porkjournal www.primarymedia.com.au
Volume 37 Issue 4
July/August 2015
New Roseworthy ‘Pig Club’ is an instant hit with students APL Spring Roadshow updates SA industry
The impact of the weaning period on lifetime performance
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porkjournal www.primarymedia.com.au
Volume 37 Issue 4
July/August 2015
EDITOR:
EDITORIAL & DESIGN
JOURNALIST/PHOTOGRAPHER PRODUCTION EDITOR
Peter Bedwell Alex Bedwell
Rosemary Embery
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Alex Bedwell
ADVERTISING ADVERTISING SALES
Dr Wayne Hein and Belinda Halliwell from University of Adelaide, Roseworthy campus
FEATURES Page 8: New Roseworthy ‘Pig Club’ is an instant hit with students By Graeme Pope
NEWS Page 4: APL Spring Roadshow updates SA industry Page 6: Pigs in space the new norm Page 16: Solar solutions for intensive livestock production Page 17: Anatara Lifesciences forges industry and research alliance with Pork CRC Page 18: The impact of the weaning period on lifetime performance Page 19: Pork CRC: Major breakthroughs and progress in pig welfare and R&D Page 20: Lienert meets with pig farmers across the country to address nutritional challenges NEW PRODUCTS Page 14: Elanco launches Hemicell HT enzyme for increased performane at Sydney seminar
Peter Bedwell Phone: (02) 9797 2406 Mob: 0419 235 288 Email: primarymedia@bigpond.com Rates are available at www.primarymedia.com.au
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ENQUIRIES OFFICE ADDRESS: 250 Hawthorne Pde, Haberfield NSW 2045 Phone: (02) 9797 2406 Mob: 0419 235 288 Production: 0409 944 472 Email: primarymedia@bigpond.com Pork Journal consists of a bi-monthly management magazine and an annual industry review, The Pig Industry Yearbook. Published by C D Supplies Pty Ltd trading as Primary Media (ACN 091 560 557) 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 PORK JOURNAL, the publishers do not accept any responsibility or liability for the material herein.
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NEWS
APL Spring Roadshow updates SA industry By GRAEME POPE: Graeme Pope Consulting, Nuriootpa Australian Pork Limited’s SA Spring Roadshow, held at Tanunda on August 7, provided a good turnout of SA producers and agribusiness with updates on piggery biosecurity, pork marketing, changes to the APIQ program and APL communications with the industry. Bendigo-based veterinarian Dr Chris Richards stressed a need for enhanced farm biosecurity when discussing the emerging threat of viral pig diseases entering the Australian pig herd. “The fact that viruses are very simply structured, are light weight so they can be easily moved around and infectious loads can be very high, allows them to find ways to survive,” Chris said. “Mutations to current endemic viruses seen overseas and increased international trade and people movements have all increased the risk of viral entries into our pig industry. “People’s lifestyles are also changing with the promotion of ‘paddock-to-plate’ cooking. “We know there are now more than 1,530 properties in our peri-urban areas running less than seven sows and it will be harder to find these viral diseases and then control them once they get into these non-commercial sized pig operations,” he said. “African Swine Fever and Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea are the two highly infectious diseases we should be especially aware of, with ASF now known to exist in Poland, next door to Germany, which moves live pigs into Denmark and we get its pork in Australia! “Our best defence besides maintaining our border security is to remain vigilant and monitor the health of our pigs daily. “All farm staff should be trained in the recognition of exotic diseases and report any unusual disease symptoms to their vet. “All piggeries should review their current biosecurity protocols and tighten-up where necessary. “Reporting quickly will reduce the opportunity for disease spread off the farm and improve our chances of allowing these diseases to become endemic in our industry. “The risks associated with
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introducing a new disease onto your farm are highest with live pig introductions, followed by people movements, boots and clothing, then pig transport, aerosols and wind, rodents, feed and sharing piggery equipment in that decreasing order. Biosecurity is as strong as the weakest link in this chain on your farm,” Chris stressed. Steven Miller, APIQ Systems Manager, provided an update from the recently completed APIQ review, which has culminated in the release of the program’s version 4.0/7.2015 Standards. “APIQ now has separate environment and transport modules, taken out of the previous management and biosecurity modules,” he said. “Copies of the new Standards and a summary of the version 4.0 amendments are available at the APIQ website. “More than 90% of the national sow herd is now APIQ-certified,” Steve added. Peter Hayden, APL’s General Manager Marketing, provided an update on planned pork advertising investment and the impact record high beef prices were having on pork consumption and marketing. “Now that beef prices are so high, we need to take the opportunity to get pork into people’s eating habits. “We have been pushing the health aspects of eating pork now for a while, which is low in fat and high in iron, and more than 65% of people now remember that advertising message,” he said. “Fresh pork’s volume share of all fresh meat is increasing and we have an aggressive target to achieve of 12.8kg per capita by 2020, up from the current 9.8kg. “Our 6-2-2 advertising message aimed at showing how to cook pork steaks to improve eating quality, along with pack stickers, demonstrations and recipe cards, has increased sale volume by 66%. “A second advertising spend on that same message gave us a further 30% increase,” he added. “Retailers have told us to delay our next big advertising spend until after w Easter, as they have some concerns
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4 1. Veterinarian Dr Chris Richards. 2. Steve Miller, APIQ Systems Manager, APL. 3. Matt Starick (left), Pork SA Chair, with Peter Brechin, Lower Light. 4. LtoR: Dr Andrew Pointon (Pork SA), Dr Pat Mitchell and Peter Maynard, APL.
