Poultry Digest February/March 2016

poultrydigest www.primarymedia.com.au

February/March 2016

Volume 31, Number 4

2016 Australian Poultry Science Symposium Libreri Farm Eggs expansion plans and a novel approach to free range operation ABARES Outlook Conference 2016

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Volume 31, Number 4

Libreri Egg Farm at Greta in NSW

February/March 2016

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by Peter Bedwell

News Page 4: 2016 Australian Poultry Science Symposium Page 18: ABARES Outlook Conference 2016 held in Canberra Page 24: RSPCA calls for national standard for free range eggs Page 24: Dr Tugrul Durali joins Bromley Park Group Page 26: Three easy ways to protect your poultry farm Page 28: New Production Manager for Aviagen Australia Page 30: Australian Milling Conference New Products Page 38: New ‘Water on Demand’ system from Plasson

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NEWS

2016 Australian Poultry Science Symposium The 27th Australian Poultry Science Symposium was once again held at the Camperdown Campus, University of Sydney on February 14 to 17, 2016.

In truth the ‘Grate Debate’ which kicked off the proceedings was held on the evening of the 14th at the Camperdown Rydges Hotel.

As many delegates are already in town for the Symposium on the proceeding Sunday there is opportunity to gather for a few drinks and a snack and this year teams of the eminent and talented in our industry discussed ‘The importance (or otherwise) of the gut microflora in the chook’.

Peter Selle’s team included Ha Hong Truong and Peter Crystal and Bob Hughes was assisted by Neil Gannon and Saad Gilani.

Fanciful hypotheses were hypothesized and decades of scientific research either trashed or perverted to suit spurious arguments.

After much mirth the serving of refreshments ended the ‘debate’.

In our report on the 2016 Australian Poultry Science we have highlighted the papers from keynote speakers, many from overseas.

However the increasing body of research work produced by post graduate students, and industry experts, has wide implications for all those involved in the growing Australian poultry sector.

Issues such as wet litter and biosecurity are vital to all aspects of the supply chain including growers, suppliers, regulators and food retailers.

The proceedings of the event are available by visiting the organisers website at http://sydney.edu.au/ vetscience/apss/documents/2016/ APSS%202016%20Proceedings%20 Final.pdf Judy O’Keeffe, President of the Poultry Research Foundation and Peter Groves, Director of the Poultry Research Foundation opened the 2016 APSS. The first session on February 15, ‘Food Security’ with professor Mingan Choct in the chair, opened with Wayne Bryden’s (University of Qld) keynote paper, ‘Water, energy, and feed – The trifecta for food security’.

“In the face of massive population increase our food will need to be produced more efficiently,” he said.

“We will need to be less dependent on resources that are becoming scarce, like arable land and water, or more

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5 costly like energy and petrochemical based inputs including fertilisers.

“It is how we manage the nexus between water, energy and feed that is our biggest challenge for global security of animal sourced food products.

“Poultry products, especially and to a lesser degree eggs, have been major leaders as the global demand for animal sourced products has increased.

“Australia’s quarantine laws have shielded the local industry from many of the pressures of globalization.

“Nevertheless to retain its competitive edge, the local industry must develop strategies to deal with scarcity of essential resources: moreover to maintain public confidence it must think globally and act locally.

“The Paris Climate Accord provides a glimmer of hope that global issues will be increasingly addressed at the global level. w

1. LtoR: Peter Selle, Peter Crystal and Ha Hong Truong at ‘The Debate’. 2. Judy O’Keeffe, President Poultry Research Foundation.

3. Prof Wayne Bryden, University of Queensland. 4. Dr Robyn Alders, Sydney University. 5. Dr Aaron Cowieson, DSM Nutritional Products, Switzerland.

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NEWS v

“We now have a UN based mechanism to tackle the issue of global food security, that is, if nations realise that it as every bit important as climate change,” Dr Bryden concluded.

Robyn Alders from Sydney University next spoke about ‘Peak food and our quest for an ethical and ecologically sustainable human diet’.

“Crude analyses of sustainable global resource use suggests that the peak rate for commercial poultry production was reached in 2006 while projections indicate the need to deliver optimal and sustainable diets for 9 billion people by 2050.

“In addition, despite increases in agricultural production over the past two decades, malnutrition rates have not diminished significantly, with undernutrition remaining a significant problem in many developing countries and overnutrition becoming a major issue globally,” Dr Alders stated.

“It will be essential for the agriculture, health, education and infrastructure sectors to work together closely to ensure that food can be produced and utilised efficiently and effectively.

“An awareness of the importance of the nutrient density and bioavailability of foods will help people wanting to maintain a nutritionally sound diet and healthy body weight,” she said.

The second session on February 15 concerned ‘Water, Physiology and Wet Litter’, with Professor Bob Swick in the chair.

Dr Aaron Cowieson, DSM Nutritional Products, Switzerland, resplendent in traditional Celtic Scottish Island garb, spoke about ‘Possible interactions between drinking water characteristics and feed enzyme efficacy in poultry production’.

“Considerable attention has been given in the past few decades to the influence of diet chemistry on the effectiveness of exogenous enzymes,” he said.

“It can be concluded that the interactive effects of drinking water pH, temperature and soluble ion concentration on poultry performance per se, and specifically the efficacy of supplemental enzymes is an under explored area.”

Mark Dunlop (Dept of Agriculture & Fisheries Qld) is his paper ‘Wet litter – factors associated with the shed microenvironment and litter properties’, examined the causes and remedies for wet litter.

This is a particularly topical issue as more broiler farms adopt litter re-use

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and the effects of wet litter become not only welfare, but also quality control issues.

Broiler welfare and health was the topic in the first session after lunch and Jean-Loup Rault from the University of Melbourne presented two papers, the first ‘A focused review of science based evidence on the welfare of Australian meat chickens’, followed by ‘The effects of light intensity on broiler productivity and leg health’.

In the following session, Layer Welfare and Health, Dana Campbell (CSIRO) in her paper ‘Assessing optimal outdoor stocking density in free range laying’ addressed an issue that has become an obsession with consumer activists, animal liberationists and regulators.

In the same session Mini Singh posed the question ‘Wanderers versus stay at home: who has the better guts’.

The first day concluded with the postgraduate student introductions and the Welcome BBQ, both events sponsored by the Poultry CRC. On February 16, the first session was on the topic of ‘Food Safety & Quality’ with Associate Professor Juliet Roberts as chair.

The first invited speaker was Nick Sparks from Scotland’s Rural College, Roslin Institute UK. In introducing his paper ‘Working with the egg structure to minimise salmonellosis’, Professor Sparks stated that “Eggs can be a significant cause of salmonellosis with the potential to harm both the consumer and when consumer confidence is damaged, the producer”.

Mitchell Groves from Safe Food Production, Queensland explained ‘Through chain management of bacterial pathogens associated with poultry meat in Queensland’.

In concluding his paper he stated that, “the implementation of Standard 4.2.2 and the Queensland basic framework, comprising food safety interventions, SOPs and performance targets achieved an appreciable effect on the microbiological quality of poultry meat produced and processed in our State”.

The work of Margaret Sexton from PIRSA is well known and her paper ‘Salmonella and Campylobacter in Australia’ revealed the results of long term research into the problem by both State and seasons.

