Poultry Digest October/November 2012 by Primary Media

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Poultry Digest

October/November 2012 $6.60

Volume 28, Number 2

Farm Pride increases its free range production at innovative new farm

New Zealand’s Tegel Poultry achieves world’s best feed conversion

Multiquip opens new hatchery to supply Red Lea Chickens

Poultry CRC Ideas Exchange Conference PrintPost Approved PP243096/00007 ISSN 1444-8041

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10 COVER STORy

Contents

Farm Pride increases its free range production at innovative new farm The Victorian based Farm Pride Foods recently completed three new sheds with attached free range areas at Bears Lagoon, near Bridgewater in Victoria.

20 SPECIAL fEATurE Multiquip opens new hatchery to supply Red Lea Chickens Ryan Peacock, Farm Manager, Bears Lagoon, Victoria.

Poultry Digest October/November 2012 Volume 28, Number 2 Editorial Enquiries Peter Bedwell or rosemary Embery +6 1 2 4368 2220 or 0419 235 288 Sales: Peter Bedwell Phone: +61 2 4368 2220 Mob: 0419 235 288 Or Mob: 0409 944 472 website: www.primarymedia.com.au POuLTrY DIGEST consists of a bi-monthly management magazine and an annual industry review. Published by C D Supplies Pty Ltd (ACN 091 560 557)

Production: rosemary Embery Email: rembery@iinet.net.au OffICE ADDrESS: 7 Kerns road, Kincumber NSw 2251 Ph: (02) 4368 2220 SuBSCrIPTIONS: AuSTrALIA One year – $55.00*. NEw ZEALAND One year – $A80. OTHEr COuNTrIES Asia Pacific including the Subcontinent – One year: Airmail – $A80; rest of the world – One year: Airmail – $A92. Send payment in Australian dollars.

On November 3, 2012 Red Lea Chicken’s management, staff and many contract growers with their families, gathered for a celebration on the occasion of the opening of a new hatchery built and operated by Multiquip.

32 SPECIAL FEATURE New Zealand’s Tegel Poultry achieves world’s best feed conversion With an ideal growing climate and comparative freedom from poultry disease, Tegel Poultry focuses on the five pillars of agriculture performance to achieve the world’s best broiler feed conversion.

46 MANAGEMENT fEATurE Avian Influenza threats highlights the role of biosecurity Since December 2003, devastating outbreaks of Avian Influenza have decimated flocks of poultry in many countries, forcing a radical review of biosecurity measures. The consequences of AI are immediate and financially severe.

NEwS 4 Poultry CrC Ideas Exchange Conference The Poultry CrC held its ‘Ideas Exchange’ conference at the royal Pines resort on the Gold Coast Queensland from September 23-25, 2012. 28 Santrev steel factory opens in Dongguan, China The Australian owned and operated Santrev steel factory has opened in a gala event in Dongguan, China. “The purpose built facility was designed to uphold good quality, ensure minimal lead time and cut costs to clients” – Santrev Director Garry Sanday. 39 Coles on collision course with animal welfare groups over free range eggs The current Model Code of Practice for the welfare of Animals Domestic Poultry allows for a maximum of just 1500 hens per hectare to classify as free-range. But Coles believes 10,000 birds per hectare is adequate.

*Australia subscription rate includes GST.

ALL MATErIAL COPYrIGHT (editorial and advertisements) and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the publishers. whilst every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the contents of POuLTrY DIGEST, the publishers do not accept any responsibility or liability for the material herein. J

PRODUCT NEWS 42 43 48 49

Poultry specific LED lighting solutions ULTRA Energy helps reduce power bills in chicken sheds DuPont Virkon S – biosecurity convenience in a single pack Jansen Poultry Equipment presents the EasyLoader

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NEwS Poultry CrC Ideas Exchange Conference By PETER BEDWELL The Poultry CRC held its ‘Ideas Exchange’ conference at the Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast Queensland from September 23-25, 2012. The conference was opened by Poultry CRC Chairman John Kerin and the first speakers were introduced by Poultry CRC CEO Dr Mingan Choct In the opening session, ‘Future of the Australian Poultry industry’ Pat Blackall, Research Manager for the Poultry CRC, spoke on the topic of ‘Laying solid foundations for continuous innovation in the poultry industry’. A key question asked by Dr Blackall was simply “How are we going?” In John Lowenthal’s Program 1 (Health & Welfare), key milestones such as the development of vaccines for control of significant diseases have not only been developed but commercialised,” he said. “Other projects like ‘scientific approaches for assessing and reducing risks to welfare’ were works in progress though evidence based welfare methods had been developed. Program 2. managed by Tim Walker, ‘Improving production efficiency through nutrition’ seemed to be well on track with some interesting work being achieved on reducing the environmental footprint of production. However, Program 3 managed by Dr Blackall, ‘Safe and quality food production’ was presenting some challenges with developing on-farm approaches for control of Campylobacter in chickens he reported. “Critical however, was the philosophy of relying on researchers to deliver,” he concluded. ‘Pfizer’s future role in the poultry industry’, presented by John Power, Pfizer’s Director for Australia, revealed the global strength of his company that operates in 70 countries with more than 9000 staff members. Critical acquisitions amongst many in recent years include Embrex (2007) and Wyeth Fort Dodge (2009) – key brands for poultry include Inovoject/Embrex Bursaplex, Lincomix, Poulvac, Innovocox and BMD. James Kellaway, Managing Director of AECL in his paper, ‘Free range versus cage egg production’ showed how free range egg

production in $ value terms had increased from around $40 million in 2000 to a projected value of around $260 million in 2012 with an 18% increase from 2011/12 alone. In answering the question of what drives consumers when it comes to purchase of eggs and agricultural based production overall, Mr Kellaway warned of the farm/city divide where the vast majority of Australia’s largely urban based population was loosing touch with farmers. In concluding his paper Mr Kellaway stated that “we need to acknowledge and address the challenges as they relate to community attitudes, resourcing and the views of politicians, while seeking a nationally consistent approach and defining welfare more clearly. “Then we need to communicate the facts and educate the public accordingly and ensure welfare is considered with pressures on the business of managing animals. “To achieve this will not be easy, cheap or a short term goal but do we have any choice?” he asked. Andreas Dubs, Executive Director Australian Chicken Meat Federation Inc, next spoke on the topic of ‘The Australian poultry industry 20 years from now’. Tracing the phenomenal growth of the industry from the 1960s to the present day, Dr Dubs said that the four main factors contributing to productivity improvements were, “genetics, housing and animal husbandry, feed and bird health”. “In 1975 it took 63 days to reach a 2 kg live weight with an FCR of around 1:2.3 but by 2010 those figures had dropped to 35 days with an FCR of 1:1.7. “Retail price of 1 kg chicken meat in 2010 dollar terms in 1970 was $10 kg but by the end of 2006 had fallen to $6 while consumption per capita in 1964 (pre KFC) was around 5 kg per annum per capita while today it exceeds 46 kg pc. “Increase in per capita income leads to increase in meat consumption but demand for meat is more elastic at lower levels of income than at higher levels,” he said. “Increase in income in lower income countries leads to a greater increase in meat consumption than the same increase in high income countries. China’s per capita meat consumption increased from 25 kg in 1990 to 54 kg in 2003, for example. “Sustainability issues like global CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 w

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012

4 1. Dr Mingan Choct, CEO Poultry CRC. 2. CRC Chairman John Kerin. 3. James Kellaway, Managing Director AECL. 4. Tamworth grower Guy Hebblewhite.

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NEwS v CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 warming, primary energy use and land requirements all favoured poultry meat over its competitors,” he said. In session 2, Ongoing Industry Challenges, FSA Environmental’s analyst Steve Weidemann dexcribed ‘LCA’s (Life Cycle Assesssment) in a nutshell: case studies for egg and eat production’. He described research aims and objectives, LCS research methodology and the results of carbon and energy use footprints. “Overall the simple challenge of the next 50 years was to grow more from less sustainably. “Future improvements will be an expectation, not an option: efficiency and sustainability are hand in hand objectives – though not always to the consumer,” he said. However research could have a broad interest and appeal and presents opportunities for engagement with consumers,” he suggested. Tamworth farmer Guy Hebblewhite in his presentation, ‘Running a modern poultry farm’ revealed his initiatives on composting and odour reduction and also the frustrations of dealing with local authorities. Poultry Digest hopes to run a full story on this innovative farmer in a forthcoming issue. John Houston, General Manager of Pepe’s Ducks next spoke on the vital subject of ‘Implementation of a national primary production and processing standard for poultry peat at Pepe’s Ducks’. “The major task was to improve and develop record keeping as farms not only have to comply with standards but also have to demonstrate this compliance,” he said. The final speaker in this session was Jean-Loup Rault who posed the question‘Welfare research: will science alone be enough, a burning topic given regulatory bodies current interest in what are perceived as welfare friendly production systems. In Session 3, Science to Industry, Tim Doran (CSIRO Animal food and Health Sciences) spoke first on ‘Sex determination in poultry - a progress update’. “The Avian W chromosome is poorly understood and that ‘W’ may yet harbour a female determinant,” was one of his conclusions. Phil Hynd’s paper ‘In ovo nutrigenomics’ looked at this novel approach to improve the health, growth and efficiency of broiler chickens.

Amongst his conclusions were “that several alternate compounds have been identified and will be tested using the albumen route”. Jess Morgan (Agri Science Qld DAFF) revealed her research on ‘Population structure and diversity of Australian Eimeria’. “Species and strains look similar but differ in biology and pathogenicity, and mixed species infections are common,” she said. In concluding, she mentioned that “backyard flocks are resevoirs for species and strains of Eimeria and that coccidiostats do not suppress Eimeria species equally”. ‘Egg washing implications for food safety and quality’ was the topic for Margaret Sexton and amongst her conclusions was the need “to re-think types of chemicals to use in washing also may be valuable for hatching eggs”. Dr Carlos Hernandez (post doctoral fellow at UNE CSIRO) who spoke on the topic of ‘Welfare assessment of free range laying hens’ concluded his paper by suggesting that, “preliminary data suggests that there are two distinctive groups of hens with a clear preference for the indoor or outdoor environment”. In Session 4, Education, Extension and Utilisation, the session was opened by Gary Sansom, an identity that needs no introduction to poultry farmers or indeed the agricultural sector in Australia overall. His paper, was ‘Extend or expunge: how not to waste our R&D investment’. Next a group of young scientists who are undertaking internships or other post graduate work spoke of their experiences in the industry. Daniel Cook, working with Ingham’s Enterprises Group Technical Services as part of his Master of Science in Agriculture studies, has been researching the incidence and prevalence of Campylobacter in free range meat chickens when compared to intensively farmed birds. His early conclusions are that samples revealed no significant difference but older birds in either system had a marginally high prevalence. Emma Bradbury, currently in her second year of a PhD study at the University of Sydney is working on ‘Behaviour and welfare of broilers and how it is influenced by nutrition’. When her studies are completed she has anbitions to travel and work abroad. Pathum Dhanapala, a PhD candidate

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012

CONTINUED ON PAGE 45 w

4 1. Jean-Loup Rault talked about welfare research. 2. Jess Morgan, Agri Science Qld DAFF. 3. Pathum Dhanapala, PhD candidate. 4. Emma Bradbury, Sydney University.