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NEWS v
that further increases in demand may force down carcase weights, which would be a financial penalty for producers. “We see the next two years as an opportunity to get people’s pork-eating habits established for the longer term and we may need an increase of about 4,500 to 5,000 new sows each year to meet the expected demand,” Peter concluded. Dr Roger Campbell, Pork CRC CEO, provided an update on farrowing and lactation R&D. “Farrowing and lactation systems remain a priority because of the continued interest from groups like the RSPCA. “Five years ago industry was dealing with implementing gestation stall-free systems and leaving farrowing alone, but now our surveys show that 75% of Australian producers feel farrowing and lactation system research should be our next focus,” Roger said. “Alongside this, we can see little interest from the USA and Canadian pork industries in moving to lower confinement systems. “There’s ongoing R&D happening in this area in Denmark and the Netherlands and Sweden is changing back to more conventional farrowing
driven by the issue of piglet mortality. Roger provided datasets from recent international and Australian R&D showing both sow and piglet performance implications under a range of systems when compared to the conventional farrowing crate. “We have compared both the quantitative and qualitative outcomes of different farrowing systems for the sow, her piglets and the producer in terms of their expected capital investment, labour requirements and worker safety,” he said. “Our current approach is to look how we can enhance sow and litter welfare in the conventional crate system, because so far we have not seen an alternative system that is in any measurable way better than a conventional crate.” Ashley Norval, APL Technology Transfer Co-ordinator described a new APP planned for release by APL in late September, which will provide producers with another option to access information from APL. “The APP will be free to download and use. Producers will be able to get APL R&D Snapshots, Coming Events, Marketing News and technical updates on aspects of pig production like welfare, reproduction, nutrition and health,” Ashley said.
Pigs in space the new norm The Australian pork industry’s progressive and voluntary move to phase out the use of ‘sow stalls’ has reached the 70% mark. Sow stalls or gestation stalls are a form of housing historically used to individually confine sows during pregnancy. This means that 70% of pregnant sows in Australia are now spending at least 90% of the duration of their pregnancy in loose housing. This achievement has been driven by Australian pork producers recognising that the past forms of confinement of pregnant sows are no longer supported by the community. The decision to move to voluntarily phase out of sow stalls was taken in late 2010, with the target for a total phase out by 2017. Australian Pork Limited (APL) CEO Andrew Spencer said the proactive initiative of Australian pork producers has propelled the industry onto the world stage, as leaders in animal welfare.
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“It also provides the marketing opportunity for Australian pork to differentiate itself against its global competitors who continue to use gestation or sow stalls. “The voluntary phase out of sow stalls places the Australian industry well ahead of its global competitors on sow welfare. “In Europe, pork producers are moving to limit the use of sow stalls to four weeks per pregnancy. In the US and Canada, any reference to ‘sow stall free’ means up to five weeks in a gestation stall, but the vast majority of sows remain in stalls for their full pregnancy in these countries.” Mr Spencer said, calls for a legislative ban on sow stalls in some States, are a betrayal of the positive work Australian pork producers are already achieving in their own right and at their own cost. A good example of misguided legislative change is the ban on sow stalls introduced into the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), where there is no pig production. The ACT
Top: Pork CRC CEO, Dr Roger Campbell. Above: Ashley Norval, APL Technology Transfer Co-ordinator.
legislated ban did not benefit one pig. “Those calling for legislative change on sow stalls are misrepresenting our industry by trying to indicate that they are still standard practice, which is now proven as patently wrong. It’s time for some honesty on this subject. Australia’s pig producers should be supported in this world leading change; not continually undermined by anti-farming groups hiding behind a sometimes phony welfare agenda. “What the community does need to know is that over 70% of ham, bacon and smallgoods consumed in Australia are made from imported pork, which is not being produced according to the welfare standards currently being achieved by Australian producers. Mr Spencer said legislative bans on sow stalls would ignore and devalue what the industry has already achieved. “Where the Australian community can assist is by making sure the ham, bacon and smallgoods they purchase is Australian grown. “That way Australians will be supporting both the leadership and genuine commitment of Australian pork farmers to the best care and welfare of their animals,” Mr Spencer said.
The ‘Pig Club’ students, staff and sponsors at Martindale Farm at Roseworthy campus.
New Roseworthy ‘Pig Club’ is an instant hit with students By GRAEME POPE: Graeme Pope Consulting, Nuriootpa
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n initial meeting held in April, 2015 between University of Adelaideenrolled Animal Science student Belinda Halliwell and Roseworthy Campus staff member Dr Will van Wettere, followed up with another in May attended by pork producer Tony Richardson and consultant Graeme Pope, was all the catalyst needed by Belinda and her fellow students to create the Roseworthy ‘Pig Club’. This initiative has led to the development of a new pig-keeping facility within the Campus’s Martindale Farm and increased the opportunity for Animal and Veterinary Sciences students to interact with and handle pigs on-Campus. The new Roseworthy ‘Pig Club’ and pig shelter was officially opened on July 30 by Dr Wayne Hein, Head of School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at an
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event attended by some of the project’s major sponsors, University staff and students. The school has historically grown beef steers on-campus to expose students to practical aspects of beef cattle nutrition and handling, with the opportunity to exhibit their animals in on-hoof and hook competitions at the annual Royal Adelaide Show each September. Belinda Halliwell saw this educational model as being a suitable process to stimulate a greater interest in pigs amongst her fellow students, but conducted within a learning environment created to be ‘less intimidating’, especially for first year students, than the 300-sow Roseworthy Piggery. “I wanted to be able to introduce students to pigs with an alternative and softer approach and give them the opportunity to see how cool pigs really
are as a species,” she said. “Lizzy Davey and other students like her who have never had any contact with pigs prior to coming to University, were my inspiration to allow them to interact, learn about behaviour, handling, welfare, duty of care and increase their confidence around pigs in a different, more relaxed environment without the pressure of being academically assessed. “I’m hoping my passion for pigs rubs off and that future cohorts will continue the project for many years to come,” Belinda said. Getting access to a more central facility on-campus, able to accommodate up to a dozen gilts, but adequately separated from the main piggery to meet its biosecurity restrictions, was Belinda’s next challenge. An empty fertiliser storage shed able to be converted into a strawbedded pig ‘shelter’ was made available by Martindale Farm Manager John Matheson, once the Roseworthy Piggery Board had approved the keeping of pigs on-campus outside the main piggery. “I’ve been Farm Manager here at Roseworthy for 10 years and I hadn’t seen a pig until now,” said John at the opening of the facility.