Nick Sparks delivered his second paper in the session ‘On-farm control of campylobacter’, which, because of its importance, we intend to publish in full CONTINUED ON PAGE 34 w

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1. Mark Dunlop, Department of Agriculture & Fisheries, Queensland. 2. Dr Mini Singh, Sydney University. 3. Jean-Loup Rault, University of Melbourne.

4. Dana Campbell, CSIRO.

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Mick Libreri watching his hens range on paddocks that often need slashing rather than rotation.

Libreri Farm Eggs expansion plans and a novel approach to free range operation

By PETER BEDWELL

O

nce again Poultry Digest has visited the Libreri Farm Eggs operation at Greta in the Hunter Valley in NSW. Tony Libreri had contacted us to explain some changes to their operations.

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“We want to expand our free range shed and install a suitable aviary system to give us a bit more capacity,” Tony said.

“You might want to have a look at our ‘novel’ approach to the free range side of the business,” he told us.

Libreri Farms has, in recent years, expanded from a cage egg producer to include both barn laid and free range.

Key to this progressive growth has been the acquisition of more land, which means that they can not only expand their production but also offer a greater product range.

The free range operation was first established using a SKA nesting system with a capacity of 15,000 birds but now with demand for free range eggs increasing, Tony wants to upgrade the shed and increase capacity by using an aviary system.

“So we have for sale a four year

old SKA system that comes with drinkers, feeders, fans, foggers and a table collection system, all operating but ready to go to a new home,” Tony explained.

“As we increase our bird numbers we have to increase our grader capacity so we are about to buy a MOBA FT 125 with a 45,000 eggs per hour unit which includes automatic candling, egg washer, crack detection and UV treatment.

“This not only improves our efficiency but uses the best available technology to ensure that we continue to deliver a safe quality product to our growing customer base,” he said.

“We have, as a result of the acquisition of our new grader, a three year old Staalkat, Gary Stirling built, 45000 eggs per hour, packer washer dryer system also for sale.

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grader are fully operational.

Mick Libreri, who is now very much involved in the expanding business has adopted an interesting approach to the current free range shed.

He has placed a small rock bed for some eight to nine meters out into the range from the pop doors.

“The birds seem to enjoy scrambling over this surface and when the return to the shed the rocks surface is an ideal cleaning medium to remove any material on their feet,” Mick explained.

Next Poultry Digest asked the obvious questions ‘what’s the stocking density on the range?”

“Well, we leave that to the birds, “ was Mick’s answer.

With the acquisition of more land, the range area is only limited by the neighbours’ fences and presents the birds with, in effect an almost infinite area on which to explore.

“Most of the birds wont go more than 50 meters from the shed but some of the more adventurous head for the scrub at the end of the paddock.

“We have lost some birds to predators but the fox population has been better controlled in the area, and it’s eagles that are the main threat but, in general the levels of mortality are very low.

“Our Lohmann Brown flocks continue to perform well and have achieved our expectations. They certainly adapt well to the outdoor environment.

“Feather pecking is minimal and certainly at lower levels than in the fully enclosed barn system we run in another shed. Maybe it’s because the birds are more active and interested on their outdoor environment,” Mick speculated.

The other critical aspect of the growing Libreri enterprise is the delivery and sale of shed waste to the numerous cropping enterprises in the region.

“That business continues to grow and justifies the considerable investment we have made in modern trucks.

“We have one vehicle dedicated to the manure delivery and another used purely for transporting our grain supplies and that is a critical element in our biosecurity initiatives,” Mick said.

When Poultry Digest visited on our third trip, the delivery vans were busy as usual. Libreri eggs supplies direct to a broad range of both retail outlets and the hospitality industry.

“The demands of this wide customer base require more capacity for both cage laid and free range/barn housed.

“We have already expanded our cage operation with more new Salmet cages and now we want to take advantage of our recent land

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 w

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1. SKA nest box system for sale with all ancilliaries. 2. Surrounding shrubs are a good refuge from eagles. 3. One truck is used for feed transportation and the other one is used for manure delivery. 4. SKA controllers for nest box system. 5. Lohmann birds take full advantage of the existing range.

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

acquisitions to expand free range production in a way which will satisfy consumer expectations.

Libreri Farm eggs combines a traditional approach to egg production combined with an enthusiastic eye to the future and sustainable safe production.

The fully integrated approach to their business where they make their own feed, rear their livestock, and deliver their eggs direct to their wide customer base is a great business model.

Business add ons such as the thriving manure collection and delivery is not only a good income generator but also a useful resource to other farmers in the region.

Their willingness to invest serious sums in new housing and new egg handling equipment to cope with higher output, not only keeps them competitive but ensures that they deliver a safe and fresh as possible egg.

“Our SKA nest box system with all necessary ancillary equipment and STAALKAT grader offers the opportunity for other layer enterprises to expand their production using modern equipment with plenty of usable life left in them.

“Apart from other layer farmers this equipment would be ideal for breeder use in both the layer and broiler sectors,” Mick suggested.

“Interested parties have the opportunity to see the equipment operating on our farm as our new equipment is yet to be delivered.”

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4 1. Salmet cage layer system. 2. Large stones outside the pop holes encourage the hens to explore the outdoor environs and cleans their feet when they return. 3. Staalkat grader which is for sale. 4. Existing free range shed offers the opportunity for housing more birds in an aviary system.

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NEWS

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ABARES Outlook Conference 2016 held in Canberra The Australian Government ABARES organisation, part of the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, held its 2016 Outlook Conference on March 1-2 at the National Convention Centre, Canberra ACT. The ‘Welcome to Country Address’ was delivered by Aunty Agnes O’Shea a Ngunnawal Elder who explained the culture and traditions of the first Australians and gave an insight into the fact that they had run their own agriculture for thousands of years before European settlement.

The opening address was given

by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Barnaby Joyce.

“Agriculture is genuinely becoming an economic pillar of this economy that helps to sustain the overall economy.

“We’ve now concluded three major free trade agreements with South Korea, Japan and China.

“The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) is going through the ratification process by the 12 countries involved.

“New biosecurity legislation takes effect in June, to protect our primary industries and reflect the reality of modern trade and travel.

“We have recently appointed the first Agricultural Commissioner to the ACCC, Mr Mick Keogh.

“We currently have in the Parliament the legislation pertaining to the Farm Management Bonds which will double them from $400,000 to $800,000 and allow off sets to be granted against the loan on your place, basically delivering, the capacity to derive a tax deduction for paying off the farm.

“We are all well aware of the massive increase required in global food production as populations grow and become more prosperous out to 2050.

“Australia is well placed to take advantage of this growing demand because we have the space, water, ground conditions and clean green image to do it.

“A key issue we must focus on is how we can improve the level of Australian investment in our agricultural industries.

“Our soft commodity market, especially the protein market, has been doing exceptionally well.

“Rural exports have now overtaken

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coal to be our second largest export, after iron ore,” the minister said.

“Foreign investors understand the long term value of Australian agriculture and they are lining up to invest.

“What we have seen is that our potential, especially in areas such as super funds, has not really reflected what I believe is the exceptional opportunity our agricultural sector presents.

“Only 0.3% of super funds – and we as a nation have $2 trillion now in those funds, is investing in agriculture and only 1% was the maximum exposure of any fund.

“ANZ estimates that there is a capital investment and requirement in agriculture between now and 2050 of $600 billion to enable production growth and a further $400 billion needed to support farm turnover.

“Foreign investors are more likely to purchase agricultural assets than domestic counterparts.

