Passing of a pet industry stalwart

By Peter Kemp

“In laughing wholeheartedly a man must attain a certain freedom from selfishness, certain purity: and the greatest saints are the merriest people.” So said novelist Mary Webb and, for me, that quotation sums up the life and character of Freddie Waffron, who passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Spain on May 27 at the age of 83.

Frederick Cavalier Waffron, always Freddie to those that knew and loved him, lived life to the full. Never one to take anything too seriously, he was quick-witted and would be the first to see the funny side of any situation, however serious. He was one of the most likeable and knowledgeable men in the pet industry and much respected by his peers.

Freddie was born in the East End of London in 1924 and was very proud of his roots. During the Second World War he served in the Royal Air Force and was stationed in the Azores.

In 1947 he met and married Margaret and spent an idyllic life together in High Wycombe for more than 60 years. Fred and Margaret had two daughters, Denise and Elaine, three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

His early career found him in the City but, quickly bored with office routine, he stumbled across a business opportunity supplying bird cages to pet shops. He then went on to manufacture sand sheets and then formed the Pet-Reks Company, which grew into one of the country’s leading wholesale groups and lately became Cagex Accessories Ltd, of Chesham, Buckinghamshire.

But running a successful business was never enough for Fred. He was a passionate believer in the pet industry and was a founder member of the National Association of Pet Trade Wholesalers. He went on to become chairman and, under his guidance, the NAPTW enlarged its remit to include manufacturers and became the Pet Industry Association. Fred was the inspiration for the PIA to hold its own trade exhibition at the newly-opened National Exhibition Centre, as well as publishing its own magazine, Pet Industry News. He continued to serve the industry when the PIA amalgamated with the Pet Trade Association, which eventually became the Pet Care Trust. Freddie served as a board member until his retirement, when he was then honoured with an honourary life membership. He made an unrivalled contribution to the pet industry for more than 40 years.

Freddie’s abiding passion was golf, a game he played regularly until his recent illness curtailed his twice-weekly sessions at the High Wycombe Golf Club and any other courses where he could get an invitation to play. He was a keen skier, too, a fanatical supporter of West Ham and a regular squash player.

Freddie Waffron will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him and the trade has lost a great champion. Our prayers go out to all Fred’s family and friends and I believe that Fred is all ready to tee-off on that great golf course in the sky.

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Genetic Technologies’ dog attack DNA kit

A new dog DNA kit has been developed by leading Melbourne DNA company Genetic Technologies, allowing local councils, livestock owners and police investigators to collect canine DNA evidence at dog attack scenes.

Mr Ian Smith, Head of Genetic Technologies DNA testing, said that although the estimated number of dog attacks in Australia are as high as 100,000, most remain unsolved.

“In the event of a dog attack, there is usually ample canine DNA material left at the attack scene,” he said.

“Dog DNA can be extracted from blood, clothing or skin wounds of the victim, dog derived materials such as faeces or hair, or from anything that the dog has come in contact with such as fence palings or gates.”

Included in the kit are DNA collection swabs, gloves, tamper evidence bags and how-to instructions. A team of scientists at the Genetic Technologies’ laboratories then extract the canine DNA from the DNA that is sent in, and it is compared to the DNA taken from any dog suspects.

“DNA analysis is particularly useful when a dog owner refuses to cooperate with investigators or the victim is unable to identify the dog because there are many dogs running around—say in a park setting,” said Mr Smith.

“We are making DNA technologies, like those features on TV shows like CSI, available to all dog attack investigators who may require additional evidence to prosecute rogue dog owners.”

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Euromonitor International signs onto India International Pet Trade Fair 2008

The second India International Pet Trade Fair is coming up in 2008, to be held in New Dehli, and in a major move a deal has been signed between market research firm Euromonitor International and the organisers of IIPTF, Creature Companions.

Ms Linda Brady-Hawke, CEO of LB Associates—the publisher of Creature Companions—believes that this partnership would benefit the Indian pet industry in a major way. As a part of the deal, IIPTF will be sharing relevant statistics and figures about the Indian Pet Industry with its visitors, provided by Euromonitor International.

Ms Laetitia Wong, Account Manager for Pet food & Pet care, Euromonitor International, said “Euromonitor International is pleased to contribute, through IIPTF 2008, to boost the strong potential of development of pet food and pet care market globally and especially in India.”

Next year’s IIPTF will be held over an area of 3000 square metres, and Creature Companions will be providing a total of 144 stalls, an increase of 80 compared to the previous fair, hwhich took place in February this year.