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“It’s good to get students back to the farm and it’s good to see an underutilised facility being put to good use,” he added. Once Belinda had access to the pig shelter approved, she started approaching local businesses and industry contacts for sponsorship of the ‘Pig Club’ project. “The Pork CRC is our gold sponsor, and APL, Laucke Mills and Vaucluse Livestock Equipment-APS are our silver sponsors,” said Belinda. Pork CRC CEO Dr Roger Campbell attended the official opening. “I was a bit reluctant at first to support this project, mainly because of the biosecurity restrictions in place around the big R&D investments we have made at the Roseworthy Piggery,” he said. “But once the Piggery Board approved it, we jumped on board. “We are getting lots of interest from post-graduate students who are interested in working with pigs so this can only help that. “The biosecurity restrictions placed around this facility will educate first year students in particular about our industry’s requirements and we have plenty of vets here on-campus in case something happens!” he added. In addition to the University of Adelaide’s Student Services and Kath Bryce, local businesses supporting the project include Stratco, Gawler Stockfeeds, Mitre 10, Elders, Masterlock, Gawler Landscape Supplies, Lienert Australia and Cheap as Chips. The next phase of the project was to convert the empty shed into a pig shelter, complete with adlib feed and watering system, hospital pen, parade arena, external fencing and solarpowered lighting. Silver sponsor Laucke Mills provides the pig feed. “The pig industry isn’t on its own when trying to source labour and getting students interested in livestock careers,” said bulk nutrition sales representative Alex Stewart. “There is often a disconnect between a student’s understanding and what goes on on-farm to produce ham and bacon. This project is a starting point to getting them interested in the pig industry and gives them some engagement with the animals. It will help bridge that knowledge gap,” he said. The local purebred industry got behind the ‘Pig Club’ initiative and has provided 13 grower gilts, representing w
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1. LtoR: Belinda Halliwell, Farm Manager John Matheson and student Nicole Cruickshank. 2. LtoR: Dr Roger Campbell, Nicole Cruickshank, Dr Wayne Hein and Belinda Halliwell. 3. The empty shed was converted into a pig shelter with hospital pen and parade arena. The lighting is solar powered.
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YEARBOOK visit primarymedia.com.au/yearbook
For more information visit www.primarymedia.com.au/yearbook or contact Rosemary Embery through primarymedia@bigpond.com
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FEATURE Left: Belinda Halliwell with the gilts in the new straw based shelter. The local purebred industry got behind the ‘Pig Club’ and provided 13 grower gilts for the show team, representing Large White, Landrace, Duroc, Hampshire and Berkshire breeds. The gilts will be looked after by the students until after the Royal Adelaide Show.
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Large White, Landrace, Duroc, Hampshire and Berkshire breeds. “We have had great support from Tony Richardson (from Yelmah, Hamley Bridge), Michael Blenkiron (from Gumshire Piggery, Keyneton) and Daniel Schuster and Daniel Amery (from ShuAm Pork at Freeling) with their pigs donated to the ‘Pig Club’ for us to look after until the Show,” said Belinda. Roseworthy students interested in participating in extra-curriculum livestock related activities can join the University’s Production Animal Special Interest Group (PASIG). Once becoming a financial member of PASIG, students can select which livestock species they wish to become more involved with. To date, 48 students (mainly first years) have enrolled in the new ‘Pig Club’. “Our idea is to expose our ‘Pig Club’ students to pigs by getting them to handle our show team and hopefully become more passionate about the pig industry,” said Belinda. “We have a student roster drawn-up which ensures our pigs are inspected twice daily, with first years supervised by senior students. They complete a daily checklist that monitors feed and water, health of the pigs and general condition of the bedding. “We are strict on biosecurity at the facility with locked gates, pig-free periods, boots and overall changes, signage and a footbath before entry, and the site comes under the main
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piggery’s APIQ certification standards. All these things are covered to show the students and the University that we are serious about the health and welfare of our ‘Pig Club’ pigs,” said Belinda. “Leading up to the show, we will have rostered training sessions held out the front of the shelter where students can gain confidence in handling and moving our pigs. “To add to their pig industry knowledge, we will also be holding extra-curriculum sessions where industry experts will be invited to address us on aspects of pig behaviour, breeding and genetics, nutrition and health both before and after the pigs have left for the show,” Belinda added. The first of these sessions was held on July 30, when retired Large White breeder Lindsay Baker, Mallbrae Stud, Wild Horse Plains and Nuriootpa-based consultant Graeme Pope addressed ‘Pig Club’ members on aspects of pig conformation and structure, genetics
and breeding and some practical tips on parading live pigs. In officially opening the ‘Pig Club’ shelter, Dr Wayne Hein congratulated Belinda and her fellow student organisers in bringing this project to fruition. “This project parallels what is being achieved with cattle on this campus,” he said. “It provides valuable interaction between pigs and people, which is something than can be lost in modern production systems where we talk a lot about the business, rather than the animal’s husbandry or management. “This initiative redresses this and provides for human-animal interaction. It also encourages teamwork within students and provides opportunities for leadership and interaction between students, University staff and industry. I’m sure your sponsors realise the potential value in what has been created here,” he added.
