist pet trade, alongside offering the ferret owner's preferred James Wellbeloved food ( almost fi ve times as popular as the next biggest brand), include bedding materials - 47% use a commercially made washable fabric, while the balance use straw, paper or other products. Ian Kearns from FERT comments: " Ferrets make great pets - and we know the specialist pet trade is well placed to help us get the message across. We also know that the trade can help current and future owners do their homework right, and get their ferrets' welfare correct. 10 THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT FERRETS. Ferret Education & Research Trust / James Wellbeloved survey, 2009 . Forget northern stereotypes about fl at caps and a ferret down the trousers - over a quarter of Britain's ferrets live the south east, compared to just 12 per cent in the north west. . Forget diamonds - ferrets are a girl's best friend! 61% of ferret owners are female. . Ferret owners like to do it in pairs - 67% are married or living with a partner. . A single ferret is a lonely ferret - 88% of owners have at least two.. while one respondent has an amazing 160 ferrets! . Almost half of owners have acquired their ferret in the last fi ve years - revenge on the ' handbag' dogs trend maybe? . Ferrets no longer work for their living - only one in fi ve ferrets is in employment! . Ferrets come in a range of different colours - the sable, or polecat is the most popular ( 78%), followed by albino ( 57%), sandy ( 43%), silver ( 27%), dark eyed white ( 14%). . Most ferrets are fed on special dried food, sometimes combined with fresh meat. . Over half of ferret owners take their pet to the vets for a regular check- up, but that still leaves 40% of owners who don't bother. . And fi nally - 21% of male ferrets have had a vasectomy. ¦ 85% of respondents feed James Wellbeloved