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New sheds feature extensive range area, shelters, hay bales and dust bathing wallows.

Farm Pride increases its free range production at innovative new farm

By PETER BEDWELL

he Victorian based Farm Pride Foods recently completed three new sheds with attached free range areas at Bears Lagoon, near Bridgewater in Victoria. This initiative doubles their free range production capacity that now houses around 180,000 hens on two separate production units. Sunny Acres, the first free range farm was completed in 2006 and Ryan Peacock,

the Production Manager at Bears Lagoon, gave a paper the following year at an animal welfare conference hosted by the RSPCA on the Gold Coast. In that paper he described the challenges and ultimately the rewards of working with the mostly European designed and built layer housing systems that have emerged in response to growing demand from consumers, retailers and government agencies for what is perceived as ‘welfare friendly production systems’. The Sydney Morning Herald, whose dwindling circulation is largely urban based, recently published results of a consumer survey that stated 67% of consumers prefer to buy free range eggs and that only 22% of shoppers were motivated solely by price when purchasing their eggs. Even if the actual figures are half of the former and twice the latter there is clearly a significant demand for eggs produced in systems that are broadly described as being ‘free range’. As the industry has discovered in the last decade, the challenge of building and maintaining ‘free range’ farms that can be commercially viable, acceptable to retailers and their customers, as well as addressing

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012

environmental concerns, is no small one. That said, Farm Pride and its Bears Lagoon operations, managed by a now very experienced team, seems by any reasonable measure to have achieved these critical aims. Poultry Digest visited the new free range sheds at the Acacia Lane site in late October and also took the opportunity to look at the sheds completed in 2006. All the sheds on both sites utilised what Farm Pride considered to be the best available technology consistent with being cost effective. The investment is considerable, not only in the shed construction and their respective nesting systems, but also in egg collection and handling. Outside the sheds, the range area management strategies also involve infrastructure and landscaping innovations to satisfy both hen welfare and environmental considerations. The first great advantage the Farm Pride Bears Lagoon Free Range operation benefits from is its location – very remote from either other poultry operations or large population centres. There aren’t too many traffic snarls w

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v around Bears Lagoon! The extensive area of land available ensures more than adequate separation of not only the two free range farms but also the rearing units. The first thing a visitor notices on seeing the new sheds at Acacia Lane is the large granite boulders that stretch from the shed walls and pop doors for around 10 metres into the range paddock. Apart from delivery of an exercise regime for the hens as they scramble over the boulders, the apron of stones prevent the ground near the shed exits from becoming a degraded muddy area in wet weather. Also, as Ryan explains, “when the hens return to the shed across the boulders their feet are cleaned during the trip and this reduces potentially pathogenic material being transferred from the range area back into the shed”. Apart from ensuring plenty of vegetation, the range area features small shelters, large straw bales and dust wallows. All these measures encourage hens to venture out and explore the range area but the reality is that during daylight hours, when the hens have continuous access to the outdoors, the proportion of birds that venture into the range at any given time are no more than 20 to 30% in number of the total flock dependent on weather conditions. Flocks are moved into the layer housing from the rearing sheds at around 16 weeks and get access to the range no later than 26 weeks and then remain in production until 75 weeks. Apart from getting the hens used to the nesting system that are specifically designed to suit layers in floor and free range housing, this allows the range a prolonged period to recover between flocks. It also means that birds can reach an acceptable weight range to ensure the productive longevity of the bird. Once they are out ranging they will not put on a lot of weight so birds that are too light would struggle. When Poultry Digest visited the new sheds the birds were at 60 weeks and it was an ideal day for hens to venture out into the range. The nesting system in the new housing is the Big Dutchman Natura Nova Twin system which Ryan describes as being, “a partially slatted and floor system where the manure belts run under the slats but leave sufficient space so the birds can utilise available space under the slats”. Steve Cadwallader, Big Dutchman’s Area Sales Manager for Australia/NZ, explained that “With this system we can meet all of the major retailer requirements in regard to perching capacity and feeder w

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012

1 3

1. Access to range through pop doors over boulders – cleans hens feet on return to shed. 2. Egg belt on Big Dutchman Natura Twin system. 3. Like kids in a playground the hens gather in groups. 4. Farmhand 10,000 egg collection module moves to packing shed on trailers. 5. “With this system we can meet major retailer requirement..” Steve Cadwallader, Big Dutchman.

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v and drinker space and that with the added capacity delievered by these new sheds Farm Pride can produce four million dozen eggs annually. “Lighting is important as we use this to bring the birds from underneath the system in the evening and to get them all back onto the perch for roosting overnight,” he added. While the sheds are automatically environmentally controlled and the sheds have cooling for when it is too hot for the birds to go outside, most days the sheds will operate with their curtains down to allow natural air flow and sunlight to enter the sheds. This means sifnificant energy savings – electricity costs are one third of the costs in the older sheds where fans are running continuously. A further innovation in equipment at the new farm is the use of the Farmhand fully automatic egg transportation system, which effectively replaces manual egg packing at the production shed. It is an ideal solution to egg handling for a farm like Bears Lagoon where the production sheds and packing facility are spread out over a significant area. Col Smith, the Managing Director of Range Harvester, the company that manufactures the Farmhand system, explained his company’s Farmhand Module egg handling system as the ‘missing link’ between automated nest systems and a centralised grading, or farmpacker shed, either on or off the farm. “For the first time anywhere, farms of any size or layout can be fully automated, resulting in significant economies of scale and labour cost reductions,” he said. “In addition egg sanitisation, immediate cooling and gentle transportation result in improved egg quality. “The system consists of three key components. Firstly the loader, which is a docking station that connects to the end of the egg delivery belt in production sheds: it receives the eggs from the belt and automatically loads them into the transport module. “The transport module is a unit large enough to accommodate 10,000 eggs. Larger sheds simply require additional modules. “The module contains tiered shelves that receive the eggs from the loader; it is refrigerated to provide immediate cooling of eggs as they are collected throughout the day and can be used for short term storage to suit the farm’s packing schedules. “It can be transported by a variety of methods including trailer, forklift of pallet jack. “The final component is the downloader unit and this is a docking station that is similar to the loader and it receives

Top: Constant daylight access to range area through pop doors. Centre: Farmhand system controls. Above: Farmhand module keeps eggs cool on transit from layer to packing shed.

the filled modules at the packing station for efficient downloading into a grader or farmpacker at maximum packer capacity. “Though the use of the Farmhand system at the Farm Pride Bears Lagoon new sheds for free range production is an obvious ideal application, we are getting increasing inquiries from farms where sheds are located more closely together and the Farmhand system can replace conveyor systems. “We believe that the use of Farmhand when compared to conveyors offers the option of more flexible staff working patterns and potentially better standards of egg sanition. “Our company is extremley proud to be associated with Farm Pride,” Col said. Having examined the new sheds, we next visited the three sheds completed in 2006 that use the Vencomatic Bolegg

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012

system in production sheds and the Bolegg Starter rearing system to train the young birds. On the question of diet Ryan explained that their nutritionist, Santiago Ramirez, specified high energy diets as the birds reached the stage where they had full access to the range. Higher energy and protein diets are used compared to cage layers and other free range operations. The feed itself is supplied by Ridley, St Arnuad. The obvious question is which system is best, the Vencomatic Bolegg or the Big Dutchman Natura Nova Twin? “We are pleased with both and we achieve results which are up to or above Hy-Line benchmarks for our Hy-Line Brown hens,” Ryan said. “Comparisons are also influenced by the fact that when we installed the Vencomatic system in 2006 we were at the w

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v beginning of a steep learning curve and now in 2012 we are more experienced with these sophisticated nesting systems designed to suit free range operations. “Also we had higher stocking densities initially in the Vencomatic system and now at lower stocking levels we achieve good results with both. “Both systems are specifically designed to meet the ‘five freedoms’ and birds have access to outdoors via pophole on either side of the shed – they do not have to venture more than eight metres to go outdoors. “The newer Big Dutchman equipped farms are performing at above Hy-Line benchmarks but that could be the result of not only better management and revised stocking densities and applying lessons learned over the last six years. Moving around between the farms Ryan points to the construction of channels to control run off from range areas. “We are aware that though our location is pretty remote we have to maintain the overall environment of the farm to the best possible standards,” he said. “Though our automated systems mean that we can operate with a small labour force, we are still a significant employer in the locality and want to continue in our role as good neighbours. “Given the considerable size of our farm there is still space for some cropping on areas not occupied by our sheds and free range paddocks. We allow local charities to crop these areas and this activity contributes significantly to local causes,” Ryan said. Having made considerable investment in a free range operation that should satisfy consumer and retailer attitudes to egg production, Ryan reveals that the next area of investigation for Farm Pride will be trials with the new Lohmann Brown genetics that are now available from Lohmann Australia. “We are pleased with the results we have achieved with our Hy-Line Brown genetics but the Lohmann bird may offer more opportunities for us in the future,” Ryan explained. Dr Greg Underwood, Managing Director of both Lohmann Australia and Hy-Line is looking forward to working with a larger scale free range operation like the one Farm Pride runs at Bears Lagoon. “The Lohmann Brown bird has been specifically bred to perform well in a wide range of both climatic and housing conditions. It is a very hardy and adaptable bird that will perform well in typical Australian free range production systems,” he said. Farm Pride has gone to considerable lengths to ensure that its Bears Lagoon farm, while meeting almost all of the

Top: Cleaning the farmhand uploader unit at shift’s end. Above: Ryan Peacock, Farm Manager (left) with Rearing Manager Michael Ketterer. Left: New Bears Lagoon sheds opened by Victoria’s Agriculture Minister.

expectations of fuzzy consumer logic around what constitutes free range, also addresses the real welfare issues around commercial layer operations like biosecurity, appropriate diet and the opportunity for hens to be housed in a system where birds can find a safe and secure place in the flock. Hopefully consumers, big retail and regulators will all recognise the initiatives of Farm Pride at its Bears lagoon operation to meet complex and ill defined criteria. Certainly the Victorian government has recognised the contribution Farm Pride is making to innovative food production and on October 12, 2012 the Agriculture Minister, the Hon Peter Walsh, Nationals Party member for Swan Hill, officially opened the new three shed operation

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012

development. “Farm Pride has continued to be at the leading edge of free range production in Australia and this will continue as the Bears Lagoon complex, a state of the art farm, demonstrates,” said Zelko Lendich, Managing Director, Farm Pride. “Free range production has grown at 20% per annum for the past 10 to 15 years and we see that continuing,” he said. “Australian consumers have shown that they will continue to purchase high quality but affordable eggs from trusted suppliers. “Farm Pride has been providing quality eggs for 75 years and we will continue to innovate while we meet the needs of both our retail partners and the egg consuming public,” Mr Lendich concluded.