To advertise in Pork Journal contact Pete Bedwell on 02 9797 2406 or 0419 235 288. Please note our address is now 250 Hawthorne Parade, Haberfield NSW 2045 Email: primarymedia@bigpond.com
NEWS 2015 AgriBusiness Innovation of the Year Award Next instruments has announced that the company was presented with the 2015 AgriBusiness of the Year Award at the Wimmera Field Days, held in Horsham, Victoria in March. The award was for the CropScan 3000S On Silo Analyser that was launched at the event. The CropScan 3000S is a unique system designed for measuring protein, moisture and oil in grans and oil seeds as they pass through an auger, along a conveyor belt or through a pnaumatic pipe. The system consists of the CropScan 3000 Near Infrared Transmission spectrometer, a remote sampling head and a touch screen PC controller mounted onto a trolley for transporting the system around the yard or shed. The analyser is part of an ongoing product development that started 15 years ago when NIR Technology Systems developed the portable NIR analyser for farmers. Since 2000, NIR Technology Systems and now Next Instruments have introduced a complete range of on-farm analyser technology that includes the CropScan
3000H On Combine Analyser, the 1000H On Farm Analyser, the 1000B Whole Grain Analyser and the CropNet Farm Data Management Software. The CropScan 3000S allows farmers, grain traders and grain processors to measure the quality parameters of their grain in real-time. This enables the user to monitor the protein, moisture and oil content as the grain is being loaded into a container, a truck or ship. It allows farmers to blend grain from two silos to ensure that they meet contract specifications. It allows grain processore like flour millers and stockfeed manufacturers to check the incoming loads of grain to ensure greater uniformity in feed stock. The CropScan 3000S, like all of the CropScan range of NIR analysers, is linked to the CropNet software which can then post data in real-time to the web. Farmers, buyers and traders can access the web using their smart phones, tablets of office PC to capture grain quality data along with tonnage, storage location, variety and other information relating to grain.
Don’t miss out on having your personnel details in the Pig Industry Yearbook 2016 - it’s the go-to guide for everyone in the industry If you would like to be included in the Company or Buyers Guide please contact Rosemary Embery at primarymedia@bigpond.com or 02 9797 2406 For more information go to: www.primarymedia.com.au Send or scan this completed form to Primary Media
250 Hawthorne Parade, Haberfield NSW 2045 or E-mail: primarymedia@bigpond.com
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NEW PRODUCTS
Elanco launches Hemicell HT enzyme for increased performance at Sydney seminar
By PETER BEDWELL Elanco hosted an industry seminar at the Pullman Hotel, Sydney Olympic Park on August 5, 2015. Dr Simon Lakin, National Accounts Manager Poultry ANZ at Elanco Animal Health, welcomed guests and Dr Avril Grieve, Elanco Animal Health’s Senior National Swine Territory Manager, gave an introduction to the product in her paper ‘Beta-Mannans - Hemicell HT – a very different enzyme’ and ‘Novel strategies to manage the impact of unnecessary feed induced immune response’. In answer to the critical question, “why are Beta Mannans important?” Dr Grieve said that Mannan polymers are found on the cell surfaces of many pathogenic bacteria, viruses, parasites, and yeasts. “Mannose is an important pathogen associated molecular pattern (PAMP): the animals immune system mistakes large Beta Mannan molecules in feed as an invading pathogen and reacts against them generating, ‘Feed Induced Immune response,’ (FIIR),” Avril explained. “This innate immune response has the potential to reduce animal performance through lower feed efficiency and weight gain, typical levels being around 3% and in fact just 2% of Beta-mannan may depress performance by up to 20%,” she said. “Hemicell-HT, a unique and patented energy sparing enzyme, can provide an effective intervention to restore performance as it breaks down Beta-Mannans in feed. “The product is inherently thermostable and resists destruction by gastrointestinal pH and proteases. “Once Beta-Mannans are removed
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Top: Dr Simon Lakin, National Accounts Manager Poultry ANZ at Elanco Animal Health made the welcome speech. Above: Humg-Yu Hsiao from BioSolutions International with Dr Avril Grieve, Elanco Animal Health’s Senior National Swine Territory Manager. Opposite page: The final session speaker was Elanco Animal Health’s poultry expert, Dr Marco Martinez. from the diet, livestock no longer has to deal with FIIR: inflammation leads directly to nutritional penalties, lower intestinal integrity, and carcass quality issue. “The approximately 3% of energy spared can be put to good use in either dietary formulation or to drive better average daily weight gain and feed conversion ratios,” Avril concluded. Humg-Yu Hsiao from BioSolutions
International next spoke about Hemicell (FFIR) and in particular the reduction of intestinal inflammation: improving intestinal integrity delivering unique growth benefits, NE and carcass quality. “The description ‘feed enzyme’ has traditionally been linked as an aid to digestion,” he said. “The two best examples are Phytase and Xylanase for use with wheat so we tend to identify feed enzymes as
NEWS
Murray Valley Pork launches delicious pulled pork
digestive enzymes. “There are components in commonly used feed ingredients that function like immunogen, triggering innate immune response. “A properly selected enzyme can alter its structure rendering it to be nonrecognisable by the immune system. “The benefits of its action are not related to digestion, but to the reduction of immune stress – commonly observed as intestinal inflammation that can be triggered by a feed ingredient on the animal host,” he explained. “One beneficial aspect of Hemicell demonstrated in trials was better calorific efficiency during hotter periods of the year. “On carcass uniformity in pigs Hemicell improved the uniformity of the herd as determined by the 60% reduction in the percentage of culls as well as a 24% reduction in the mortality rate,” he explained. “Based on the processing data from 3975 pigs, it appears that additional gain was primarily in the form of fat as fat depth increased and percentage lean decreased slightly in pigs fed Hemicell. “This may indicate a need to reduce the dietary energy content when feeding Hemicell. “Trials conducted in Korea demonstrated beneficial effects of Beta-Mannanese enzyme addition on pig performance fed both low and high energy diets without antibiotics,” HumgYo Hsiao stated. The final speaker in the session was Elanco Animal Health’s Poultry expert Dr Marco Martinez. Logically his paper was aimed at the poultry industry but one aspect that was important to both pig and poultry sectors was the thermal stability properties of Hemicell HT. “At 88 deg C, Hemicell HT maintains 95% of its activity whereas first generation enzymes loose significant activity in the typical feed pelleting temperature range,” Dr Martinez said.
