NNNorthern Valley News Moora
Wishing everyone in the Northern Valleys a very merry Christmas and a happy, safe and prosperous year in 2016
Home-grown hams Tamieka Preston
For most of us, a delicious glazed ham will be the centerpiece of our Christmas table – but where does our ham hail from? It’s certainly the season to find out. Linley Valley Pork is Western Australia’s largest pork grower, operating four pig farms across the state including two in the Northern Valleys region. Collectively they produce 40 per cent of WA’s pork-meat, processing it at the company-owned abattoir in Wooroloo. The brand is just one belonging to family-owned agri-business giant, Craig Mostyn Group. Andrew Mostyn, Executive Director of Craig Mostyn Group says the decision to go into live production was one of opportunity; “Having started up the Linley Valley abattoir in 1999 we needed pig numbers to be not only sustained but also grow. So when one particular farmer wanted out of the industry we stepped in and purchased our Gingin and Mogumber farms.” The good news for consumers is that all fresh pork available on supermarket shelves is grown in WA, as fresh pork-meat cannot be imported into the state. However, buyers must beware when purchasing frozen meat, including Christmas hams. “To ensure your ham is made from 100 per cent Australian pork, buy a bone-in ham or look for the pink PorkMark logo,” says Australian Pork Limited’s Mitch Edwards who is behind ‘Australian Ham Week’ which runs this week, finishing on 6 December. At Mogumber, our very own home-grown hams are thriving under the careful supervision of farm manager Kevin Watts – a man who really knows his pigs. Kevin has spent the last 36 years working with pigs, gaining his experience from farms in the UK, USA, Portugal and now Australia.
Jep Tolentino and Kevin Watts with the young pigs at Linley Valley Pork’s Mogumber farm
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“It’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle, it’s 24/7 365 days a year. Your hours are dictated by the animals,” he says, “As a kid, I always
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wanted to work with animals, and I just took a liking to pigs.” His affection for his animals is no more evident than in the boar-house where the massive males grunt raucously as they rush to greet him, eager for a scratch. He has invested a lot of time in these boars, as the farm relies totally on artificial insemination for their breeding program – and even has their own lab where they can monitor the viability of each collection. Using frozen semen from South Australia to improve genetics in their nucleus herd also means no live pigs have ever entered the property, just one of the stringent bio-security controls in place to protect this animal asset from disease. Kevin was farming in the UK when foot and mouth disease tragically hit, and he says its something he hopes he’ll never see again – the isolation of the farm at Mogumber offers huge security. Australia’s disease-free status is one of the key strengths of the industry – coupled with an ever-increasing protein demand from our Asian neighbours, who are just an overnight air-freight delivery away. The agriculture sector is evolving rapidly to meet increasing demand, streamlining systems like feed and water delivery which at Mogumber are completely computer controlled. Jep Tolentino, who has worked on the farm since emigrating from the Philippines in 2006, monitors daily rations as well as shed temperatures from the office. On big company-owned farms like this one the latest technology means cost efficiencies. “We’re no longer throwing a rock at the silo to see how much feed is left” jokes Kevin. Linley Valley Pork are also striving to lead the way in higher welfare, responding to consumer demand to change the way animals are raised. Although not yet required by legislation their farrowing houses use the ‘freedom crate’ system allowing the sow more room, as well as group housing for pregnant sows. So when you’re shopping for your Christmas ham this year – buy local! You’ll be keeping your dollars in WA as well as enjoying a high quality, high welfare and an exceptionally tasty product.
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