“This means that these local assets may be an unrealized opportunity for potential investors.

“In 2016-17, the value of Australian agricultural production is forecast to top $60 billion, with exports of $45 billion projected in the same year.

“Investors from other nations recognise this enormous opportunity and are investing in Australia.

In the ‘Economic Overview Session’ with the ABC’s Leigh Radford in the chair, the first speaker was Karen Schneider, Executive Director of ABARES. ‘Investing in agriculture - growing our future’ was the title of her paper.

“World economic growth was the slowest since 2009 at 3.1% and was predicted to rise to 3.5% in the 2018/21 period.

“Reduction of oil and gas extraction and lower oil prices were key factors as was the weak Japanese economy with a growth of less than 1% predicted also the slower growth of the Chinese economy to below 6% in 2018/21.

“The exchange rate for the A$ would be around the 71cent mark over the medium term.

The value of agricultural production would remain at around 60 billion with exports at around 45 billion.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 22 w

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1. The Hon Barnaby Joyce MP. 2. Karen Schneider, ABARES. 3. Saul Eslake, Economist.

4. Mick Keogh, Australian Farm Institute.

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NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 Farm incomes, particularly in the broad acre sector had risen to levels not seen since 2000/2001 exceeding $150,000 in 2015 and still rising in 2016.

Wim Boonstra from Rabobank, Netherlands compared the global economic situation in 2013 with the current world scenario in his paper ‘A fragile world economy in an increasingly risky environment’.

He identified ‘flash points’ as being the situation in the Middle East, exchange rate developments and the general turmoil in financial markets coupled with recession fears in China.

“However , so far the real world economy is in better shape than market turmoil suggests,” he said.

Saul Eslake is one of Australia’s best known economists and in his paper ‘Australia’s economic horizon’ began with the statement that “Australia probably derived more benefit from Chinese growth and industrialisation than any on nation on earth”.

“Australia now has relatively high residential property prices (by international standards) and very high levels of household debt.

In summarising risks to the Australian economic outlook the first threat he outlined was “Another global economic downturn, with the major advanced economies having far less capacity to ward off another global recession than they did in 2008/9.

“A hard landing for China’s economy would be a severe threat to Australia’s economic well being.

“Finally there seems to be a renewed erosion of business confidence most likely as a result of growing frustration with political outcomes and or the political system itself.”

The next session was ‘Investing in Agriculture’ with the ABC’s Ticky Fullerton ( TV -The Business).

Elizabeth O’Leary (Macquarie Agricultural Funds Management), John Corbett (Hassad Australia), Damien Webb (First State Super) and David Watson (Austrade) discussed issues concerning new and diverse sources of agriculture available to agriculture and alternative financing models now creating opportunities for farmers.

“Growing agriculture with big data’ with Jacky Hodges (Australian Bureau of Statistics) in the chair was one of a number of topics covered in the first afternoon session March 1.

Newly appointed ACCC board member, Mick Keogh (Australian Farm Institute) spoke about ‘Structuring for a competitive digital agriculture industry v

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in Australia’.

Mr Keogh pointed out that the era of computer interpretation of data had been reached and that broiler poultry production was a classic beneficiary of these advances.

Critical issues going into the future were, “clarity regarding data ownership and control over use; cropping and livestock digital systems (private and government) need for open access systems so that data can be integrated/ migrated between systems.”

On March 2 the opening address was delivered by Tasmanian Senator Richard Colbeck now the Minister for Tourism and International Education assisting the minister for Trade and Investment.

With a keen interest in agriculture from his previous portfolio Senator Collbeck spoke about the opportunity for the combination of agriculture tourism, international education gas/ energy and wealth management to add more than $250 billion to the Australia economy over the next 20 years.

“The world wants what we have got and the more we play the stronger we get,” the Senator emphasised.

The opening session was “Global agriculture international policy perspectives’ with the ABC’s Leigh Radford in the chair.

Jammie Penm from ABARES presented a paper ‘Developments in international agriculture: implications for Australia’ which featured one slide that summed up the situatuation and revealed that while Asian population growth from 2007 out to 2050 was predicted to grow by only 28%, agrifood consumption over the same period would rise by 10% and real income per person would rise by 27%.”

In summarizing he considered that , “developments in international agriculture can affect growth prospects for Australian agriculture and that improved market access has supported our ag sector and continued effort to increase access is needed.

“Productivity growth and infrastructure improvements are key to future opportunities,” Mr Penm concluded.

Mary Bohman an administrator at the United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) spoke about the ‘fundamental drivers of US markets and policy.”

“GDP growth for developing countries will grow at more than double the rate of developed countries, “ she predicted.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 36 w

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1.Wim Boonstra, Rabobank, Netherlands. 2. Elizabeth O’Leary, Macquarie Agricultural Funds Management. 3. Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck. 4. Jammie Penm, ABARES.

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Dr Tugrul Durali joins Bromley Park Group Bromley Park Group has announced the appointment of Dr Tugrul Durali to the role of Group Production Manager based at Tuakau, New Zealand.

Tugrul graduated as Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from University of Istanbul. He worked for BANVIT A.S., a leading integrated poultry operation in Turkey and Eastern Europe, before moving to Australia.

Tugrul spent seven years in various technical management roles with Red Lea Chickens in New South Wales before taking up his most recent position as Poultry Technical Manager for Alltech Biotechnology.

In his recent role in Alltech, he was responsible for providing poultry health, husbandry and technical advice to Alltech customers throughout the APAC region and Russia, as well as developing and implementing antibiotic free poultry production programs in several Asian countries.

Concurrently with the above Tugrul is at the final stage of his PhD at the Poultry Research Foundation within the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, which has included a major research project on free range/ antibiotic-free poultry production.

“The appointment of Tugrul Durali will materially strengthen our management team at Bromley Park and is a very timely initiative as we embark on expanding our operations in both domestic and export arenas,” said Brent Williams, General Manager.

Bromley Park Hatcheries was founded in 1920 by Leslie Batkin.

He started with a small number of pure breeds and developed his own commercial layer lines.

In 1972, Bromley Park imported the first Shaver layer and meat strains breeders. Cobb meat breeders replaced Shaver meat breeders in 1990.

In the following two years Bromley Park purchased Southern Chicks Ltd, located in Christchurch and Riverland Poultry Ltd. in Tuakau, New Zealand.

In 1994 Poultry Veterinary Services Laboratory became a wholly owned subsidiary of Bromley Park Group.

Bromley Park Group Head Office is located in Tuakau, New Zealand.

At present the company owns and operates a state of the art quarantine farm and hatchery, GGP and GP farms and hatchery as well as two commercial hatcheries for Cobb and Shaver

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General Manager, Bromley Park Group, Brent Williams with Dr Tugrul Durali, the new Group Production Manager. production.

Bromley Park Group currently is supplying Cobb and Shaver PS, commercial stock to customers in New Zealand and exporting GP and PS stock to Pacific Islands, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia, Philippines,

Taiwan, Japan, as well as China.

“It is our mission as Cobb and Shaver distributor, to produce the best quality grand parents, parent stock and commercial flock for our customers and provide outstanding technical support on behalf of Cobb Vantress and Hendrix Genetic,” said Mr Williams.

RSPCA calls for national standard for free range eggs RSPCA Australia is calling on State and Territory Consumer Affairs Ministers to set a national standard for free-range eggs.