Murray Valley Pork, the premium pork brand from Rivalea, has announced the availability of a delicious, affordable, and easy to prepare Pulled Pork product for Australian consumers. Pulled pork is made from 100% Australian fresh Murray Valley Pork and has the quality consumers have come to depend on. Murray Valley Pulled Pork is produced by a gentle sous vide cooking process that takes 14 hours to complete. The result is soft and tender pork in a delicious rich sauce that pulls apart with a fork. “Slow cooked pork takes time and Murray Valley Pulled Pork is no exception. A lot of time goes into selecting our premium pork range, but that succulent, slow cooked taste comes out in just 10 minutes with the new Pulled Pork,” said Sean Barrett, Brand Manager, Murray Valley Pork. “Glazed with rich smoky BBQ sauce, the new pulled pork is gluten free and ready to eat in just minutes. It’s fully cooked so all you need to do is heat and serve. Perfect for time poor parents who still want to serve a healthy and delicious meal whether it be a midweek pork meal or a weekend lunch.
“The new pulled pork is an affordable and convenient meal solution for the whole family. Each pack is approximately 600-800 grams, containing 6-8 healthy sized serves and is high in protein and low in fat. The RRP is $23 per kilo. “Our new pulled pork product is delicious, affordable and most importantly extremely convenient and easy to prepare. Busy working parents can serve a healthy and delicious pork meal without sacrificing quality and taste. The simplicity of this product will continue Australia’s love affair with pulled pork,” Available at butchers nationwide. Visit www. murrayvalleypork.com.au to find your local stockist. “Murray Valley Pork is a premium range of hand-selected Australian pork available from butchers and fine restaurants throughout Australia. Owned by Rivalea Australia, great tasting Murray Valley Pork is always tender, juicy and absolutely delicious. It’s the perfect choice for family meals, special occasions and barbecues.” For more information, visit www. murrayvalleypork.com.au
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NEWS
Solar solutions for intensive livestock production
By PETER BEDWELL Renewable energy sources seem to be constantly in the news these days and the whole subject, and indeed technology, has become a political football. Politics and beliefs on climate change but solar energy in particular seems to make sense, particularly for intensive livestock producers, often located (particularly in the case of the pig industry) in remote locations. Pork Journal has in the past covered farm stories where methane capture was the prime source of energy but this path, though without doubt effective requires quite a high level of capital investment, may involve regulatory burdens and is really only practical for medium/large scale farms. Solar on the other hand can deliver as little or as much energy as is required in average conditions and can be combined with other or existing energy sources delivering outcomes that range from reducing energy costs for those using an existing grid supply to complete independence from external energy sources. Shed roof mounted solar panels are obviously an option but if space is available in surrounding paddocks solar ‘trees’ that can be rotated to capture the sun’s rays for longer periods can also be used. Also in the news lately has been the rapid development of better storage battery options. Elon Musk of Tesla car fame and now producer of the Powerwall Lithium Ion battery system has shown the way in this regard. Recently Primary Media ran the story of a broiler farmer, Ken Wake, in our April/May issue of Poultry Digest.
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Go to: - issuu.com/primarymedia/ docs/poultrydigestapmay2015lores to read that story in full. Ken’s installation conducted by Brisbane based Modern Commercial Solar, involved high quality German solar PV panels and Italian Aurora Inverters – a combination considered to be at the high end and carrying a 25 year warranty. Waverley Phillipson, Commercial Solar Manager for Modern, told Pork Journal that, “an analysis of Ken’s first quarter electricity invoice showed a saving of $2,200 and in total his energy costs have reduced by around 47%,” Waverly said. “Going solar is definitely the way of the future. Our company has invested heavily in developing battery/diesel/ solar hybrid solutions to a point where we can offer cost effective solutions to even the remotoest of areas,” he said.
Modern broiler farming is energy hungry as the efficiency of a tunnel ventilated broiler shed is dependent on fans, evaporative cooling pads and feeder lines that all require power input. Whatever the energy needs, solar can be adapted to suit the individual needs of growers from large scale multiplier/grow out farms to the contract grower taking weaner pigs to the finisher stage in straw based hoop shelters. State based electricity generators who haven’t yet sold their operations to private enterprise will fight tooth and nail to preserve the value of their ageing operations and find ways to charge more for their services. Over the next few years there will be claim and counter claim over the viability of renewable energy, be it wind, solar or waste based but one thing is for sure, and that is that the long established ability of coal based power generation to supply cheap energy as it has in the past is over for any number of reasons. Politics aside the move to renewable is inevitable and the technology is getting better all the time.
Top: The Italian Aurora inverters and (above) the high quality German solar PV panels are a great combination and carriy a 25 year warranty.