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Steve Mikosic, Managing Director of the Multiquip Group at the new hatchery.

Multiquip opens new hatchery to supply Red Lea Chickens

By PETER BEDWELL

n November 3, 2012 Red Lea Chicken’s management, staff and many contract growers with their families, gathered for a celebration on the occasion of the opening of a new hatchery built and operated by Multiquip, an engineering enterprise that supplies the poultry industry with hatchery technology, transport and other forms of logistical support. This new hatchery, located at Picton in NSW, will supply up to a million day old chicks a week to Red Lea’s contract grower farm network and the facility has the

capacity to double that output in the future. Steve Mikosic, Managing Director of the Multiquip Group, was on hand as he and his team explained the vital components of the hatchery to guests and growers. Steve has long established connections with the poultry industry starting when the family ran their own broiler farms. From that base, Multiquip has grown as a significant enterprise that supplies hatchery equipment and engineering capability to a range of industries including the poultry sector. The company has developed transport systems suitable for moving both day old chicks and live birds. Their trailers are specifically designed to accommodate the trays that are standard to the broiler industry. ”Multiquip, established in 1984, has grown from a company primarily involved in manufacturing products for the poultry industry to a manufacturing business that can adapt to meet all of our customers’ needs in other industries,” Mr Mikosic said. “Originally we manufactured products that where designed and developed by the companies’ directors such as chicken litter

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012

cleaning machines; an invention of Steve’s that changed the poultry industry dramatically. “Multiquip then grew their poultry industry product lines to include egg incubators for both the commercial and hobby market, shed building, plus contracting to manufacture equipment for other companies and specific custom applications in a variety of industries. “In 1995 Multiquip purchased a machining company, bringing in-house all machining work that was previously subcontracted out delivering us more control over our expansion program,” he said. The equipment in the new hatchery is of US (HatchTech) and European (Viscon) origin. The 20 setters and 12 hatchers are manufactured by HatchTech and the setters have a capacity for 126720 eggs each and the hatchers 42240 eggs each. The HatchTech Microclimate setters feature temperature control of incubation conditions based on embryo requirements with six individual sections per machine. There are six individual sections per machine and each section is controlled by a single radiator with a separate temperature sensor. w

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Your Commercial Lending Specialist We would like to congratulate Steve, Jason and the whole Multiquip team on the opening of their Hatchery. Mortgage Link has worked very closely with Multiquip over the past 2 years to facilitate this development which included partnering with the right financier and structuring of facilities which included construction loans, import finance, leasing, foreign exchange hedging and interest rate risk management. With a highly skilled team of staff, Mortgage Link can assist with all forms of finance from residential, commercial, cashflow and leasing.

Jason Mikosic, General Manager, Multiquip Group of Companies with Domenic Corigliano, Director Mortgage Link

Let us take the hassle out of your next finance proposal; call us today on 02 88 655 355 or email domenic@mortgagelink.biz

www.mortgagelink.biz 2011, 2010 and 2009 Winner of the Australian Mortgage Awards “Broker of the Year – Commercial Real Estate”

Mortgage Link Holdings Pty Ltd ACN 129 528 605 Australian Credit Licence 388691

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The radiator controls both heating and cooling to maintain optimal incubation conditions for eggs in each section. The units have the HatchTech autofan system and there is individual turning for each trolley. The cooling/heating system uses hot and cold water. The hatcher has three individual sections per unit and each section contains two hatcher dollies with a capavity for 7040 eggs each; the hatcher dollies are stackable to save space. Temperature is controlled by a single radiator with a separate temperature sensor: cooling/heating by cold and hot water. According to company supplied information sheets, HatchTech has “developed a solution to capture the fluff before it leaves the hatcher so no fluff rooms are required in a HatchTech equipped hatchery. “Lamps are easy to clean on both setters and hatchers and can be replaced via the technical area on top of the machines.” The company emphasises that water quality is important for correct operation of the units. Other critical items of HatchTech equipment are the climate controlled chick HatchTraveller transport units mounted on trailer bases manufactured by Multiquip’s Trailer division. Company released information states that “the HatchTraveller is equipped with a unique climate-control system that is based on HatchTech’s laminar airflow technology and patented perforated radiators. “The system ensures that the temperature of every chick in the truck is kept at a constant 40o C – the neutral body temperature zone which enables chicks to make optimum use of its nutrients (yolk). “This gives it the best start possible for growth and ongoing development, so that it can later achieve its full growth potential. “In the unique HatchTraveller concept, chick baskets are placed side-by-side – no space in between is required. “This makes it possible to transport significantly more day-old chicks – up to 30% per truckload when compared to traditional transport systems of equal dimensions. “What’s more, when baskets are in this side-by-side position, the treated air is automatically forced through the baskets, and is not deflected around them. “When air passes evenly and directly by the chick, it makes it much easier for the chick to release its own heat, and stay at the ideal 40o C at all times.” Multiquip build heavy duty semitrailers to suit custom applications like the Red Lea chick transporters. “All trailers are designed in house and drawn up in CAD format to ensure the finished product will meet all of the customer’s requirements,” Mr Mikosic said.

Left: Viscon egg transfer room. Below: HatchTech Traveller with climate controlled chick trailer. Bottom left: Henk van den Heuvel from Viscon Australia. Bottom right: Tugrul Durali, Red Lea and Lucy Mikosic, Multiquip.

Many of the trailers are tried and tested in Multiquip Transports own fleet and therefore Multiquip has a unique position in the industry where they can quickly change and develop needs of a transport operator into the product that they produce for a customer. “This experience gives Multiquip confidence in the product and attachments that are recommended to customers when deciding on a new trailer design,” he said. Viscon Australia (operated by Hortraco Trading Pty Ltd based at Mt Druitt in NSW) supplied the Dutch Viscon equipment for the egg room, transfer area and chick processing but is an independent operation from the manufacturer. Henk van den Heuvel from Viscon Australia was on hand at the opening to explain his equipment to visitors.

22 POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012

Apart from the shed construction the scale of the hatchery equipment and egg/chick handling equipment is to say the least awe inspiring and represents a significant investment by Multiquip. This brings up the question of finance for such a major enterprise and Steve Mikosic turned to finance experts and commercial lending specialists Mortgagelink. The company has in recent years won multiple awards for its demonstrated competence in handling commercial real estate and equipment financing. Having struggled initially in trying to deal with individual banks, Multiquip turned to Domenic Corigliano, a Director and credit advisor with Mortgage Link to handle the financial package needed to build and equip the new hatchery. w

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R & E SHEDS Built to Last • Over 20 years experience in building poultry and machinery sheds • All styles of sheds – conventional, free range and tunnel sheds • Well known reputation for fast and efficient erection time without compromising good quality workmanship • As the owner of R&E Sheds, Etienne Misfud oversees the whole job from start to finish • Repairs, extensions, insurance work to any existing sheds • All sheds can be customised to suit any clients’ needs • All structural steel work manufactured at R&E Sheds, so no delays on completion of the project • No project too small or large • We travel to all areas of Australia and New Zealand • Fully licenced to build interstate or overseas

Call for a quote: Etienne Misfud on Mob: 0428 481 811 or 0417 481 811 Office: (02) 4774 8764 Fax: (02) 4774 8415 Email: reshed@bigpond.com

PDOctNov2012:PDFEBMAR09 28/11/12 6:41 PM Page 24

“There was quite a level of complexity to setting up the most efficient financing of this enterprise which involved multiple lending facilities including a construction loan, leasing, importing, letters of credit, escrow, hedging as well as managing foreign exchange and interest rates,” Mr Corigliano said. “It is the commercial experience acquired by our business where the directors and key staff members all came from a business banking background in major banks that helps businesses like Multiquip navigate through the many lenders and structure a finance strategy that is in the clients best interests. “We not only set up the financial structure but manage the process throughout the project,” he added. Jason Mikosic, General Manager of Multiquip Transport was full of praise for the way Domenic Corigliano and his colleagues at Mortgage Link had handled their financial affairs. “In the past few years we have dealt directly with the banks and had no broker involvement. “During this period I found that dealing with different banks and their business managers to be time consuming and not always productive,” he said. “I can highly recommend the services of Domenic as a business broker to assist with obtaining finance,” he said. “The benefits for our company includes only having to explain our plans once to a broker that understands our business and opportunities. “Domenic then approached different banks on a level of understanding and influence that we, as a company, found hard to achieve. “Since our first dealing and finance arrangement, Domenic has taken the lead in assisting further with business development and capital requirements. “He is always thinking of how he can help the business for any future developments. “I am appreciate that we no longer have to deal directly with the banks and we have an excellent broker that can assist us with our needs,” Jason concluded. Colin Lewis, Livestock Manager at Red Lea explained that, “this new state of the art hatchery offers improved performance in terms of better hatchability, liveability, growth and FCR along with an increased welfare level which is paramount to the Red Lea approach to broiler production. “Red Lea now has a dedicated hatchery that allows for the potential to grow organically with their existing customers and to also take advantage of any future business as it arises through the growing population and subsequent increases in chicken meat

Left: Viscon chick processing equipment. Below: Darryl Meaney, Mark Bennett and Peter Amendola from Pfizer with Leanne Jones from Embrex.