RSPCA’s Senior Policy Officer, Dr Jed Goodfellow, said a meeting of the Ministers on March 31 could meet consumer demands for clarity on egg labelling.

“Believe it or not, there is no legal definition for ‘free-range’ eggs, so what consumers are buying might not actually be what they expect,” Dr Goodfellow said.

“Australia’s consumers are increasingly voting with their wallets, demanding that their eggs come from farms which practice higher hen welfare standards.

“RSPCA Australia believes freerange eggs should come from hens who

actually go outside, are protected from adverse weather and predators, and are allowed to practice natural behaviours such as dust bathing, perching, foraging, and laying their eggs in a nest.

“We know Australians care about where their food comes from and how our animals are treated. We are asking them to contact their State and Territory Ministers to adopt a nationally consistent standard, so that ‘free range’ actually means what it says.

“This is an urgent issue, and a rare opportunity for Australians to put the welfare of layer hens first. There are still more than 11 million hens in bare cages. A national standard on accurate labelling of ‘free range’, including the mandatory national labelling of cage eggs, will improve consumer confidence in the egg market.

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Three easy ways to protect your poultry farm The Achmea Group was founded by farmers in The Netherlands more than 200 years ago when farmers put money into a glass jar, to be compensated in case one of them had a haystack fire.

Marco Hesen, Achmea Senior Risk Specialist, has recently been in Australia visiting clients, and says that compared to farmers in The Netherlands, Australian farmers are generally prepared to take more risk when it comes to their insurance.

However, would your poultry farm survive if a fire or other disaster wiped out your poultry sheds and birds?

Insurance specific for poultry farmers becomes critical in successfully managing and mitigating this risk.

“An issue for Australian poultry farmers is that some insurers do not always take the time to understand each individual farm’s operations and risks,” saif Marco.

“Without full scope of a farm’s operations and assets, and an understanding of their specific insurance requirements, it’s impossible to ensure policies provide the right amount of protection if production was severely impacted.”

Drawing on some 15 years’ experience in insuring intensive farm enterprises including poultry farms in The Netherlands, Marco suggests three key areas poultry insurance policies should focus on.

The first focus should be the largest physical assets: the poultry sheds themselves. “The single biggest threat to your sheds is fire – because a lot of sheds in Australia are built using highly flammable expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation,” Marco explained.

“Add to this the fact that sheds run a large amount of electrical wiring to control temperature, automate feeding and monitor production, and the risk of fire dramatically increases.”

In the Netherlands, Achmea found that 30% of all fires in poultry sheds started with electricity issues, with 80 of these indicating it was faults in shed electrical wiring that led to the fire.

“We also found that incorrect construction and wiring of sheds resulted in inefficient costly electricity use and regular system failures – which are disruptive in normal day-to-day operations.”

Consequently most poultry sheds in The Netherlands are now built with less flammable insulation made from actual

26

Marco Hesen, Achmea Senior Risk Specialist. rocks and minerals, commonly known as rock wool or stone wool insulation.

Many sheds now have control panels located at least five metres away from the main sheds to prevent the spread of fires. They also have comprehensive built-in fire extinguishing systems on the interior, and additional hand held extinguishers on each side of the shed.

“Regular, physical checks of poultry sheds, control panels and fireprevention systems are the key points for farmers.”

“Whether it’s for eggs or chicken meat, healthy birds are crucial to the profitability of all poultry farms, but we understand sometimes circumstances are out of the farmer’s control. We want to support them in their time of need so offer insurance against bird death and production loss from suffocation.

“One main cause of bird death is inappropriate or interrupted shed ventilation – even for a short period of time.

“As most farmers would know the birds regulate their body temperature using the energy they get from feed,” said Marco. “When birds go past their normal body temperature, they produce excess heat that warms their surroundings.

“If the shed housing them doesn’t have efficient ventilation systems in place, the excess heat isn’t removed. To prevent overheating, birds stop eating and start to breathe heavily. If they can’t remove enough heat, they die from

suffocation.”

“It is essential poultry farm sheds have robust ventilation systems in place as well as backup generators in the event of power failure.

“Problems occur most when power fails. Again, regular physical checks of back-up power generators are key to ensuring the system and generators are in good working order.

“You must make sure there are multiple alarm systems in place – with both visible and audible alerts through multiple devices – to act as a final back up in case all other measures fail.

“To get the most out of your insurance policy, it’s essential your insurer understands the full costs of running your farm – so that your cover lets you keep operating despite any business interruption.

If you have an insured event that results in loss or decline in production, or if your generator burns out and you need to replace it immediately to ensure business continuity, check that your insurance cover enables you to continue your operations,” said Marco.

“At Achmea Australia, we take the time to physically inspect the farm before we write the policy. That way we get a comprehensive understanding of the farm and the impact any disruptions to business will have. We also suggest risk management techniques or practices that can mitigate risks and may lead to lower premiums.”

“We visit farms in person to sit down with the farmer and write a policy that takes all outgoings into consideration – including things like loan interest and payroll obligations that can often be overlooked.

“Perhaps the biggest ‘moment of truth’ is when you have to make a claim; an event everyone tries to mitigate through best practice, but not always avoidable. Risk Specialists work closely with their clients throughout the claims process to ensure they can keep farming no matter what.

“Achmea Australia believes in working transparently and cooperatively with farmers to reduce risk as well as premiums.

“Our ultimate goal is to keep farmers farming, and experience tells us that prevention is better – and cheaper – than the cure.”

“For more information about Achmea go to www.achmea.com.au or call 1800 724 214.

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New Production Manager for Aviagen Australia Rodrigo Suehara was recently appointed Production Manager, Aviagen Australia and commenced work in his new position in January, 2016.

Rodrigo is from Brazil where he graduated in 2004 in veterinary medicine from the Federal University of Uberlândia in Mata Grosso.

Prior to graduation, he began his poultry industry career as a Farm Supervisor and then upon graduation he became Operational Coordinator and Veterinary Service Provider in Hygen Genetics Avicola which at the time was the distributor for Hybro Genetics in Brazil.

Rodrigo continued his involvement with Hygen until 2008 when he became Pure Line Farm Operational Manager and Vet Service for Hybro Genetics.

Following the acquisition of Hybro

by Cobb in 2008, Rodrigo accepted a new position of GGP Farm Manager

and Biosecurity Manager with Cobb at their facility in Sao Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil.

He held this position for three years prior to his promotion in April 2011 to the role of GGP Complex Manager responsible for all farms and the hatchery in the facility.

“Rodrigo is technically strong and brings both veterinary and production experience to the role of production manager in Australia,” said Michael Leahy, Managing Director, Aviagen Australia.

“He has an open, collaborative management style and engages people with his passionate approach to the job.

“Rodrigo has had the benefit of working in two primary breeding programs at the great grandparent level which together with his history and reputation as a skilled leader places him in the position to continue to refine and

improve production at Aviagen.

Rodrigo is very enthusiastic about his new opportunity in Aviagen and is keen to demonstrate his commitment to the role, the team and to the Ross product in driving production to achieve and deliver the desired performance to Australian customers.

“Current improvements will be enhanced as the future development of the farming operation and the production team is now under the direction of Rodrigo.

“We welcome Rodrigo and his young family to Australia.

“The business has made steady progress in the past 12 months. The Brazilian Poultry Industry is renowned particularly for its excellent husbandry and not unexpectedly, we look forward to additional improvement as Rodrigo influences and improves the skills of our people,” said Mr Leahy.