NEWS
Anatara Lifesciences forges industry and research alliance with Pork CRC Anatara Lifesciences has announced it has signed a Commercial Collaboration Agreement with the Pork Cooperative Research Centre (Pork CRC). The CRC will provide Anatara with services to locate key clinical trial sites and ongoing test sites, assist with the APVMA approval of its lead therapy, Detach, and promote the results of these trials. Detach is a non-antibiotic, natural treatment to treat and prevent diarrhoea in pigs and other livestock animals. The current CRC (High Integrity Australian Pork) has received around $20million in Federal Government funding, plus $18million cash from its participants and an additional $90million from in kind contributions. The current CRC has funding until 2018-19. Active partners and participants in the CRC include the largest Australian pork producers, feed manufacturers, key government and farmer industry bodies, including the CSIRO. A list of the participants can be found on the Pork CRC website. Anatara Chief Executive Dr Paul Schober said the formal collaboration with the CRC is a significant endorsement of the critical work the company is doing in providing pork producers worldwide with an alternative to the use of antibiotics in the livestock food chain. “The Pork CRC has become the flagship for Australian pork producers,” Dr Schober said. “The relationship opens the door for Anatara to work closely with key players in the pork industry,” he added. Pork CRC CEO, Mr Roger Campbell said he was delighted that the CRC would have the opportunity to work alongside Anatara in removing antibiotics and other chemical additives from pork production. “The board and management of the CRC have closely reviewed the development work Anatara are doing and we believe the company provides a safe solution to one of the key issues facing the Australian pork industry and an undertaking from the Commonwealth Government to remove antibiotics from livestock production. The CRC team and participants are
very much looking forward to being a key partner in Anatara’s development plans,” he said. More information about the Pork CRC can be found on the website: www.porkcrc.com.au. A second field trial for DetachTM began in June, with the results expected in the third quarter of calendar 2015. Anatara expects Detach to be on sale in Australia within 12 months of lodging its regulatory approval application to the APVMA based on the pace of current progress.
Pork CRC CEO, Dr Roger Campbell.
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NEWS
The impact of the weaning period on lifetime performance Piglet condition post-weaning will impact lifetime pig performance. Pigs that quickly put on extra liveweight in the creep phase are generally in better health and less prone to post-weaning stress and problems such as postweaning growth checks, which can drastically affect profitability and result in financial losses. Heavier pigs at weaning will reach market weight faster, increasing farm profitability. Studies have not only shown that increased feed intake in the postweaning period leads to increased growth rate but also that this weight advantage can be maintained or even increased in the finishing phase compared with pigs with low feed intake after weaning. Research has also shown that increased feed intake can significantly reduce the risk of enteric disease in the nursery. Creep feed – helping to establish early weight gain A good quality starter feed is important as it initiates and promotes gut and digestive enzyme development, preparing piglets to digest nutrients from feed post-weaning. Encouraging feed intake helps to overcome challenges post-weaning. Lienert Australia Technical Manager, Rohan Wundke, advises that a typical weaner or starter pig will eat about 5 kg of creep feed. “If pigs are eating a well-formulated, highly digestible feed and they have good conversion, that 5 kg can be converted to up to 4.5 kg of liveweight gain. “The sooner piglets eat that 5kg of feed, the sooner they’ll have that extra liveweight gain,” said Wundke. “The more they eat, the more they grow. The sooner they put on weight, the better their lifetime growth performance and feed efficiency will be.” He emphasised that having extra liveweight gain early can help to reduce post-weaning growth checks and lead to better gut condition and general health. Lienert’s Blueprint Nutrition Program offers producers starter feeds specifically designed for Australian
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pigs. Developed through nutrigenomics, the science examining the effects of foods and food constituents on gene expression, Blueprint Nutrition is designed to address the animal’s specific needs using carefully selected feed ingredients for digestibility and palatability. The impact of microbiomics Examing how cells, genes and gut microbe populations respond to a diet leads to a better understanding of interactions that fuel growth, immune defence and reproductive function. The microbial population in the intestinal ecosystem reacts to altered ingredients and other environmental factors such as rancidity in fats or prooxidant mineral forms. Changes in the microbiome of pigs can affect digestion and immune defence, and the weaning period is a particularly crucial time for establishing the foundation of lifetime performance. Blueprint Nutrition offers producers the opportunity to maintain gastrointestinal integrity and stability and support early growth and performance. Management support Mr Wundke stressed that to get the best post-weaning performance, producers must ensure attention is given to a variety of factors. “Good management practices are incredibly important,” he said. “From sow condition and feed intake to water quality and availability, management is crucial to success. “With the Blueprint Nutrition Program, our team is working with producers to achieve stronger weaning weights, better piglet performance and maximise fertility in sows’ subsequent litters.” “The program uses nutrition and management tools support to assist producers to better meet the needs of animals’ genetics, going beyond simply adding higher nutrient concentrations to the diet, altering digestibility or the bioavailability of ingredients. Minimising the risk of mycotoxins Mr Wundke stressed that mycotoxins are an unavoidable risk. “If the grain is horrible and mouldy or dark, stained or weather damaged, then
of course, we assume mycotoxins are present,” said Mr Wundke. “But mycotoxins can be just as prevalent in what appears to be good quality grain or feed, as well as in loose-based housing bedding such as straw, where we see great variability in quality.” Based on the principles of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP), the program includes MIKO program from Alltech, which is designed to identify the mycotoxin risks on farm and create a plan to minimize these risks for the animal. Lienert is also able to offer customers 37+ from Alltech which can detect the risks caused by over 37 mycotoxins with limits of detection in the ppt (parts per trillion) range. Patterns of contamination can be examined to better capture mycotoxin profiles and the associated risks for animals exposed to mycotoxins. In conclusion, Mr Wundke stressed that the weaning and post-weaning periods are crucial for maximising lifetime performance. Nutrition and good management practices are key to successfully weaning pigs and establishing healthy pigs. “A farm might have the best genetics, but are all the little bits and pieces in place?” he asked. “To get the most out of our pigs, we must use all of the available tools – nutrition, management and husbandry – to get our pigs eating early and eating well. “Establishing good gut condition and overall health and increasing feed intake can help to overcome postweaning growth checks and reduce days to market.” For more information on the Blueprint Nutrition Program, please contact Rohan Wundke, rohan. wundke@lienerts.com.au