Above left: Viscon waste handling installation. Above: John Velcich, Managing Director, Red Lea Chickens. Left: Hatch Tech setters and hatchers.

consumption,” he said. “Multiquip plays an integral part in the Red Lea operation, working closely with the Red Lea Livestock team to provide an efficient and welfare based transport system for our day old chick deliveries as well as live bird pick up and transport. “It only seemed that the establishment of a dedicated hatchery was a natural progression of the relationship between the

24 POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012

two companies. “Multiquip has assembled an experienced team with the expertise to run all aspects of a modern hatchery. “Red Lea would like to also take the opportunity to thank our long time custom hatching operators Inghams and Baiada for their valuable efforts and continued ongoing support over the many years and into the future,” Mr Lewis concluded.

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NEwS Santrev steel factory opens in Dongguan, China The Australian owned and operated Santrev steel factory has opened in a gala event in Dongguan, China. “This purpose built facility was designed to further uphold good quality and ensure minimal lead time in addition to cutting costs for clients,” said Santrev Director Garry Sanday. “The opening of the factory will also serve to boost the amount of galvanised trusses Santrev will be able to build per year to around the 500 mark, putting Santrev in a league of their own compared to other industrial builders. “The state of the art 2200m2 factory is set to improve the already superior reliability of Santrevs’ services while delivering quality hot gal dipped steel,” he said. “The factory helps give Santrevs’ Chinese partner a critical role in supporting Santrevs’ customers including building projects in mainland china, but remains in full control by Santrev in Australia.” The factory is managed by Santrev Director Garry Sanday, Michael Trevanion and Australian Factory Manager Peter Moore, who joins Santrev with a long track history of reliability and quality. “The factory has been in operation for several months and after a lot of work, we’re thrilled about the quality of the galvanised poultry frames being produced by the Santrev team,” said Mr Sanday. Fellow Santrev Director Luke Trevanion was part of the lavish opening ceremony which included ribbon cutting and fireworks, attended by more than100 people, including the local television station, newspapers, local industry and government officials. No expense was spared in the gala event, which along with a dinner attended by the entire host of ceremony guests, was very well received. Mr Trevanion is excited by what the opening means for clients. “After listening to our Australian and Pacific Rim clients, we are thrilled to have our factory opened. After many years hard work we are all proud of our ability to be able to produce a high quality product on time and on budget,” Mr Trevanion said. The timing was impeccable as the VIV China show in Beijing, where Santrev was out in force to build on their growing international reputation, coincided with the opening of the factory.

Top: Santrev Director Luke Trevanion was part of the opening ceremony which included ribbon cutting, confetti and fireworks. Right: Director Garry Sanday. The factory opening will bring about smaller lead times and costs for clients in Australia. It will help increase Santrev on the global scale, easing the way for work to go ahead in countries such as North and South America and Europe.

28 POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012

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NEwS Vff warns of crippling urban water price hike Chicken meat and egg producers face a crippling 65% hike in the price of urban water from July 1 next year. The Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) has warned one of Melbourneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest water retailers has flagged massive price hikes in its five-year water plan, due to be lodged with the Essential Services Commission. South East Waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2013-18 pricing plan advocates raising the current tier two tariff of $2.12 a kilolitre for business to $3.50 a kilolitre from July 1, 2013. (All business pay the tier two price). SE Water has stated the price hike is largely driven by the outstanding fixed costs associated with the $5.7 billion Victorian desalination project and a 70% hike in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Environmental Contributionâ&#x20AC;? it makes to the State Government. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a massive impost on our chicken meat growers and egg producers,â&#x20AC;? Victorian Farmers Federation chicken meat group president Mike Shaw said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Growers across the Mornington Peninsula and other areas south-east of Melbourne will suffer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also been told there will be similar increases among Melbourneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s other two water retailers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our members canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford such a sudden price shock. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Good quality water is crucial in protecting our disease-free flocks.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;If the ESC signs off on these price rises, all businesses will need support to use water more efficiently.â&#x20AC;? Â Mr Shaw said the price hike was not only devastating news for Victorian Farmers Federation members, but the thousands of businesses that rely on SE

Water and Melbourneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s other water retailers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ultimately all three retailers will have to recover the funds needed to fund the desalination plant, which in hindsight appears to have been a costly mistake by the previous Labor Government,â&#x20AC;? Mr Shaw said.

uS funds international partnership against H5N1 in high risk regions The United States Agency for International DevelopmentÂ has provided more than $20 million to support the ongoing US Food and Agriculture OrganizationÂ (FAO) partnership against H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza and a widening focus on potential emerging pandemic threats. The partnership focuses largely on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;hotspotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; areas, such as Bangladesh, China, IndonesiaÂ and Vietnam. Funding will also go to regional coordination to support surveillance and avian influenza prevention in Cambodia, Laos, Nepal and Myanmar, which are threatened by the diseaseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s continuing persistence in neighboring countries. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The US government has been key in generating international support to combat avian influenza and to reduce the chances for a human pandemic by assisting the

FAO and others to address the threat in animals before it spills over into humans,â&#x20AC;? said FAO Chief Veterinary Officer Juan Lubroth. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Such support for basic prevention measures is rare, yet most sensible and cost effective.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The partnership has resulted in a better understanding of what drives disease emergence and what measure to take to prevent disease.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The US Agency for International Development launched an Emerging Pandemic Threats program, which helps funnel support to countries to diagnose and characterize different types of influenza virus threats. The FAO has established a Crisis Management Center for Animal Health, that can mobilise and deploy teams of veterinary and other experts anywhere in the world to advise governments on emergency control measures.

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Bill Williams, General Manager Tegel Poultry.

New Zealand’s Tegel Poultry achieves world’s best feed conversion By GARy THORNTON, Poultry International

ith an ideal growing climate and comparative freedom from poultry disease, Tegel Poultry focuses on the five pillars of agriculture performance to achieve the world’s best broiler feed conversion. What does the broiler company with the world’s best feed conversion say about its live production performance? “We can do better!” So says the manager in charge of live production at New Zealand’s largest broiler company, Tegel Poultry. The manager was speaking at the Alltech International Animal Health and Nutrition Symposium, where poultry producers and allied industry experts listened to learn how the company achieves exceptional performance. Tegel Poultry’s Bill Williams shared performance data that showed a company-

wide average feed conversion ratio of 1.55. And it’s no fluke! Tegel has steadfastly improved FCR by 1.5 points a year over the last 10 years. During the same period, the company’s live weights have increased by 50 grams per year. Goal is to continue improvements in feed conversion ratio “At Tegel Poultry we do well in live production performance, but we could do so much better,” said Williams, the veterinarian who is general manager of agriculture operations from feed milling and hatcheries to breeding and broiler grow-out operations. “We are averaging broiler FCR of 1.5 with a range on farms of between 1.4 and 1.6 and some sheds as low as 1.38.” Williams said the company’s goal is to

32 POULTRY DIGEST, October/Novemberr 2012

drive FCR down to 1.38. “If flocks could tolerate a higher spec diet without litter problems then we could get another 4 points on top of the results that you see in the data.” The FCR being achieved is cost effective in New Zealand; however, the economics may be different in different countries. “Increasing the energy and/or protein levels in the feed could result in a better FCR, but we are only able to feed economically at about 2.95 of kilocalories and 1.1% available lysine due to the current cost of feed ingredients,” he said. Tegel’s poultry operations Tegel Poultry, which is a fully integrated poultry producer with a staff of 1,900 people, processes over 40 million birds or 70,000 tons of dressed poultry annually. The company’s operations are in three regions of New Zealand – Auckland, New Plymouth and Christchurch – to allow delivery of fresh chilled and frozen chicken to more than 3,000 customers six days a week. While Tegel is New Zealand’s leading chicken producer with 52% market share, that market is small by world standards. Challenges of operational scale are overcome by using ‘multiple thinnings’ and sexseparate growing to allow the company to harvest the needed quantities of broilers at the desired live weights. Broilers are harvested from any given flock in three stages as they reach the target weights needed for various markets. Five pillars of agricultural performance Williams identified five agricultural pillars that drive Tegel’s world-beating broiler performance: 1. Genetic selection (Ross 308) w

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SPECIAL fEATurE v 2. Animal nutrition and lowest-cost modeling 3. Strategic feed procurement and manufacturing 4. Disease control 5. Animal husbandry and planning “While our broiler performance continues to improve over time, there are a lot of bumps along the way,” he said. “For us, every one of these bumps represents a time when we haven’t optimized the five pillars. Each one of them needs to be finetuned for us to continue to achieve performance improvements in the future.” Genetic progress continues but is difficult to realise “The next five years’ genetic potential is likely to be better than that of the last 10 years,” Williams said. “However, it is becoming more difficult to realise those gains commercially.” Early nutrition and hatchery management will play increasingly important roles in flock performance, he said. “Our youngest processing weight of 1.7 kilos is being achieved as early as 27 days from males now. So if that weight continues to be reached half a day earlier every year, it will soon be achieved at 25 days. This makes the starter diet very important nowadays. Managing the chick’s development in the egg is also becoming a critical thing in the hatchery.” Animal nutrition: Modeling and testing play important role Technical in-house and scientific expertise has enabled ongoing FCR enhancement for a given feed specification, Williams said. “EFG modeling tools, laboratory and veterinary support, sophisticated trial facilities and animal husbandry knowledge of our livestock team are used continuously to improve nutrition to optimize cost, welfare and environmental performance outcomes.” Strategic feed procurement and manufacturing Three mills manufacture feed tailored to the requirements of the livestock to optimise FCRs. Feed is produced to specification with minimum variability to take the variability out of the livestock performance. Feed texture is designed to maximize feed intake by the chickens. “In order to achieve the growth rates we experience, it is important that flocks consume their daily feed intake quickly and without undue competition so the format of the feed is very important. We achieve

very high durability of diets—70 on a Hol man test. Disease control crucial for achieving low FCR New Zealand has the best poultry disease status in the world and is the only country in the world with no Infectious Bursal Disease, according to Williams. There is no Newcastle disease or Avian Influenza in the country, he said. “Our broiler birds don’t get any vaccination whatsoever,” he noted. However, potential nutritional and metabolic diseases continue to be a challenge. These include coccidiosis, dysbacteriosis, rickets and leg problems. “These conditions can be problematic if our processes or diets are not quite finetuned right for those fast-growing birds.” Tegel has begun applying the “seed, feed and weed” gut health management concepts advocated by the University of Georgia’s Dr Steve Collett with good results in its flocks. The program cultivates the presence of good bacteria in the poultry gut and displaces harmful bacteria. The company also maintains high standards of isolation and hygiene, including all-in, all-out farms. Its facilities are designed for cleaning (concrete floors and new litter every batch). Animal husbandry includes move to management contracts Smoothing out the bumps in performance between individual farms is one key to achieving future improvements in overall performance. “Our current best month for FCR is 1.5. Our current best farm is 1.4. And our current best shed is 1.38,” Williams said. “So the varying performance of individual growers is an opportunity for us. “Management is a wide term covering the placement and kill planning, stocking density, in-shed management approach, grower attitude and shed facility. We can identify a spread in performance due just to the grower’s facility and their in-shed management approach of about 6 to 8 points of FCR. “The contractual relationship between Tegel and its growers has changed over time. Sometime ago the payment system moved from the traditional owner-operator model, where the grower is paid a fee per bird processed, to a model where the grower is paid on a square meter basis, but now a further change is contemplated where the owner of the farm becomes a landlord’ who leases his shed to Tegel on a rate per square meter basis, and then either operates the farm himself, under a management agree-