Canada to phase out conventional cages A leader of the Egg Farmers of Canada said managing the shift will require coordination between the country’s supply management system and its provinces.

By 2036, Canada will no longer house laying hens in conventional cages. Instead, farmers will be required to keep their birds in fully enriched housing systems, which grant the hens additional space for normal behaviors, or in cage-free environments. The mandatory shift will be overseen by the Egg Farmers of Canada, the national egg production organisation, in cooperation with the country’s provincial egg boards.

In an interview, Roger Pelissero, the first vice chair of the nonprofit organization that manages the country’s supply of eggs, said as much as 65% of the country’s hens will be housed in non-conventional housing within the next eight years. He said the transition is possible because Canadian farmers are embracing the unified direction and because of the country’s system for managing the price and supply of some agrarian commodities: the supply management system.

This system, a national program created in 1965, dictates the price

28

Canadian farmers are paid for their products based on the costs of production. Dairy, table eggs, broiler hatching eggs, chicken and turkey are subject to the supply management system. Grain, cattle and hogs are not.

Supply management includes production controls, pricing controls and import controls. Pelissero, an egg farmer from Ontario, explained the system allows egg producers to receive a ‘fair’ price for their goods. It also allows producers to coordinate quotas of how many eggs they produce in order to prevent an overor under-supply of the commodity.

If those quotas are not met, then the country can import eggs from elsewhere. Canada is a major agrarian exporter of grains, such as wheat, canola and soy, cattle and swine. It is not a major exporter of commodities included in the supply management system.

Moving out of conventional cages will increase the price consumers pay for eggs, but not by much, according to Pelissero. He expects the price of eggs to increase by about seven cents per dozen. In the current formula used to set the price of eggs, housing costs are worth about three cents per dozen.

The system, which is administered by the provinces, provincial egg producer organisations and, in some regions, the national government, will play a large role in management of the transition. Because egg farmers have their costs of production calculated into the price of their products, costs for livestock housing are reimbursed directly by consumers. Typically, the cost of housing systems is reimbursed in 15 years, Pelissero said.

Provincial egg boards will be charged with ensuring the transition occurs on schedule. Those who monitor the egg farms have records on when new systems and houses were constructed, and they will be able to tell when a farmer is due to make the switch. Ideally, the farmers will be given a timeline for how soon they are expected to stop using conventional housing. If the change is not made, the administrators can block a farmer from producing more eggs.

“We expect full cooperation. In fact, in Ontario, the province I represent at the national table, farmers have embraced this,” Pelissero said. “They are saying, ‘We’re happy now, we know how we can move forward regarding producing eggs in Canada.’

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NEWS

Australian Milling Conference Every two years AMC is the event where anyone with an interest in feed milling goes to hear the latest and see the newest.

The 2016 conference is being held at the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre from 29-31 May 2016.

David Bray, the AMC and Stock Feed Manufacturers’ Council of Australia chairman, says that “at AMC there will be more than 200 trade stands, dedicated to feed milling and intensive livestock production.

“Exhibiting will be all the major feed equipment suppliers and this is the perfect opportunity to meet these companies if you are looking to upgrade your feed milling and feed handling and storage systems.”

In addition there will be companies exhibiting feed additives and application systems, grains and protein meal suppliers, recruitment companies and other service providers.

AMC is being held in conjunction with the Poultry Information eXchange (PIX) which is focused on poultry production. Mr Bray went on to say “that the combined conference will have 1,400 people attending and it is the largest trade exhibition of its type held in Australia”.

The conference has a technical program that has been developed by

the program committee lead by Dr Neil Gannon who says “this year the theme is Sustainability – Key concepts for our future’. Some of the topics being covered include: • Presentations and panel discussion on ‘Sustainability’ as it relates to food and feed • Global view on feed industry sustainability • Feed mill energy use and case study on reducing energy use • How to provide better training in feed milling • Using feed ingredients to improve sustainability through efficiency of production • Efficient milling equipment • Current and future applications of NIR in feed milling • Power of 3D design and manufacturing For many attending, AMC provides a great opportunity to meet and network with others working within the animal feed industry.

The social program includes a Welcome Dinner where industry awards are presented, an Industry Breakfast, as well as the Conference Dinner for a night filled with fun and entertainment.

AMC is being held just after the Pan Pacific Pork Expo and this is a great opportunity to spend the weekend on

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30

the Gold Coast and also attend AMC. Alternately you can send your feed milling staff to AMC to learn the latest and meet with trade suppliers.

Mr Bray confirms that “AMC is a joint conference convened by the Stock Feed Manufacturers’ Council of Australia, Australian Technical Millers’ Association and the Feed Ingredient and Additive Association of Australia.

“The event is open to anyone to attend and is organised as the major conference held by these organisations every two years.”

To find out more go to the website www.pixamc.com.au or email: info@pixamc.com.au or phone 02 9368 1200.

Chicken fed before the egg Family owned Stockfeed manufacturer, Reid Stockfeeds, has been supplying premium, crushed grain formulations to the layer industry for the past 20-years and in November 2015, surpassed a new level of quality accreditation by achieving Commonwealth Serum Laboratories (CSL) accreditation.

The certification, in addition to its ISO9001:2008 and Feed Safe Certificate 001, allows the Colbinabbin based mill to feed parent chicken stock, producing eggs for influenza vaccine manufacture.

CEO Rob Jenkins claims “the accreditation is a massive compliment to site manager Jeff Wilson and the staff of Colbinabbin who have worked hard on their procedural controls.

“The new processing controls will compliment the capital investment upgrades made in the last 18 months and hold the site in good stead for the future of not only our poultry customers but all our livestock feeding segments including dairy, pig, beef and sheep.

“We’ve taken measured steps over many years now to value-add to our quality controls, helping meet the strict QA standards of our poultry customers.”

NEWS

60 years of Ross and counting This year marks 60 years of success for the Ross brand in the global poultry industry.

“Since Chunky Chicks Limited opened its doors in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1956, the poultry industry has seen a lot of changes, but one constant has been the growth of Ross to industry leader in the broiler breeder market,” said Michael Leahy, Managing Director, Aviagen Australia (pictured).

“As demand for poultry meat has increased over the last six decades, Aviagen has responded to the market through continuous investment in research and product development.

“A culture of science and innovation in the breeding program has led to breakthroughs in performance and efficiency.

“An FCR improvement in broilers of around 2-3 points per year now offers a distinct advantage over competitors and a clear benefit for Ross customers everywhere.

“The introduction of both life time FCR testing and multi-environment testing more than 10 years ago have led to the impressive gains in efficiency while still delivering annual weight gain of 45grams and a breast meat yield improvement of 0.25% per year.

“Poultry has now secured the enviable position of being recognized as a healthy and affordable everyday food source for the average household.

I’m proud to represent the Ross brand and its part in the contribution to the industry over the years,” said Mr Leahy.

“Innovation and the use of new technologies in the Aviagen breeding program have significantly improved bird performance and efficiency. I’ve no doubt these will continue into the future.”

®

Aviagen Management Essentials Nortje De Wet Technical Service Manager, Aviagen Australia, New Zealand and Asia De Wet has 23 years experience in the poultry industry with a large integrated company in South Africa, before joining Aviagen ANZ in 2012.

“When chicks hatch they are not able to control their body temperature. Chicks that are too cold will use more energy and those that are too hot will pant and lose water at a faster rate, all resulting in poorer broiler performance,” said De Wet.