CRC NEWS
Pork CRC: Major breakthroughs and progress in pig welfare and R&D It’s half time for CRC for High Integrity Australian Pork (Pork CRC), having just completed four years of its eight year term under the agreement it has with the Australian Government and the majority of its essential and other participants. According to CEO, Roger Campbell, major progress and breakthroughs in pig and pork R&D were made across all four of the CRC’s programs. “We’ve improved the welfare and performance of sows grouped in gestation, we’re developing alternative strategies to improve animal health, disease diagnostics and pork eating quality, plus advancing biogas management and grain inputs,� Dr Campbell said. “Australia’s pork industry and researchers have led the world in transitioning from stall to group housing of gestating sows, with industry showing the forethought and courage to make the move and our scientists then making it work on a welfare basis for the sow and in terms of reproductive performance for the producer.� Pork CRC scientists are now looking at satiety and enrichment for gestating sows and at the welfare and wellbeing of sows and their piglets during farrowing and lactation. “The latter remains a challenging area, but we have the best in world working on it and a very innovative program in place,� Dr Campbell said. According to Melina Tensen, Senior Scientific Officer (Farm Animals), RSPCA Australia, Pork CRC’s R&D programs reflect an awareness of emerging issues and responsiveness to growing consumer expectations that may impact the industry. “Pork CRC’s research is essential to the success of alternative farrowing and group housing systems and to farmer uptake of such systems,� she said. “Undoubtedly, thanks to the success of the Pork CRC’s group-housing workshops, many pig farmers have implemented housing and feeding systems that best suit them and close to three quarters of gestating sows are now sow-stall free. “The success of Pork CRC, in addition to the quality of the research, is attributable to the significant resources that major pig producing companies are willing to invest in order to achieve practical, on-farm improvements. “This and the efforts of every single pig farmer who has transitioned or is still in the process of transitioning to group housing, should be highly commended. “As Pork CRC’s work moves into the next stage, RSPCA remains committed to working with the pig industry and its stakeholders on the challenging journey towards high integrity Australian pork,� Ms Tensen said. Dr Campbell said that in the next four years, Pork CRC would address areas across its four programs where gaps in knowledge still existed, while helping ensure Australia produces the highest quality pork in the world and that Pork CRC continues to help industry differentiate itself from the rest of the world.
Above: Consultant Ray King with Melina Tensen, Senior Scientific Officer RSPCA Australia.
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NEWS
Lienert meets with pig farmers across the country to address nutritional challenges Lienert Australia has emphasised its commitment to education in Australia through a recent roadshow, bringing pig farmers together at stops across the country to learn more about improving nutrition. More than 100 pig farmers gathered in New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland and Victoria to hear experts discuss solutions for the challenges facing the Australian pig industry. Local sales representatives welcomed the audience at the eight stops. After Mark Peebles, Lienert General Manager, provided background on Lienert and its history, Nathan O’Brien, National Sales Manager, Lienert Australia, spoke about factors holding animals back. He highlighted Alltech’s investment in nutrigenomics, sharing some of the key findings in research and discussing how nutrigenomics has impacted pig nutrition. Mr O’Brien pointed out that while Australian sows are producing on average 23 pigs per year, they lag behind countries such as Denmark and the Netherlands where sows are producing close to 30 pigs per year on average. “If we don’t know how nutrition affects gene expression, we can’t close the gap!” he said. Rohan Wundke, Technical Manager, Lienert Australia, spoke of the importance of nutrition through weaning, stressing that a good creep feeding program can improve weight gain, promote gut development, reduce digestive disorders and improve lifetime performance. He recommended starting to feed Blueprin creep feed, which is highly digestible and highly palatable, at 7-10 days of age to ease the transition to solids and assist gut development then continuing with 5 kilograms per piglet post weaning. “Early gut development is critical. Good villi and cell structure can increase nutrient absorption and provide a physical immune barrier against pathogens,” he said. Mr Wundke stressed the importance of ensuring creep is offered in the right
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dispenser, kept fresh by feeding three times a day pre-weaning, and offered with clean water via a bowl or nipple. He emphasised the importance of attention to detail, recommending that every pen should be inspected regularly. Mr Wundke also highlighted that early weight gain and good gut development can improve a pig’s lifetime performance. “Developed through nutrigenomics, Blueprint can help to address nutritional issues on farm, such as digestive disorders, weight gain and health status,” he said. Damien Kelly, Key Account Manager, Lienert Australia, spoke about Lienert’s ability to offer on-farm support through the Blueprint nutrition program. One element of this is Alltech 37+ mycotoxin analysis, which has to date tested more than 5,200 feed samples. Of these, 99.68% were found to contain at least one mycotoxin and on average, 7.3 mycotoxins were found in
each test. Additionally, the Blueprint report uses models and other tools to offer recommendations, updated plans and formulations. “Blueprint is a premium nutritional program designed through decades of research and practical application to unlock the genetic potential of livestock and support the animal through all phases of production,” Mr Kelly explained. Ty Yeast, Managing Director, Alltech Australia/Lienert Australia, encouraged Australian producers to use the technologies available and think big. “Forty piglets per sow per year is ambitious but not impossible. If the Danish can do it, so can the Australians,” he said. For more information about the Blueprint nutrition program for pigs in Australia, contact Roland Matyasi, Marketing Manager on email: rmatyasi@alltech.com.
Above: More than 130 pig farmers gathered at stops across the country for the Alltech Roadshow, discussing solutions to nutritional challenges facing the Australian pig industry.