34 POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012

ment with Tegel, or employs a manager to do this. “As farms get larger in size this is opening up the options for a syndicate to own the farm as landlords (as the investment cost could be too large for a single investor) which may involve a separate entity operating the farm under a management agreement,” Williams said. “Management contracts will be offered to existing growers in the first instance but options exist whereby these could be passed on to other qualified operators by the existing growers who may want to retain the farm facility and lease income but not actually operate the farm. In some cases, Tegel may be the operator, with Tegel employees actually managing a leased farm. “It’s about peoples skills. An investor with the means to fund a farm purchase isn’t necessarily the right person to run a large farm. They can employ a manager but they still remain liable for performance. A management agreement allows them to separate risk on the facility contract from risk associated with running the farm. The contracts are separately incentivized.” Achieving consistent flock performance Williams offered this thought about the challenge of achieving consistently high flock performance: Wherever poultry are grown in the world, and however excellent the live-production programs, achieving high performance on a consistent basis is never easy. Williams summed up: “As we know, chooks are a constant challenge.” Broiler shed construction and bird density Poultry sheds are of wood or metalpole framing, and exteriors are clad with fibrous cement sheeting or steel sheeting with some expanded polystyrene panels. Interiors are lined with fibrous cement sheeting or fiberglass or steel panels. All sheds have concrete floors. While sheds vary in size from 700 to 2,240 square meters, the typical size is around 1,400 square meters (around 15,000 square feet) with a stocking density of 19 birds per meter for capacity of 27,000 broilers. Split-shed growing has males on one side of a movable barrier and females on the other. Males, due to their faster growth rates, get more space than females to keep kilograms per square meter uniform and always less than 38 kilograms per square meter. This article reproduced with the permission of Poultry International WATT.

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POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012 35

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NEwS falling demand for free range eggs easing in the uK Recent statistics indicate that the decline in demand for free range eggs may be slowing down. Noble Foods Chief Executive Peter Thornton said that retail data obtained by the company showed that the rate of decline for the latest four-week period was 2% compared with a 4% over the last 12-week period, although he indicated that it was probably too early to draw any solid conclusions from the figures. “I think there are a lot of free range promotions on at the moment. Whether that had a part to play I don’t know. It is difficult to know,” said Peter, who said he was still concerned about the free range egg market. At the Pig and Poultry Fair earlier this year he warned that there had been a ‘seismic change’ in the retail egg market in the last six months, with demand for free range falling and sales of cage eggs increasing. He said that a year earlier free range accounted for 53% of all volume sales in retailers. That share had fallen to below 50% and free range was declining at the rate of 5% per annum. At the same time, cage was growing at the rate of 20% in the major retailers. He said the industry needed to be very cautious about any further expansion of the free range flock – warning that it could enter a permanent cycle of boom and bust unless care was taken – and he called on the industry to come up with a plan to control the size of the national laying flock to match consumer demand. At the London conference of the International Egg Commission (IEC) said that his concerns about free range had not changed despite the recent retail figures. “I am still concerned. Nothing has changed,” he said. Many fear that the difficult position of the free range sector could become even more apparent when the current shortage in cage production is filled. Free range eggs have been cascaded down into value egg, but are likely to be displaced as more enriched cage production comes on stream. Peter said, “As more and more colony is introduced the free range surplus will come out more and more.” He added the latest chick placing statistics were a matter of concern for the industry. According the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the number of commercial layer chicks placed in United Kingdom hatcheries in July this year was up by 18% compared with the same month last year. The actual figure for chicks placed was 3.5 million compared with three million in July 2011 and the 12-month moving total to July 2012 has increased to 33.5 million. The July increase follows two months of falls in May and June, although the number of chick placings in April was 31% higher than the figure for April last year. The statistics for layer eggs set also record increases. The figures for June were up nine per cent year-on-year from 7.5 million to 8.2 million. For July the increase was 17 per cent - up from 7.7 million in July last year to 9 million in July this year. The 12-month moving total is now up to 95.8 million. John Campbell, who was also attending the IEC conference, said there were still too many free range eggs on the market. He described the market for free range as “steady but not improving” and, like others in the industry, he said that the big growth at the

36 POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012

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NEwS

moment was coming in the cage egg sector. John had some criticism for politicians who had been handing out free range grants. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Production and marketing grants have created a severe challenge,â&#x20AC;? he said. With free range egg producers sustaining heavy losses because of high feed costs and depressed prices, the British Free Range Egg Association (BFREPA) has been pressing supermarkets to respond to the crisis in the egg sector by paying producers more for their eggs. The most recent BFREPA costings show that free range producers are losing nearly ÂŁ2 per bird on their flocks, with organic producers losing nearly ÂŁ5 per bird. Waitrose recently responded to the sectorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s financial problems by raising prices for its Columbian Blacktail producers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 10 pence per dozen for graded organic eggs and eight pence per dozen for free range eggs. BFREPA chairman John Retson is urging other major retailers to follow the example of Waitrose and BFREPA has launched a campaign to raise awareness amongst consumers of the problems facing free range egg producers. One former supermarket boss, Sir Terry Leahy, who was at the helm of Tesco as it grew to become the largest retailer in the United Kingdom and the third largest in the world, was at the IEC conference speaking about the retail sector generally and Tesco in particular. When asked about his views on the current retail prospects for free range eggs he was reluctant to go into detail on the subject, as he said he was no longer at Tesco and did not know the up-to-date statistics, but he said it was understandable in a recession that people would seek out a value alternative. However, he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think we should wait for the consumer recovery and see how demand settles down.â&#x20AC;? Whilst Defra statistics show that throughput of UK produced eggs through the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s packing stations was down by 8.2% overall year-on-year in the second quarter of 2012, the smallest decrease was in free range â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the sector that is experiencing a decline in demand. Organic was down 32% year-on-year, barn was down 21%, cage fell by 7.4% and free range by 6%. Andrew Joret, chairman of the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC), has said there are still too many free range eggs on the market. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Free range is a continuing concern for us because demand is shrinking and that is something that none of us expected to happen,â&#x20AC;? he said. He said the egg industry needed to produce just enough free range and nothing more.

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NEwS Aviagen hosts leading companies from Japan Aviagen, together with Nippon Chunky Co Ltd, the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long term, successful Ross distributor for Japan, accompanied three leading companies on a four-day visit to the United Kingdom during the last week of August. The visit provided a unique forum to present and exchange views at a senior level and to enhance communication and understanding on a number of important topics. Â

Presentations included research and development projects, genetic progress and efficiencies, Aviagenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s European organisation, the UK and German markets as well as processing and product traceability practices. Executives from Jumonji Chicken Company, Marui Agri. Corp, Marubeni Chikusan and Nippon Chunky participated in a comprehensive visit program which incorporated some outside speakers along

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38 POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012

with Aviagen management presentations and concluded with a visit to the Moy Park processing facility in Anwick, Lincolnshire. Participants were appreciative and offered the following comments at the conclusion of the successful visit to the UK. Â Koji Morinaga, President, Nippon Chunky, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;All the customers were impressed by Aviagenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thoughtful, careful, and flexible arrangements and hospitality. The four lectures contained very concise and helpful points. Moy Parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visit was also impressive.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Meeting our friends from Nippon Chunky and their customers at Aviagenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s base in Scotland has provided another excellent opportunity to strengthen our relationship,â&#x20AC;? commented Graeme Dear, General Manager Aviagen Ltd. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With 45 years of successful partnership between Aviagen and Nippon Chunky it is always useful to meet each other face to face, to share knowledge to better understand the markets and to hear directly from their customers the issues of the day and for the future,â&#x20AC;? Alan Huston, General Manager, Breeders and Hatcheries, Moy Park, added, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Like Nippon Chunky, Moy Park and Aviagen have had a long standing relationship for over 50 years with Moy Park acting as a distributor of Ross Parent Stock on behalf of Aviagen. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This has been a very strong partnership with both companies effectively showcasing each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; products to many areas all around the globe. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We at Moy Park are always happy to help Aviagen, their customers and distributors in any way that we can to share new ideas and technologies which may be of benefit to other key customers and in so doing we benefit in the sharing of information from many regions.â&#x20AC;?

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NEwS Coles on collision course with animal welfare groups over free range eggs The current Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals Domestic Poultry allows for a maximum of just 1500 hens per hectare to classify as free-range. But Coles believes 10,000 birds per hectare is adequate. The Australian Egg Corporation, which represents all egg producers, wants to limit outdoor stocking density for freerange eggs to no more than two hens per square metre to meet growing consumer demand. That means 20,000 hens a hectare. Coles has previously announced plans to phase out caged hens’ eggs by 2013, after research showed 95% of its customers wanted free-range eggs but were deterred by the higher price. “For our Coles-branded eggs, we have issued a standard that sets out a maximum stocking density of 10,000 birds a hectare,” a spokesman said. “We came to this figure after consulting with industry and welfare groups, and we believe it strikes the appropriate balance between animal welfare and keeping freerange egg prices within reach of most Australians.” The Coles spokeman said it would free

Chief Editor at world Poultry dies International Agri Media has issued a statement saying it regrets to announce the sudden passing of Dick Ziggers, Chief Editor of AllAboutFeed magazine and content manager of AllAboutFeed.net, WorldPoultry.net and PigProgress.net, on Sunday the November 18, 2012. “His passing has come as a great shock and is a tremendous loss to his family and friends, colleagues and peers. Dick had a passion for our company and our brands and was a true ambassador for the portfolio of International Agri Media,” said the company. “Dick joined Reed Business Media (and its predecessors) in 1989. He worked for various Dutch agricultural magazines before joining our group. Dick would have celebrated his 55th birthday next week.”

more hens from cages. “The egg industry has advised any broader moves to lower stocking densities, as suggested in the model code, will see free-range egg production decline, as there would be insufficient approved farm space available to maintain current free-range egg

volumes,” the spokesman said. “This would raise the prices of free-range eggs, making them unaffordable for many families.” In late 2010, Coles had just decided to phase out cage eggs from its home brand and the Egg Corporation was looking at changing the definition of free-range. At that time the corporation argued people would accept 10,200 birds a hectare. Australian Egg Corporation Managing Director James Kellaway said the decision to settle on 20,000 birds a hectare was taken “about six months ago”.