Chick Holding Conditions Objective Monitor chick behavior to ensure that chicks are maintained at the correct temperature during the hatchery holding and distribution process.

•

Chicks that are too cold with a vent temperature <39.4°C (<103°F), start to huddle and have cold legs and feet.

•

Chicks with the correct vent temperature between 39.4 and 40.5°C (103 and 105°F) are quiet and evenly spread out in the boxes.

•

Chicks that are too hot with a vent temperature >40.5°C (>105°F) will start panting.

Key Points • • • • • • • • • • • •

Maintaining the correct body temperature of a chick is a crucial management objective.

Chick behavior is the best indicator of environmental conditions during chick holding.

If the chicks stay in the hatchery for several hours, do not cover the chick boxes. This promotes better ventilation and makes it easier to check the chicks when holding and loading.

Temperature at chick level inside the box should be approximately 30°C (86°F) and 60-70% RH. Do not place stacks of chick boxes too closely together, this allows for better airflow around boxes.

Do not allow fans to blow directly on to chicks.

Do not place chick boxes directly on the floor as this will cause chilling.

Vent temperature is a primary indicator of chick comfort.

Optimum chick vent temperature is 103-105°F (39.4 - 40.5°C).

Holding room conditions - Temperature, humidity and air speed all interact to determine the temperature of the chick.

CO2 level in the chick room should also be monitored, especially when using a recycle ventilation system, whether in summer or winter.

Ideal room conditions; Temperature 22 - 28°C (71.6 - 82.4°F) RH 50% - 60% Fresh Air Exchange = 700 m3 / h / 10,000 chicks CO2 <1000 ppm Uniform Light

31

NEWS

When selling eggs it pays not to be chicken When Theresa and Craig Robinson first began unleashing free-range chickens on their Mt Dixon property back in 2013, they never envisioned a day when complete strangers would be calling to ask when they could get their hands on a carton of fresh â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bum nuts.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Nor did they think their plans to diversify their farming operation would lead to plans for franchising the BumNut brand across Australia. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Basically, the land had been used for years with nothing done to improve the pasture,â&#x20AC;? said Theresa. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The chickens were a way to put something back into the soil. We considered fertilisers and turkey manure but they were prohibitively expensive at the time and we really wanted to use a holistic approach by practicing organic and biodynamic principles.â&#x20AC;?

Craig, a skilled handyman, began work on an old caravan to house 50 or so chooks on their depleted paddocks.

Shortly after completion, that caravan became home for around 500 birds.

The chickens took their place in a rotation system amongst the Robinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Merino sheep and White Suffolk fat lambs and growing Black Angus herd. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The chickens play an important role in building up the vitality and nutrients in the soil profile. They scratch and dig up the surface fertilising as they go, we then move the chooks onto fresh pasture and let the paddock rest and with a bit of rain, everything comes back to life!â&#x20AC;?

The next problem for the Robinsons

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to solve was working out what to do with the all the eggs. Initially, Theresa had a difficult time convincing customers that their eggs were a world apart from those found in supermarkets. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were giving samples away in the beginning, to cafes and restaurants and educating our potential clients about the difference between free range and pasture-raised free range. No one really understood at first.â&#x20AC;?

A bold marketing decision helped nudge things in the right direction. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Craigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family had always referred to eggs as â&#x20AC;&#x153;bum nutsâ&#x20AC;? and we thought â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;no, we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do that!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; said Theresa.

However the more they thought about it, the more they liked it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At the end of the day, customers either have a sense of humour or they

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donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, so we secured the rights and trademark.â&#x20AC;?

Gunning Bum Nuts was born. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take long after that as word of mouth got around and a simple â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;poaching of the eggâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; set us miles apart from anyone else.â&#x20AC;?

The Robinsons now have 6,000 chickens and expect to have 9,000 by March. Even with the extra â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bumsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, they will still fall short of meeting the demand for their eggs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People are really starting to care about ethical, sustainable produce and there are a lot of small producers out there working hard to educate their customers.â&#x20AC;?

Theresa and Craig are working on the next phase of their business plan â&#x20AC;&#x201C; franchising. Bundy (Bundaberg) Bum Nuts is already up and running, with more to come in the near future. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have set up the company (BumNuts Australia) and have more potential franchisees waiting, however we have asked them to hold off while we develop the proper contracts and formalise the environmental management and food safety plans. â&#x20AC;&#x153; For other producers who are considering trying something new and diversifying on their farms, Theresa has this advice. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you are looking for some ideas to help you start something new, have a look at RIRDCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s farmdiversity.com.au.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We read lots of books, looked online, received lots of information from the Department of Primary Industries (thanks Byron Stein), and attended conferences, but at the end of the day, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve just got to get in there and give it a go!â&#x20AC;?

NEWS

Alltech Mycotoxin Management enhances Knowmycotoxins website to be field friendly Following farmer feedback and several months of development and testing, the Alltech Mycotoxin Management program has re-launched an updated version of the website, Knowmycotoxins.com.

“We redesigned the site to be a useful tool for farmers, nutritionists and industry experts alike.

“The site is now rich with resources for all species and is mobile-friendly to suite the field-based lifestyle of many in the agriculture industry,” said Jonathan Younger, global marketing manager for the Alltech Mycotoxin Management team.

“While maintaining our global brand identity, we have completely remodeled our website layout with three things in mind: functionality, usability and

Brand Australia strategy The Australian Made Campaign welcomed comments made by Fortescue Metals Chairman, Andrew Forrest, at the Bao Forum for Asia, calling for Australia’s food and agriculture sectors to work together to promote their products using a ‘Brand Australia’ strategy.

“The power of consistent branding, both here and overseas, cannot be overstated,” Australian Made Campaign Chief Executive, Mr Harrison said.

“The Australian Made, Australian Grown logo should form part of the food labelling system to provide consumers with better surety of the true origin of the food they are purchasing.

“The iconic green-and-gold kangaroo logo has been identifying Australian produce in export markets for 30 years, so there is a pivotal role for the symbol to play in any ‘Brand Australia’ strategy,” Mr Harrison said.

“Australia enjoys a reputation internationally for its clean, green environment and high standards of food production, so it makes sense to place a strong emphasis on promoting the Australian brand and defending the authenticity of our food.”

innovation.

“Originally launched in 2007, the site has now been redesigned to provide a better reading experience, ensuring the site is optimised for smartphones and tablets as well as dedicating a portion of the site to an abundant resource section with the latest mycotoxin analysis information for everyone to view and download.

With an overall focus on injecting simplicity into a complicated topic area, Knowmycotoxins.com aims to be a useful destination for those interested in understanding more about the global mycotoxin threat.

Mycotoxins are natural substances produced by molds and fungi, and are common in the farm environment, surviving on many different types of feed sources.

More than 500 different mycotoxins have been identified to date and most animal feedstuffs are likely to be

contaminated with multiple mycotoxins, posing a threat to animal health and performance.

The growth of molds and fungi, and mycotoxin production, is typically encouraged by heat and the presence of moisture.

However, mycotoxins can also be produced by other factors that induce plant stress, such as drought.

Knowmycotoxins.com, with the Alltech Mycotoxin Mangement team’s support, strives to educate the various market segments in the animal feed industry on how to overcome the repercussions of mycotoxins in animal feed.