NEWS
Dr Hugh J Wirtham steps aside as President of RSPCA Victoria After a lifetime dedicated to animal welfare and the RSPCA, Dr Hugh J Wirth AM has resigned from his role as President of RSPCA Victoria, a volunteer position he has held for 43 years and will be vacating his role on the RSPCA Australia Board, where he sat for 35 years. But this resignation doesn’t mean that Dr Wirth will be giving up his lifelong work any time soon. In fact, he will continue as an RSPCA Victoria Director until a new Chairman can be recruited and, by early 2016 will transition to Patron of RSPCA Victoria. Dr Wirth’s incredible contribution to the RSPCA and animal welfare broadly, has changed the face of the issue both here in Australia and globally. “Dr Wirth is one of the most recognised animal welfare advocates in the country and the RSPCA has been honoured to have him at our helm for so long,” says Dr Liz Walker, CEO, RSPCA Victoria. “Dr Wirth has played an integral role in some of the most far-reaching changes in animal welfare and shaping this organisation, during the near five decades he’s given to the RSPCA.” Wirth was instrumental in the establishment of RSPCA Australia in 1980, and the development of national policies that guide the RSPCA movement. Notably, Dr Wirth was also involved in the introduction of compulsory microchipping, banning of live horse exports to Japan and tail docking of dogs, the launch of the RSPCA approved farming scheme and the introduction of the Domestic Animals Act. Victoria’s Minister for Agriculture, Jaala Pulford also expressed her thanks to Dr Wirth on behalf of the Victorian Government for his ability, commitment and passion in the animal welfare arena: “On behalf of the Victorian Government I would like to thank Dr Wirth for his 43 years of unwavering service to the people and animals of Victoria. It is a testimony to his ability, commitment and passion that RSPCA Victoria has remained at the forefront of animal welfare and protection in Victoria for the duration of his tenure as President. I look forward to continuing to work with RSPCA Victoria and its new Chair on a broad range of animal welfare issues into the future.” In honour of his contribution and to ensure his legacy lives on, RSPCA Australia has created the Hugh Wirth Future Leader in Animal Welfare Award. An award that recognises the contribution, achievement and vision of a future leader in the field of animal welfare. “We encourage anyone 35-years and under who can demonstrate their commitment to animal welfare and the philosophy and policies of the RSPCA, whether this is through their employment, study, research, personal interest or volunteer activities to apply for this national award,” said Dr Walker. In addition, RSPCA Victoria has established the Dr Wirth Animal Welfare Fund. Donations to the fund will help support the important work of caring for and protecting animals. Every year across Victoria, the RSPCA investigates more than 15,500 cases of animal cruelty and its nine shelters care for more than 28,000 animals. All this work to care for and protect animals is only made possible with generous donations. More than 90% of the RSPCA’s funding is due to the generous support of the Victorian community. “Moving away from my responsibilities as President
will allow me to focus on more grass-roots involvement in the RSPCA’s work, including spending time with our supporters as an important ambassador for animal welfare,” said Dr Wirth. “As a Director of RSPCA Victoria I will still be seen around the offices, still arguing the case for animal welfare and I’m excited that I will be transitioning to Patron early in 2016. I will also be anxious to enrol candidates for the Hugh Wirth Future Leader in Animal Welfare Award which means I can have a little rest between arguments!” Until the new Chairperson joins the Board, RSPCA Victoria’s Deputy Chair, Bronwyn Hughes has been appointed Interim Chairperson. Bronwyn has also been appointed by the Board to represent RSPCA1 Victoria at 12:22 the meetings of1RSPCA Australia. Project4:Layout 21/03/14 PM Page
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NEWS
Improving herd management through data capture By Dr TRISH HOLYOAKE Herd recording is a vital part of good farm management. Monitoring both reproductive (farrowing rate, born alive litter size, mummies, stillbirths, numbers weaned) and growing (deaths, growth rate, feed conversion efficiency) and herds’ performances can provide an early indicator of disease events. There are a number of excellent software programs available in Australia (WinPig, PigWin, PigCHAMP, Eliteherd etc) for pig farmers to record farm data. With surveillance for exotic and new diseases being a core component of state agricultural agency work, the Pig Services Centre at the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources in Bendigo recently hosted a seminar on herd recording. The seminar which attracted approximately 12 veterinarians and 30 pig producers was held over two days. The broad principles of these herd
recording software programs are that they allow the farmer to enter data for individual breeding animals and batch data entry for growing stock which can then be analysed by management and/ or consultants to assist with problemsolving poor performance. When analysing farm data, it is important to consider: • Seasonal trends. Breeding and growing herd performances are both affected significantly by temperature and season. Compare recent data with data from similar time periods in previous years. • Dam parity. Averages can be deceiving. Identifying poor performing parities can help finetune where to place your management efforts. An example is the normal increase in stillbirths with increasing dam parity. A spike in average mummification rate in the sow herd due to a disproportionate increase in gilt mummy rates can signal infectious reproductive failure (eg. Porcine Parvovirus) • Accurate identification of breeding
stock. Tags occasionally fall out of sows’ ears. Either double-tag them or apply an individual body tattoo on the animal. • Interpreting staff mating performance through service outcomes. Ensure that individual’s mating performance is not confounded by the type of sows they are responsible for mating. Don’t be too hard on Mary if she gets poor mating results from doing all the repeat matings! • Sample size. Small herds (<30 sows) may struggle to have enough data to make sensible conclusions on herd performance when the data is split by parity/breed. • Hand-held devices that can be linked to herd recording systems are increasing in popularity to reduce the amount of paper-based recording done on-farm. When replacing your paper-based system with an electronic one, ensure that your records are still compliant with relevant regulations. This is particularly important for recording disease treatments with medications that have a withholding period. Remember to back up your data. Article courtesy of PigBytes
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