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www.stockyardindustries.com POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012 39

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NEwS what you need to know about the future of the poultry industry With high feed costs, increased government regulations and consumer demands intensifying, the future of the poultry industry is difficult to predict. This was the focus of Alltech’s 10th Poultry Solutions Seminar, held in Hannover, Germany on the November 12, where a number of distinguished poultry industry experts gave presentations on their cutting edge research. Antibiotic resistance is getting more and more publicity and governments are starting to take notice. Dr Marcel Boereboom, of the Royal

Dutch Society for Veterinary Medicine, discussed the impact this is having on the Dutch industry. He described how the government of the Netherlands have, to date, banned certain antibiotics and implemented a targeted reduction of 50% (of 2009 levels) of the total amount of antibiotics used in food producing animals by 2013. This has had a huge impact on how poultry is produced. Focussing on how to deal with this issue was Professor Stephen Collett from the University of Georgia.

40 POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012

He recommended a shift in emphasis in gut health management, from working against pathogens, to working with the intestinal microbial community. This involves improving performance by accelerating the evolution and maintaining the stability of favourable intestinal microbiota. The three most important areas of an effective intestinal health management programme include: ‘seeding’ the gut with favourable organisms, ‘feeding’ the favourable organisms and ‘weeding’ out the unfavourable organisms. Professor Roselina Angel, of the University of Maryland, described at the Poultry Solutions Seminar research on how neonatal conditioning, resulting in epigenetic changes shows great promise in terms of improving phosphorus (P) utilisation. “By applying a moderate P deficiency in young chicks, the bird is conditioned to utilise P more efficiently throughout its life. The timing of the conditioning is critical and requires a clear understanding of skeletal growth, the main driver of calcium (Ca) and P requirements,” she said. Controlling campylobacter, a bacteria that poses no danger to poultry, but is the leading cause of human bacterial gastroenteritis, was the topic of Professor Frank Pasmans’ presentation. When a single bird is infected, the infection spreads quickly through the flock, resulting in the majority of birds being colonised within only a few days after Campylobacter entry. He explained how, overall, the outlook is bleak if the flock has been infected but results of recent studies, using oral administration of bovine or chicken immunoglobulins of hyper-immunised animals and the use of bacteriocins to limit caecal colonisation, look promising. To deal with unpredictable feed costs and an inconsistent supply, Professor David Roland of Auburn University, recommends his “econometric approach to the feeding of layers. “Feeding correctly is challenging because nutrient requirements and dietary levels needed for optimal returns are continually changing” said Prof Roland as he opened his talk. He presented his calculation tool called Econometrics to attendees. For a more detailed account of the talks at the Solutions Seminars visit www.alltech.com/blog

PDOctNov2012:PDFEBMAR09 28/11/12 6:41 PM Page 41

Vencomatic is a global supplier of innovative and sustainable housing solutions for the poultry sector with strong footholds in the segments: hatching egg production, table-egg production and broiler production. Because of the increasing market and a strong belief in a healthy future, Vencogroep Asia SDN BHD, located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is looking for an: Vencomatic is one of the companies of the Venco Groep. We are ambitious when it comes to innovation and sustainability in the poultry sector. We aim to be the world’s best and we aim to achieve this together. This is our belief. We are curious as to how you feel about this. Working at the Venco Groep means growth for people with ambition. It also means working together towards growth, innovation and sustainability in the poultry sector. That is what we are good at and we aspire to do it even better in the future. All over the world customers appreciate our high level of service. The Venco Groep employs over 400 people worldwide. Headquarters are in the Netherlands with subsidiaries located in Spain, Brazil, China and Malaysia. Our brands are: ß Vencomatic, specialist in poultry housing and equipment. ß Prinzen, specialist in egg handling ß Agro Supply, specialist in climate solutions ß Rondeel, innovative poultry housing

Area Sales Manager Pacific (Technical/Commercial) Assignment: ß Developing and expanding the distributor and sales network in the area Australia and New Zealand ß Performing active sales activities, conducting negotiations and closing contracts ß Participate in local and international tradeshows Qualifications: ß Agro-industry and/or sales education ß Technical basic education ß Knowledge of the poultry sector (especially in Australia and New Zealand) ß High level of energy dedicated to your work ß 5 – 10 years of experience in sales activities , conducting negotiations and closing contracts For information, please contact Mr Peter Schreurs, Director Operations (China/Asia and Pacific) e-mail peter.schreurs@vencogroep.com. Mail your application with CV to Mr Theo Vervoort, Director HR, by e-mail to theo.vervoort@vencogroep.com.

Suite 6/7, 694 Pacific Highway, Killara NSw, Australia 2071 Tel: +61 2 98445700 fax: +61 2 94182544

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012 41

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NEw PrODuCTS Poultry specific LED lighting solutions AgriShift PL poultry lights were created to help poultry operators significantly reduce electricity costs, decrease labour demands from frequent replacement of traditional lights, and increase flock performance. “These lights have no need for ballasts or transformers and boast a power factor greater than 0.98, total harmonic distortion below 20%, a reduction in power lost as heat by 30%, and the virtual elimination of electromagnetic interference (EMI),” said Damien Cooke, Managing Director of Damex. “AgriShift poultry lights are more energy efficient than fluorescent, incandescent, and HID counterparts – an important factor considering electricity accounts for such a large percentage of producers’ operatingcosts. The savings are significant enough to provide a return on investment,” Mr Cooke said. “This is the first line of poultry lights with proprietary ONCE AC LED conditioning and colour temperature shift control technologies to take advantage of the spectral response of domestic fowl to light. “The combination of these technologies, along with innovative lamp designs and customized LED packages make it possible to achieve smooth dimming and colour modulation in the same step. “Each of four models produces light output tailored for a specific poultry application.” Mr Cooke described the AgriShift PL lighting advantages. • Illumination comparable to a 100 W incandescent • Power input 0-12 watts (dimmable) • Installation choices: screw base, cord and plug, hard wired, conduit stub • Heavy-duty design; liquid and dust resistant • Rated for 50,000 hours: 4 x longer than CFLs and 30 x longer than incandescent • No negative effects of on/off cycles • No audible buzz, negligible EMI • Contains no hazardous, hard-to-dispose of, mercury A look at the light from AgriShift PL lamps The second graph shows how the AgriShift PLWB5000 closely mimics the colour sensitivity of poultry (fluorescent, incandescent, and HID lamps do not).

ural light ‘wavelength’. Natural white light is merely a combination of different colour wavelengths. Think of how light travelling through a prism turns into visible monochromatic colours of light. Now mentally reverse the process where the colours combine and turn into visible light where we don’t discern the individual colours – even though they exist and play a role in what we see and how we feel or act.

* Data source: “Spectral sensitivity of the domestic fowl (Gallus g. domesticus)” N. B. PRESCOTT AND C. M. (1999)

A look at what poultry sees The first graph shows the photopic (day vision) relative spectral sensitivity of the human eye compared to that of domestic fowl. Both show a similar sensitivity peak in the green spectrum. Poultry, however, are considerable more sensitive to red and blue light – and can see UV light humans do not. This reveals that perceived light intensity is considerably higher for poultry. Application color options

AgriShift PL lights are predominately within poultry’s peak spectral sensitivity range. The luminous efficacy (lumens per watt) is poultry optimized and results in maximum perceived light at minimum power. For that reason, blue can be dimmed low to save energy and will provide adequate light for broilers. As important as energy savings, light colour affects biological function. Bluish light, for example, increases weight in broilers by stimulating testosterone secretion and myofiber growth. AgriShift lamps are made for poultry, not human, vision. That’s why their light output looks atypical, even unusual, compared to what we are accustomed to seeing from traditional lamps. Understanding light It is important to understand that white light is a wave made up of a combination of multiple wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum. Different wavelengths indicate colours in the visible spectrum … that portion which is visible to, and can be detected by, the animal eye. A typical human eye will respond to wavelengths from about 400 nm (violet) to 750 nm (deep red) with a significant sensitivity peak at 555 nm (green). There is actually no white, or nat-

42 POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012

Broiler and Turkey • Full spectrum natural white dimmed to bluish hue Breeder and Layer • Full spectrum natural white dimmed to reddish hue The Agrishift range of LED lights are exclusively distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Damex Pty Ltd. For more information contact Damien Cooke on 0411 140 735

Gasket-sealed lens and corrosionresistant recyclable aluminium shade ensures superior illumination and lasting performance in harsh poultry shed conditions.

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NEw PrODuCTS uLTrA Energy helps reduce power bills in chicken sheds No doubt your business will have experienced the shock of dramatically increasing electricity costs over the past few years. Electricity costs are a major concern and expense to most businesses and it’s only going to get worse. The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has released a comprehensive review of the future of electricity prices across Australia. The report states that the average price of retail electricity in Australia is expected to rise by 37.2% (22% in real terms) by 2014 from 2010/11 levels. “Facing spiraling costs and an uncertain economy, business is now confronted with significant issues with regard to containing costs, improving efficiencies and maintaining or growing revenues,” said Bob Cummings from Specialised Farm Services. “While there are numerous ways to reduce electricity costs the first and most obvious place to start is with electricity that you are currently paying for but simply ‘throwing away’. “One answer to the problem is ULTRA, the only device of its kind in the world which can be used to manage your electricity usage effectively, resulting in a 8 to 12% decrease in power consumption,” he said. “This device is most effective when it is used on high inductive loads, heating, ventilation fans, pumps and other cooling systems used in environmental controls,”