India International Pet Fair will be held from 29 February to 2 March 2008 at NSIC, Okhla Industrial Estate, New Dehli.

For further information, contact Mr Binoy Sahee, ph: 9891013797 or email: binoy@iiptf.com

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Herd of humpbacks move north

Last Tuesday the first of an estimated 10,000 humpback whales were spotted making their way past North Stradbroke Island on their yearly migration into the Great Barrier Reef.

In the midst of this spectacle was Migaloo, the rare all-white whale.

“We know he’s a male because he’s been genetically sexed. But what we don’t know is whether he is an all white whale or an albino,” said Dr Mike Noad, whale expert from the University of Queensland’s School of Veterinary Science.

“He’s more likely to be a white whale because albinism in other species is a genetic defect which usually means the animals have other problems and don’t survive.”

During the next six weeks, Dr Noad’s team of 13 international volunteers and UQ researchers will be counting the whales as part of regular surveys of the East Australian population of humpbacks, usually conducted every two to three years.

He said the team devoted 10 hours a day towards counting the whales from Point Lookout on North Stradbroke Island. On some days more than 100 whales were counted by researchers.

“Because the vast majority of the whales pass within a few kilometres of land there, Point Lookout is almost unique in the world in terms of being somewhere you can stand on land and get very robust estimates of whales as they migrate past,” he said.

Dr Noad stated that the number of whales had increased by 10 and 11 per cent a year with about 7,000 counted in the last survey in 2004. The growing number is largely due to whaling restrictions, put in place after hunting nearly drove them to extinction in the ‘50s and ‘60s.

“The first day of the survey was last Tuesday and there were an extraordinary number of whales going past. We’ve not seen anything like it.”

The whale survey at Point Lookout is funded by the Federal Government’s Department of the Environment and Water Resources. Dr Noad believes it is the longest and most consistent series of whale surveys in the world. The results guide whale conservation priorities and management plans and also go to the International Whaling Commission.

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The Beanstalk Group to develop Procter & Gamble brands

Procter & Gamble, which markets over 300 brands globally, has retained the help of The Beanstalk Group to manage its ever-increasing trademark licensing business.

Initially, Beanstalk will concentrate on identifying and developing licensing programs that build upon the equity of Pampers® and Always® globally, and Max Factor® in Europe.

“This arrangement will allow us to meet the needs of our expanding trademark licensing portfolio,” said Gayle Jones, P&G’s manager for trademark licensing. “It establishes an additional agency resource to complement our work in North America and enables us to effectively play in other key markets.”

The Beanstalk Group currently represents more than 40 brands, and has developed thousands of brand extensions in every major product category across all retail channels.

“We are honoured to work with Procter and Gamble,” said Michael Stone, CEO and President of The Beanstalk Group. “We look forward to developing and executing strategic licensing programs that complement and extent their brand presences.”

P&G will continue its partnership with Nancy Bailey & Associates, which has handled licensing and development of many successful programs for P&G brands over the last seven years.

Promote your products Pet Fair Asia 2007

Pet Fair Asia is about to celebrate its 10^th year in 2007, and this is your chance to network with China’s top manufacturers, importers, exporters, agents, dealers, distributors and retailers.

Last year more than 350 pet and aquatic product suppliers and over 15,000 visitors came to the fair from around the world. This is a great opportunity, and Austrade is available to assist with a team in China ready to promote your pet products.

Austrade will provide all Australian companies in the Australian National Pavilion at Pet Fair Asia 2007 with the following marketing services:

·         Conduct pre-exhibition mailing campaigning to key buyers across major cities in China to introduce your products and invite them to visit your booth;

·         Distribute press releases to major media representatives, introducing the products and services of all Australian exhibitors;

·         Provide on-the-ground marketing support before, during and after the exhibition;

·         Provide you with a profile of the Chinese pet products market, including standards and regulations;

·         Translate a brief introduction of your products and company into Chinese and produce an Australian Exhibitor Directory for visitors;

·         Develop a questionnaire in Chinese to collect visitors’ feedback during the exhibition;

·         Organise an Austrade welcome dinner and networking function for Australian exhibitors to meet local customers (limited to two representatives per company).

Pet Fair Asia 2007 will be held from the 19^th to 22^nd of September in Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Shanghai, China.

Applications close on Tuesday the 31^st of July, 2007.

For further information please visit Austrade online at www.austrade.gov.au or contact Betina Reid  ph: (02) 9390 2008  fax: (02) 9390 2024  email: betina.reid@austrade.gov.au