The website will serve as a platform to share the latest information from mycotoxin-related news and research, analytical testing through the Alltech 37+Æ mycotoxin analysis program, and complete field to feed out management solutions.

Helping farmers manage and insure against risk.

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33

NEWS v

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

in a future issue of Poultry Digest.

The first afternoon session on the February 16, ‘Phosphorous, Phytate & Phytase’ with Dr Peter Selle in the chair (who else?) commenced with two invited papers.

The first speaker was Dr Dana Cordell, from the University of Technology, Sydney who is not only well known in Australia for her knowledge of her topic, but internationally famous for alerting the world to the ‘Global Phosphorous Scarcity: A Food Secure Future?’

“Phosphorous scarcity is a serious threat to food security.

“Recent studies indicate that phosphorous demand could outstrip finite supplies of high quality phosphate sometime between 2025/84 if no fundamental changes are made to the current trajectory and that only five countries together control most of the world’s remaining phosphate with Morocco alone controlling 75% of the world’s phosphate rock,” Dr Cordell warned.

“The poultry sector could present opportunities through poultry manure reuse, and phytase replacement through use of phytase enzymes to replace phosphate feed additives,” she said in concluding her paper.

‘Biotechnology in the development of improved phytases’, was Robert Speight’s (Queensland University of Technology) topic.

“With the recent rapid advances in DNA sequencing technology, the availability of genomic data and the ready access to synthetic biology tools, there exists an opportunity to develop phytases with further improved characteristics if these data and tools can be effectively harnessed,” he stated.

Ha Hong Truong, a postgraduate student from the University of Sydney presented a paper ‘Phytate degradation in the gizzard is pivotal to phytase responses in broiler chickens’.

This paper was the winner in the Poultry CRC Student Award presented by Professor Mingan Choct at the conclusion of APSS

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2016 on the February 17.

In the final session of the 17th – Avian Influenza, invited international speaker Travis Schaal from Hy-Line International USA delivered a review of ‘The 2015 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza outbreak, and lessons learned’.

Critical he stated, was the need for “Industry, along with local, regional, state and federal governments to plan for catastrophic HPAI events and must cooperate and coordinate with each other.”

This paper was followed by postgraduate student from Sydney University Angela Scott whose paper was ‘On-farm surveys to inform Avian Influenza risk assessment model’.

“Waterfowl commonly visit water bodies on poultry farms that are in close proximity to chicken sheds which is a concern it terms of avian influenza introduction,” “Most farms follow basic biosecurity practices but actions can be put into place to increase the proportion of farms doing so.

“This can be through the implementation of biosecurity audits and/or through a series of workshops to educate farmers,” Angela said.

The Symposium Dinner was held at The Australian National Maritime Museum with pre-dinner drinks served on the deck of HMAS Vampire the last ‘big gun’ ship to serve

NEWS in the Royal Australian Navy.

The Australian Poultry Award for 2015 was presented by Associate Professor Juliet Roberts (UNE) to Dr Tim Walker currently manager of the Poultry CRC Program 2 – nutrition and environment.

On February 17, the first session, ‘Alternatives to Antibiotics’ with Associate Professor Peter Groves as chairman, featured two invited speakers from overseas.

The first, Robert Wideman Jr from the University of Arkansas, USA spoke about ‘Probiotics as an alternative to antibiotics for treating lameness due to bacterial infections in broilers’.

“It is our hypothesis that susceptibility to bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) is minimised by probiotics that attenuate the translocation of pathogenic bacteria in the bloodstream,” he said in introducing his conclusions to the paper.

‘Life without antibiotic growth promoters – a UK perspective’ was Steve Pritchard’s (Premier Nutrition UK) topic.”

“It is 15 years since the voluntary removal of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) from broiler diets in the UK. “After an initial period where the withdrawal of AGPs resulted in an increased usage of therapeutic antibiotics, the industry is still working to minimise their use with the ultimate goal of zero therapeutic antibiotic usage,” Steve said.

“Immediately after the removal of AGPs, broiler performance was comparable to the performance before removal, however subsequent performance showed a steady decline.

Quoting a survey by Ross, “in many cases the impact on performance was greater and the consequence in terms of carcass quality were more serious”.

Steve’s first statement in his conclusions was that “the removal of AGPs from broiler diets needs to be carefully planned and executed,” he said.

The final session on the 17th was General Nutrition.

As in years past the latest in both scientific and wider industry developments were presented by excellent speakers, many of whom are globally recognised experts in their field.

The work being undertaken by young post graduates from our major universities and the Poultry CRC will without doubt benefit an industry that continues to grow in terms of overall consumption of both meat and eggs.

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1. Johnny Yokhana, University of Dohuk (left) with Sherzad Hussein, La Trobe University. 2. Angela Scott, Sydney University. 3. Poultry CEO Mingan Choct and Ha Hong Truong, winner of the Poultry CRC Student Award. 4. Robert Speight, QLD Univesrity of Technology. 5. Dana Cordell, UTS, Sydney.

6. Travis Schaal, Hy-Line International. 7. Australian Poultry Award 2015 was presented to Tim Walker by Professor Juliet Roberts (UNE). 8. Robert Wideman Jr, University of Arkansas, USA. 9. Steve Pritchard, Premier Nutrition, UK.

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Naturally ahead

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NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22 “Developing country demand and policy will shape the global meat trade, poultry produced by the major exporters will rise from around 11.5 million metric tonnes to around 14 million MT by 2025,” she predicted.

Joe Glauber from the International Food Policy Research Institute presented ‘Recent evolution in agricultural policies in developing countries’.

“Growth in global agricultural trade from 2002 (launch of he Doha Round of trade negotiations) had risen from a little over $500 billion to around $1700 billion by the end of 2014,” he stated.

“The biggest developing country exporters were 1. Brazil up 59% from 2009/13, 2. China up 65% and 3. India, up by 188%. Significant proportions of these countries’ exports were to other developing markets.

On the topic of producer subsidy equivalents, New Zealand and Australia had the lowest levels as a percentage of production whereas Japan and South Korea (countries with which Australia has recently negotiated trade deals) had subsidy levels of around 50%!

The last speaker in the session Tassos Haniotis from the European Commission, described the labirynthine dilemmas and challenges faced

by European agriculture in his paper ‘Global challenges, Common Agricultural Policy prospects: an EU perspective’.

Ken Baxter from the Productivity Commission was in the chair for the ‘Increasing efficiences in supply chains’ session.

The first speaker, Rod Sims, head of the ACCC stated that it would in the future, “look more closely at issues affecting regional located economies”.

He expressed concerns about state controlled enterprises such as ports and associated infrastructure, also large privatised entities like airports which had first refusal options on potentially competitive further airport construction.

Though he expressed the opinion that “in general private enterprise did better at delivering critical services, states sales and operations of energy supply could lead to some cause for concern.”

Taf Shaamano from ANZ in his paper, “The conversation we need to have about agricultural supply chains,’ stated that “Food production needs to increase by as much as 28% to meet the required consumption on a KCAL basis by 2030”.

Later in his presentation he v

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1. Joe Glauber, International Food Policy Research Institute. 2. Rod Sims, ACCC. 3. LtoR: Julia Seddon, Inghams; Brooke Summers, Cotton Australia; Neil McKenzie, CSIRO; Ian Thompson, Dept of Agriculture & Water Resources; Juanita Hamparsum, Hamparsum Investments. 4. Rebecca Michael, QLD Transport and Logistics Council. 5. Taf Shaamano, ANZ.

showed a chart headed “Production efficiences will drive Australia’s global competitiveness in emerging markets’, Currently Australia lags well behind many exporting agricultural economies in this regard his research revealed.