Mr Cummings said. cover the entire “In simple terms, when electricity poultry shed moves from A to B it moves around inside installation the wire causing a lot of friction and thereor easily fitfore heat loss. The ULTRA causes the ted to individelectricity to move in a straight line, reducual poultry ing friction, heat loss and therefore uses less sheds. electricity. “Return on “In Australia, many major companies investment is very that have installed ULTRA attest to its fast, usually around 12 effectiveness. to 18 months in most busi“Also ULTRA Energy Australia Pty Ltd nesses. On most chicken commissioned Griffith University, Faculty farms the device will become revenue of Technology to conduct an independent positive by 18 months. The device is safe performance test to prove that ULTRA and the company provides a 10 year wartechnology does work. ranty and a money back guarantee of “The major advantages of ULTRA are results,” said Mr Cummings. it is a low cost, once off investment and it For more information you can contact is compact and easy to install. Dave Bedgood from Specialised Farm Bob Cummings has been involved in Services on 0427 888 914 or email trials at a layer farm, and said that while david@specialisedfarm.com.au the company has had excellent results and data from food manufacturing Poultry farm: Comparison after installation of uLTrA uC-50 Power unit. Installed May 4 2012. kwh consumption for winter batch Kenneth Davis - Poultry Farm. kWh Comparison after installation of ULTRA UC-50 Power Saving Unit plants, supermarkets and pubs, this Saving 2011 compared to consumption winter batch Installed on 4th May 2012. kWh for Winter2012. batch 2011 compared to Winter batch 2012 is the first chicken shed that has kWh provided solid data. (See results). In the first instance, the customer would sign an authorisation allowing ULTRA to examine their electricity bills and usage to determine what size of unit is needed. The ULTRA is then connected to the power source but this could mean the main switchboard to 60

ULTRA UC-100 installed

Peak kWh winter batch 2011

Peak kWh winter batch 2012

kWh

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Ave Daily kWh kWh 39691.4 661.52 38461.36 620.34

Max Demand % Change kVA % Change 79.061 -6.2% 72.049 -8.9%

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012 43

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NEwS uS National Chicken Council calls for waiver of renewable fuel standard decreases, so do the prices of meat, poultry and dairy products, and the foods that contain corn-based sweeteners, starches, flours and oils, as well as substitute products such as wheat and soybeans and any foods made using them. A marginal decrease in corn price of 24%, based on a reduction in the price of corn by $2.00 per bushel, would result in a decrease of approximately 2.4% in retail

Aviagen sponsors second CPf customer seminar and golf day Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CPF) has held its second customer seminar and golf day sponsored by Aviagen. This year’s event was attended by more than 50 representatives from the Thai poultry industry and included a number of broiler-focused presentations. Held at the President Country Club in Bangkok, the event attracted a number of the major Thai poultry companies who were as keen to hear from the CPF and

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The National Chicken Council has called for a full, one-year waiver of the 2013 Renewal Fuel Standard requirement, saying that a recent study has shown such a move could reduce corn prices by $2 per bushel. The estimate comes from an August 2012 report prepared for the Farm Foundation by three Purdue University economists that evaluated how an Environmental Protection Agency waiver of the ethanol mandate would affect the corn and ethanol markets. The council also delivered almost 10,000 individual comments from those whose livelihoods depend on the chicken industry, almost three-quarters of which came from chicken farmers. “Our comments prove in detail that the RFS is causing severe economic harm to the US economy, and the 2013 requirement must be waived in full,” said council President Mike Brown. A decrease in the price of corn by $2 per bushel would alleviate pressures on both consumers at the grocery store and the food, livestock and feed industries, said the council in its statement to the Environmental Protection Agency. Given the important role of corn in US food production, as the price of corn

food prices. More significantly, said the council, a decrease of $2 in the price of corn per bushel is equivalent to a decrease of $71.43 per ton of corn, which results in feed costs that are $32.14 to 47.86 lower per ton. The broiler industry uses 1.25 billion bushels of corn each year. Savings of $2 per bushel of corn would amount to $2.5 billion in annual savings to the chicken industry. “Because of the importance of corn in so many aspects of food production, the entire food industry, and ultimately, the consumer, are suffering because of the RFS.”

NAG EM

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44 POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012

Aviagen teams as they were to play golf. Presentations focused on the impact genetic improvements have had on husbandry and management as well as predictions for broiler production in 2013. Presentations were given by Larry Blackstone and Dr Keat Fu of Aviagen and Khun Prajit Udnoon, Executive Vice President, CPF who also opened the proceedings. Orapan Chansawat, Aviagen’s VP Asia - Ross, commented “Ross is the breed of choice for customers in the Thai market and part of the reason for that is the great support CPF offer in the marketplace, with the help of our technical teams. “We are delighted that due to the ongoing demand for our Ross products from the Thai market place CPF have increased their GP intake. “We want people to understand that we are a company that listens as well as talks, investing a lot of resource in research and development to supply a bird which is easy to manage but offers great performance. “We appreciate the opportunity provided by CPF to once again interact with their broiler breeding customers.” Khun Prajit Udnoon said “Once again, we would like to thank Aviagen for its continued support in organising this interesting and enjoyable day for our customers. “The Ross brand in Thailand is a real success story and the close partnerships between us and Aviagen is what has made this possible.”

PDOctNov2012:PDFEBMAR09 28/11/12 6:41 PM Page 45

NEwS v

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

at NeuroAllergy Research Laboratory Deakin University, is studying ‘Production of hypoallergenic chicken eggs’. A major goal is the use of hypoallergenic egg-whites for vaccine production. Sheridan Alfirevich has been working with Zootechny at both Baiada farms and Pepe’s Ducks. Her description of frantic days, particularly when she thought she had encountered a disease outbreak, earned her the conference Golden Comb award announced at the dinner following the final session of the day. In the final session of the conference ‘Industry to science, Tamworth based layer farmer Bede Burke updated delegates on his innovations in ‘Welfare friendly bird disposal –12 months on’. David Halliday spoke about ‘Anaerobic digestion of poultry waste streams – what value has a dead bird?’. “One tonne of morts will yield about 250 m squared of biogas or 2000 kw – enough energy to generate 130 kWh electricity at 15c kW = $19.50 Peter Groves (Zootechny Pty Ltd, University of Sydney) spoke on the topic of ‘Incubation: 40% of a broilers’ growth lifestrategies to improve hatchery practice’. Greg McDonald, Group Executive General Manager Nutrition at Inghams Enterprises, then spoke on ‘The job of a company nutritionist’ or ‘just press F for formulate’. With 38% of the chicken meat market in Australia as well as nine feed mills and 35% in NZ (two feed mills), Inghams supplies feed and nutrition strategies not only to their own operations but across a number of species in both countries. “Concentrating on a raw material strategy to achieve least cost/performance strategy in growth, FCR and meat yield were critical issues,” he said. “The constant monitoring of global grain pricing was also vital,” he added. Joanne Devlin from the University of Melbourne spoke about ‘Progress towards commercialization of an ILTV vaccine’. Youssef Abs El-Osta R&D Project Manager at Bioproperties, identified ‘An industry need for a Mycoplasma gallisepticum vaccine for turkeys’. Bob Swick from UNE was the final speaker on ‘Industry interest in a net energy system for the Australian chicken meat industry’. In the next issue of Poultry Digest we

will describe in some detail some of Bob’s work and other important research projects being conducted by the Poultry CRC at UNE. Mingan Choct summed up what was an excellent and information packed event. The Poultry CRC in both its entities has come a long way and has not only shown it can produce scientific solutions to specific industry needs but also address issues like animal welfare in production systems and environmental matters that are directly consumer related. There can be little doubt that both industry and government have got good value already out of the Poultry CRC and will continue to do so. The poultry industry is a global one and the CRC is not only benefitting Australia but a valuable resource for developing countries where a safe reliable supply of meat and eggs is vital to huge populations.

Top: Post graduate researchers. Centre: Sheridan Alfirvich with Liz Roan, Education Officer, Poultry CRC. Above: Phil Hynd, Project Leader SARDI.

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012 45

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MANGEMENT fEATurE

Avian Influenza threats highlights the role of biosecurity By ANDy DEEKES, Marketing Manager Dupont Antec

Since December 2003, devastating outbreaks of Avian Influenza have decimated flocks of poultry in many countries, forcing a radical review of biosecurity measures. The consequences of Avian Influenza are immediate and financially severe. However, with thought and planning, a comprehensive biosecurity system can be implemented in order to minimise the impact of further catastrophic outbreaks. Disease control strategies must be a priority for governments and poultry producers alike. Once implemented, biosecurity must be rigidly enforced. During the devastating Dutch Avian Influenza outbreak of 2003, the Dutch veterinary authority (RVV) instigated tough biosecurity measures to bring the crisis under control. Transmission of the virus has been strongly linked to moving live birds, conta-

minated carcasses or litter in vehicles and has highlighted the importance of vehiclerelated biosecurity. Producers have often had difficulty in justifying this action as time must be spent ensuring that vehicles are adequately disinfected which may have a commercial impact on the producer. However any vehicles or associated equipment coming into contact with poultry or litter may become grossly contaminated with organic material containing large numbers of infective bacterial and viral particles. Although notoriously difficult to police, vehicle disinfection protocol can help to reduce the potential spread of the virus. The guidelines include: • Wash wheels and wheel arches between visits • Avoid walking onto a farm unless your

46 POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2012

footwear has been disinfected by use of foot bath or similar • Use protective clothing as supplied by the farm • Follow the site’s own biosecurity instructions • Clean and disinfect vehicles after each journey, including the driver’s cab • Use a combination approach to first clean and degrease the vehicle and all contaminated surfaces, followed with the use of a disinfectant with proven activity against the pathogens of concern to the particular enterprise • Use products with known efficacy in removing biofilms from surfaces. These may be difficult to clean and can harbour and protect many microorganisms • Wash and disinfect the vehicle at the end of the day The purpose of such strategies is twofold. In the first instance they will help to deal with the disease emergency as it happens and secondly play a major part in maintaining a high standard of biosecurity on an ongoing basis. Leading poultry veterinarian, Stephen Lister MRCVS, recommends that poultry producers and governments maintain their guard and a high state of preparation in readiness for any new threats of Avian Influenza. “A cornerstone of preparation against Avian Influenza must be to maintain a constant state of vigilance against disease. Control protocols should be based on sound and effective continuous biosecurity appropriately applied.” Avian Influenza has no respect for geographical borders and can affect all species of birds. In order for any control strategy to be implemented effectively, legislators must have a clear understanding of the location and density of flocks per square metre in the region, as well as the exact type of poultry involved (housed versus free range, turkeys versus ducks). This information is critical and needs to be accurately and promptly distributed throughout the industry. It will assist in

