Miller Magazine Issue: 126 June 2020

16 17 NEWS NEWS MILLER / JUNE 2020 MILLER / JUNE 2020 FAO warns multiple impact of viruses, plagues and economic damage will fuel hunger in Asia and the Pacific While the world fights to slow the spread of CO- VID-19, the worst pandemic experienced in a century, countries in South Asia are simultaneously responding to plagues of locusts, cyclones and a deadly livestock disease, all of which threaten to worsen hunger and the livelihoods of millions of people, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned. Swarms of Desert Locust, which originated in Africa, have moved swiftly into west Asia attacking vegetation in parts of Iran and Pakistan, and are now threatening crops in India. These swarms are the worst experien- ced in more than a generation. Fall armyworm, a ma- ize-destroying pest that migrated to Asia from Africa in 2018, has also spread across the continent and has arrived in Australia. Meanwhile, African swine fever (ASF) has re-emer- ged in the Asia-Pacific region, and for the first time been detected in India. ASF, which ravaged pig produ- ction in China in 2018 and 2019, has also been disco- vered for the first time in the Pacific subregion, with cases confirmed in Papua New Guinea. Cyclones such as Amphan and Vongfong have added to the damage in some of the countries already overstretched by their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. MULTIPLE CHALLENGES FOR AN ALREADY CHALLENGED REGION While the lockdowns of countries across the region in response to COVID-19 have taken their toll on the economies, lives and livelihoods of millions of people, the convergence of these plant pests, severe storms and animal diseases will only add to the suffering. “We cannot and must not under-estimate the damage to lives and livelihoods that the convergence of these cri- ses will have on food security and hunger in this part of the world, already home to most of its undernouris- hed people,” said Jong-Jin Kim, FAO Deputy Regional Representative and Head of the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. “While we continue the batt- le to save lives and contain the spread of COVID-19, we must now fight a war that has multiple fronts and various enemies here in the Asia-Pacific region,” Kim added. AFRICAN SWINE FEVER African swine fever (ASF) has become an enormous concern in Asia with some 5,000 outbreaks across the region and more recently into the Pacific subregion. The Asia-Pacific region accounts for more than 50 percent of the world’s pig production (2018 figures according to FAO STAT) and pork is one of the major sources of animal protein. The disease, deadly to pigs but not har- mful to humans, resulted in the deaths and culling of millions of pigs in China, the country that was originally hardest hit in 2018 and 2019. This year, for the first time, ASF was discovered in India. Again, authorities are trying to respond to the outbreak while simultaneo- usly responding to COVID-19 and the threat of locusts. DESERT LOCUST – WORLD’S MOST DESTRUCTIVE PEST Desert Locusts can devour huge amounts of vege- tation, including wild plants, trees and grasslands, but they also attack vegetable crops and fruit trees. A sing- le swarm of Desert Locust can cover an entire square kilometer and contain some 80 million insects. FAO experts estimate the number of locusts could grow twenty-fold in the upcoming rainy season in South Asia unless extra measures to counter the swarms are put in place. FALL ARMYWORM MARCHES ON ACROSS ASIA In many countries affected by Fall armyworm (FAW), COVID-19 lockdowns have resulted in pest manage- ment activities being reduced or ceased entirely. FAO has published a guidance note for responding to outb- reaks of FAW during the simultaneous challenges faced by countries’ responses to COVID-19. Farmers need significant support to manage FAW sustainably in their cropping systems through Integrated Pest Manage- ment (IPM) activities. FAO has launched a Global Acti- on for FAW Control as a response to the international threat that FAW is posing for food security and the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers. Milling industry veteran Roger Butler who has worked for some of the biggest names in the in- dustry has become new president of the National Association of British and Irish Millers (nabim). Nabim elects new president for the Association Roger Butler began his career cleaning hessian flour sacks aged 14, and travelled the world to learn his tra- de. Now Roger Butler is nabim’s new president, taking over from George Marriage. Currently chairman of Whitworth Bros and Carr’s Flourmills, Roger previous- ly served as the association’s vice president – and his appointment comes as the UK flour industry continues to face unprecedented challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “UK millers have played a vital role in ensuring the supply of both commercial and retail flour supplies du- ring the lockdown, at the same time, nabim has also been working tirelessly behind the scenes to provide the invaluable support its members need during un- certain times. I am both proud and honoured to beco- me president of an organisation which does so much to promote and protect everything which makes our industry special.” said Roger Butler, nabim’s new Pre- sident. In a career spanning 45 years, Roger, 59, has wor- ked for some of the biggest names in the industry and in locations as far flung as Canada and Papua New Guinea. However first job was in the basement of the Cadge & Coleman mill in Peterborough during the school holidays, where his duties included sweeping floors and stacking 140lb sacks of flour. “My father worked for Cadge & Colman, who ma- inly produced chapatti flour, so milling was in the blo- od and it was all I ever wanted to do,” he recalls. “As a young lad I learned the basics of the trade by working shifts during the school holidays, but I always knew that to progress in the industry I’d have to expand my horizons and see how it was done in other parts of the world.” At 18, he emigrated to Canada to work for Win- nipeg-based Sooline Mills. After a brief interlude in the Rocky Mountains, he resumed his milling career in Papua New Guinea before returning to the UK to take up a position as a senior technical miller with Henry Simon Milling Engineers in Stockport. He then spent 12 years with Robert Hutchison in Kirkcaldy before being appointed managing director, and subsequently chairman, of Wellingborough-based Whitworth Bros. Speaking about the appo- intment, “We are fortunate to have someone of Roger’s experience and drive as nabim president, while the industry responds to the changes in demand and consumer beha- viour brought about by the current crisis and the comple- tion of our departure from the European Union.” said Alex Waugh, Director General of nabim Roger Butler