Hermione Parsons from Victoria University spoke about the ‘Benefits of improved supply chain visibility and traceability’.

The final speaker in the session, Rebecca Michael from the Queensland Transport and logistics Council, whose topic ‘Driving productive agricultural supply chains through innovative and responsive freight system and infrastructure’, revealed some of he challenges of adapting infrastructure built over a century ago to today’s requirements.

In the ‘Sustainable resource management makes sense’ session on March 2, Julia Seddon from Inghams Enterprises spoke about her company’s

initiative in her paper ‘Sustainability – central to supply and demand’.

First Ms Seddon explained the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Australia’.

Critical she said was to, “facilitate sustainable supply to meet rising food demand.

“Water was “essential to every aspect of operations,” she said.

After the Inghams Sommerville plant was all but destroyed during a fire in 2010 the company took the opportunity to include absolute best practice in water management in the reconstruction.

“The advanced water treatment systems which included online monitoring and failsafe shutdown reduced overall demand by 70%.

“Inghams Enterprises Somerville processing plant on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria is only the second site in the world to achieve the

NEWS Australian Water Stewardship (AWS) certification and the first to achieve their Gold standard,.

The ABARES 2016 event covered many of the issues vital to all agricultural activity, economic, environmental and issues around productivity.

Though Australian poultry production remains a largely domestic activity, global concerns around trade, currency and efficiency are almost certain to affect the industry in the medium and long term.

A report prepared by Karen Dutra for ABARES Agricultural Commodities on the outlook for Chicken meat 2020-21 gives cause for continued optimism.

“Australian chicken meat production is forecast to increase by 3% to 1.16 million tonnes in 2015-16 and is projected to reach 1.36 million tonnes by 2020-21,” the report commences.

“Retail prices of chicken meat are expected to remain lower than those of alternative meats, resulting in increasing per person consumption in the short to medium term.

“Over the medium term, exports are projected to increase by 3% a year to 41000 tonnes in 2020-21.

“The Australian chicken meat industry is dominated by a small number of large vertically integrated enterprises, which have increased production consistently over the past decades.

“Productivity growth in the industry has resulted from an increasing number of birds slaughtered and an increase in slaughter weights.

“The large scale of these enterprises has enabled investment in processing improvements and a focus on breeding to improve (feed) conversion ratios and reduce time between birth and bird maturity.

“The number of birds slaughtered increased by an average of 5% over the five years to 2014-15 and slaughter weights increased by 1% over the same period to average 1.91 kgs.

This growth is expected to continue over the medium term.

“By 2020-21 the share of chicken meat in total meat production is expected to reach 29.5% on a carcass weight basis, compared with 23.3% in 2014-15.

“Growth in chicken meat consumption is primarily a response to retail prices remaining well below those of beef, lamb and pork. Population growth has also contributed to growing domestic demand.

Total chicken meat consumption has risen by an average of 4% over the past 10 years, while the rise in per person consumption has averaged around 2.4% a year over the same period.

“High retail prices are forecast for alternative meats, particularly beef and lamb, so per person consumption of chicken meat is forecast to increase by 2% in 2015-16 to 46.2 kgs and by a further 2% in 2016-17 to 47 kgs.

Chicken meat consumption is forecast to continue rising over the medium term but at a slower rate.

“Australian trade in chicken meat remains a relatively small component of the industry.

“Unlike the red meat industries, the chicken meat industry is almost entirely focused on the domestic market with exports historically accounting for less than 5% of production.

“Total chicken meat exports were 34200 tonnes in 2014, with Papua New Guinea and the Philippiness the major destinations.

“Australia exported 650 tonnes of chicken meat to Japan in 2014-15, after that country imposed bans on imports from some regions in the US because of outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H7N8).

“In 2015-16 Australian exports of chicken are forecast to

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increase by 1% to 34500 tonnes, with outbreaks of strains of avian influenza affecting poultry industries in the US (H7N8), China (H7N9) and the European Union (EU).

“The relatively low Australian dollar is expected to assist the competitiveness of Australian exports.

“Over the medium term, exports are forecast to remain a small component of total chicken meat production, with domestic consumption continuing to account for 96% of total production.

“Australian chicken meat exports are expected to increase by an average of 3% a year to 41,000 tonnes (shipped weight) in 2020-21,” the ABARES report concluded.

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NEW PRODUCTS

New ‘Water on Demand’ system from Plasson Martin Simmons, who runs Technical Services Australia (TSA), Plasson’s Australian distributor, does not get excited easily but he is very enthusiastic about the potential for Plasson’s recently released ‘Water on Demand’ (WOD) system that can control pressure in poultry shed drinker lines around the clock.

“The WOD allows you to easily control and manage the water pressure in all drinker lines in the poultry shed according to the birds changing demands during a 24 hour period and during the grow out,” Martin explained.

“WOD works by the easy change of only two parts of the Plasson Line Pressure Regulator so growers can convert all the pressure regulators into pressure reducers.

“Using the system, the management of water pressure in all drinker lines in a shed is achieved from one central location.

“By using a minimum of two types of pre-set pressure regulators – one for low to medium pressures and one for medium to high pressure, for example this ensures the same pressure in all drinker lines and a supply of the required amount of water when your birds demand it,” Martin said.

“At the beginning of the growing phase, you can use the low-medium pressure regulator and increase the pressure every couple of days according to need.

“When reaching a medium pressure switch to the medium to high pressure regulator and continue to increase the pressure until it reaches a high pressure at the end of

the grow out.

“To effectively manage water pressure over a 24 hour period, switch between the main pressure regulator during the day to increase/decrease the pressure in the lines and ensure that the birds demands for water are met.

“In the following periods three main pressure regulators are required: • Night: minimum demand /low pressure.

• Morning: peak demand, high pressure.

• Day time: average demand, medium pressure.

• Twilight: peak demand, high pressure • Night: minimum demand, low pressure.

“The WOD uses the water itself to control the pressure and does not require additional expensive infrastructure installation and the system can easily be retrofitted to every Plasson watering system.

“WOD works together with the automatic flushing system kit,” Martin explained.

“The system consists of two units, the Plasson Pressure Reducers and the WOD control unit, and by using Water On Demand, growers can save on labour costs and maintain drier litter. The system is easily attached to a computerised shed controller,” Martin concluded.

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The Federal Court of Australia has found that AECL, Farm Pride Foods Ltd and Ironside Management Services Pty Ltd (Twelve Oaks Poultry) did not attempt to induce a cartel arrangement, as alleged in proceedings brought by the ACCC. The Court also found that James Kellaway, the Managing Director of AECL, and Jeffrey Ironside, a Director of AECL and Twelve Oaks Poultry, did not attempt to induce egg producers to engage in cartel conduct.

The proceedings concerned allegations by the ACCC that AECL, Farm Pride, and Twelve Oaks Poultry attempted to induce egg producers to cull hens or otherwise dispose of eggs, for the purpose of reducing the amount of eggs available for supply to consumers and businesses in Australia.

The Court found that while the ACCC had established that the respondents intended that egg producers should take action to address and correct an oversupply of eggs, it did not establish that this action was intended to be pursuant to an agreement or understanding involving reciprocal obligations by competing producers.

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