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MANAGEMENT fEATurE the swift and effective tracing of animal movement. Due to a natural resistance, free living birds may carry the influenza virus without becoming ill however, they are still capable of transmitting the virus to domestic poultry. In intensive poultry rearing systems, young turkeys and laying hens can be extremely vulnerable. In many cases it will be necessary to reduce the risk of further contamination by the prompt slaughter of stock while still on infected premises. Most countries already adopt a rigorous stamping out policy to control disease however, this can prove difficult depending on the number of birds involved and the type of housing. There is now an over-riding requirement that all methods of slaughter should be humane and ensure the highest standards of animal welfare. Methods used include lethal injection, which may be feasible in small flocks only, neck dislocation which may be possible in flocks up to 10,000 birds, toxic agents via the feed in which a reduced food intake and palatability problems must be a consideration, and mobile killing lines. The dampening of carcasses and litter with disinfectant prior to removal may help to avoid a further spread. An infected premises can pose a high risk to neighbouring farms and information gathered from the recent Dutch outbreaks suggest that strong winds and dry weather can be responsible for spreading contaminated dust over a vast area. Spread by faeces or contaminated litter is also considered to be a significant factor and can be aided by air, personnel, vehicles

and equipment. Once such risk factors have been identified, it is the responsibility of the poultry producers to rigidly enforce the necessary biosecurity measures. Methods to consider are: â&#x20AC;˘ Maintain an effective perimeter control â&#x20AC;˘ Implement disinfectant foot dips and protective clothing â&#x20AC;˘ Avoid stock coming into contact with wild birds â&#x20AC;˘ Most importantly, ensure regular and thorough cleaning and disinfection of poultry houses It should be noted that the Avian Influenza virus survives well in water so simple washing with water alone may assist transmission. Disease control experts in government agencies worldwide have regularly selected broad spectrum Virkon S as a disinfectant of choice. Dutch authorities invoked its use across all farms with up to three applications during the 2003 clean-up process. A disease outbreak such as Avian Influenza will often be accompanied by a ban on animal movement, which if prolonged can create severe welfare problems. Experience has shown that it is vital that plans are put into place to allow for the relaxation of the movement restriction as soon as possible. This should be followed by the swift transportation of eggs to hatcheries and packing stations, chicks to hatcheries and farms and commercial stock to processing plants. Once an outbreak has been bought under control, the industry can start to restock its flock.

Care must be taken that this process is monitored and controlled. The success of repopulation is dependent upon good quality stock therefore all sources of poultry must have a healthy status to ensure the good health of any bird which is reintroduced. It is almost impossible to asses the cost of not implementing biosecurity measures. With over ten million birds lost in the Dutch Avian Influenza outbreaks the cost exceeded 150 million Euros. In the 1983 Mid-Atlantic outbreak of Avian Influenza, the federal government incurred costs of over $62 million in their efforts to eradicate the disease. Producers lost $200 million due to increased flock mortality. However realistic any compensation system might be, companies both large and small are frequently forced out of business. Government and industry representatives were in agreement that the MidAtlantic outbreak could have been radically reduced if better biosecurity measures had been implemented. As a result, the Mid-Atlantic Cooperative Extension (MACE) was formed and produced various educational materials on biosecurity however, it has proved difficult to distribute this material to non-poultry personnel who regularly visit poultry operations and are in a prime position to transmit disease causing pathogens. Needless to say, anyone who directly or indirectly deals with poultry has the potential to spread the disease. With this in mind, the industry needs to be in a constant state of preparedness based on sound and effective biosecurity.

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PrODuCT NEwS DuPont Virkon S â&#x20AC;&#x201C; biosecurity convenience in a single pack When time is at a premium and producers need to disinfect livestock housing at turnaround, maintain fresh foot dips, ensure cleanliness of livestock water supplies and disinfect vehicles, DuPont Disinfectants can offer a highly flexible disinfection option in a single convenient pack, DuPont Virkon S, according to Andy Deekes, Marketing Manager Dupont Antec. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The outstanding attributes of this farm disinfectant technology are designed to cover all the key areas that producers need to address during routine biosecurity programs,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With independent performance data against 500 strains of viruses, bacteria and fungi, including Foot and Mouth disease, Avian Influenza, Salmonella and Campylobacter, the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;breakthroughâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Virkon S formulation has been selected and approved by Governments worldwide for Emergency Disease Control programs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Offering flexible, fast-acting disinfection for a wide range of biosecurity uses and the most challenging surfaces, Virkon S at a dilution rate of 1:100, has proven efficacy against E. Coli, Salmonella arizona, Staphylococcus aureus, Avian poxvirus, Avian reovirus, Infectious Bursal Disease Virus and Newcastle Disease virus.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;For livestock vehicles, Virkon S has also been put through its paces by the Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA) the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s official vehicle engineering and testing body â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and been shown to have â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;no significant long-term effects on the common materials used in vehicle applicationsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Adding to the convenience package, Virkon S provides producers with proven speed of kill and disinfection efficacy in the foot dip setting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;An important study carried out by Dr Sandra Amass from Purdue University, Indiana showed that Virkon S cleans contaminated boots in just 30 seconds resulting in optimum disinfection. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Good quality water is essential for efficient livestock production but frequently water quality on farms can be poor and can act as a medium for the infection by pathogens. Poor water quality impacts on animal health, productivity and welfare. Biofilms in water systems increase pathogen levels and protect pathogens from disinfectants. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Virkon S provides a proven broadspectrum of activity and can be used in terminal and continuous programs. When used at dilutions of 1:1000 (0.1%) it is safe and suitable for animals to drink water

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treated with Virkon S. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With such multi-purpose versatility, producers can â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;put all their eggs in one basketâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for a change and rely on the single pack of Virkon S to ensure the efficacy of their biosecurity procedures. â&#x20AC;&#x153;DuPont has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment,â&#x20AC;? Mr Deekes said. For additional information about DuPont innovation visit www.dupont.com.

Steggles adds new products to Turkey range Steggles has launched of a whole host of new products to its ever growing Turkey Shortcuts range. The new additions include Turkey Breast Fillet Steaks, Turkey Seasoned Minute Steaks and Turkey Seasoned Breast Roasts. The Steggles Turkey Shortcut range continues to simplify the turkey cooking experience, offering both ready-to-cook meal solutions featuring complimentary seasonings and easy serving suggestions, as well as versatile cuts that allow cooks to create their own recipes. Turkey has a host of nutritional benefits and can help form part of a healthy and well balanced diet and lifestyle. The new range of breast products are high in protein and low in fat ranging from 97-99 per cent fat free. Turkey forms part of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;meats and alternativesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; food group. Two to three daily serves are recommended by the Australian Government as a part of a healthy and balanced diet. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Steggles Turkey Shortcuts range makes turkey more accessible to families across Australia, everyday of the week,â&#x20AC;? said Brand Manager, Laurel Brown.

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PrODuCT NEwS Jansen Poultry Equipment presents the EasyLoader Jansen Poultry Equipment in Barneveld (The Netherlands) has developed a new product in order to load broilers in an efficient way â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the EasyLoader. Without the help of human hands, the birds are transported to the loading dock. This makes the loading of birds easy and fast without damaging the birds. Often damages are due to human interactivity and affects the quality of the meat. The EasyLoader completes the BroMaxx colony system for broilers. Improve broiler farming by innovative products Jansen says the company developed the BroMaxx colony system for broiler farming to solve the problems of breast blisters and other injuries. The BroMaxx colony system is designed with special slatted floors and manure belts to separate the broilers from their manure. The floor is designed with a perfect grid to let the manure fall easily

through on the manure belt. Jansen Poultry Equipment has patented this successful FlexFloor. The health of the broilers and quality of the meat definitely improved, says the company spokesperson. EasyLoader lifting system for loading of broilers An important factor in broiler colony houses is the unloading of the broilers. The EasyLoader is a lifting system to load the broilers into the crates with a minimum of human intervention. The load capacity of the EasyLoader lifting system is up to 12.000 BPH (broilers per hour). The broilers live on the special FlexFloor, which can be removed to place the birds on the underneath (cleaned) manure belt. This conveyor belt transports the birds easily out of the BroMaxx system to the conveyor belts of the EasyLoader lifting system. The EasyLoader transports the broilers

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into the crates in the container dock, which reduces the risk of damages and injuries. The unloading of the BroMaxx system becomes a quick and easy job. As soon as one BroMaxx line is unloaded, the Easyloader lifting system will be moved to the next BroMaxx line. Innovation is the result of experience and product development The comapny says the every farm all over the world has unique conditions and each housing system is adapted to get the best results for the investor. A team of skilled engineers take care of the engineering, drawings, installation and service for all the poultry housing orders. The ideas and solutions of everyday jobs find their way to our designers of new products. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our knowledge, experience, perseverance and a clear view on product development result into innovative products,â&#x20AC;? the company says.

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NEwS Alltech brings the power of genetics to the farm It is often said that we feed our livestock better than we feed ourselves. Those words may now ring a little truer on many farms across the United States. Alltech, a global leader in animal health and nutrition, recently launched a series of new species solution programs aimed at helping animals reach their full genetic potential. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yesterday, when we discussed animal nutrition, we talked about increasing performance through a stress pack,â&#x20AC;? said Dr Kate Jacques, Alltechâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Director of Nutrition. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today we are discussing the gene chip and how we can feed our animals to up regulate their genes, improve immune response, advance carcass quality and leave less stress on the environment. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a whole new ball game.â&#x20AC;? This shift in industry focus changes the priority from just getting more nutrients into the animal, to understanding the

degree to which each nutrient affects animal production at the cell and tissue levels. Alltech utilises the genechip, a DNA microarray, to measure gene expression and allow for scientists to analyze a very large number of genes at once. With this technology, scientists have found nutrients are â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;gene switchesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; that regulate bio-functions. According to a recent survey conducted by Alltech across the United States, 33% of farmers said if they had unlimited resources, the first area of their operation they would seek to improve would be feed costs, followed by another 33% stating commodity prices. With these increased prices in mind as well as the additional costs associated with supplements and additives, Alltechâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new solution program combines several technologies to synergistically work to enhance performance, improve animal health and increase return on investment all while

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helping that individual animal reach its full genetic potential. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we think of tractors, we think of John Deere and when we think about putting on our jackets for morning chores, we think Carhartt,â&#x20AC;? said Dr Pearse Lyons, President and Founder of Alltech. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is a very targeted, revolutionary approach that is true to Alltechâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ACE principle â&#x20AC;&#x201C; safe and beneficial to all three entities â&#x20AC;&#x201C; while delivering value and savings to the farmer.â&#x20AC;? Besides nutritional applications, Alltechâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s On-Farm Support program includes workshops and training for the farm employees, nutritional advisory services, fermentation testing, 37+ Mycotoxin analyses, forage quality inspections, quality control checks and many other services to support farmers. For more information about the Alltech On-Farm Solutions and Support program, please visit www.alltech.com

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