Pork Journal January/February 2017 by Rosemary Embery

porkjournal www.primarymedia.com.au

Volume 39 Issue 1

January/February 2017

SA grower gets a firmer grip on destiny with advanced milling technology

SA Pig Industry Day 2017

APSA Conference program announced

PrintPost Approved PP10003090 ISSN 1032 3759

porkjournal www.primarymedia.com.au

Volume 39 Issue 1

January/February 2017

EDITOR:

EDITORIAL & DESIGN

JOURNALIST/PHOTOGRAPHER PRODUCTION EDITOR

Peter Bedwell Alex Bedwell

Rosemary Embery

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Alex Bedwell

ADVERTISING ADVERTISING SALES Peter Bedwell Phone: (02) 9797 2406 Mob: 0419 235 288 Email: primarymedia@bigpond.com Rates are available at www.primarymedia.com.au

SUBSCRIPTIONS AUSTRALIA One Year - $55.00* Angus Wood, Farm Manager, Mt Boothby with Luke Steinborner, Sales Manager from National Feed Solutions.

COVER STORY Page 8: SA grower gets a firmer grip on destiny with advanced milling technology NEWS Page 4: SA Pig Industry Day 2017 Page 13: David Thompson hosts Sydney chefs for PorkStar Page 14: Pork CRC commercialisation advances Page 14: Pork represented in rural achievers awards Page 18: APSA conference program announced Page 21: Liam Flanagan: Larger than life and well loved PRODUCT NEWS Page 16: BEC Piglet Buddy developed to improve feed intake, feed efficiency and growth Page 22 Selontra rodenticide now approved for use in animal production facilities

NEW ZEALAND One Year - NZ$80 OTHER COUNTRIES One Year: Airmail - $A90 Please send payment in Australian dollars. Send payment and full details to: 250 Hawthorne Pde, Haberfield NSW 2045 *Australian subscription rate includes GST

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. 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.

NEWS

SA Pig Industry Day 2017 By PETER BEDWELL, Editor Pork SA Inc. with the support from Australian Pork Limited, industry partner sponsors, including the Pork CRC and the SA Pig Industry Fund, organised and ran the 2017 SA Pig Industry Day on February 24 at The Barossa Weintal, Tanunda. More than 150 turned up and organisers and industry participants at the trade exhibition would have been pleased by the number of pig farmers and staff that attended. SA supports its pig industry well and the numbers proved this point. In the trade area there was plenty of activity. Given the prevalence of the hoop barn to raise pigs on straw around Murray Bridge, Rod Martin’s Polytex Tarpaulin stand was busy as was local supplier Jacksons, whose robust shelters are ubiquitous on the expanding farms out along the Murray (which had lots of water in it!). Mundigo’s Mike Andersen had his Roto Feeder on display and David Rue’s APS Vaucluse also had some interesting mobile feeder options on show. Ridley launched its new SOWBlock product that was developed in cooperation with the Pork CRC to assist in improving sow behavior and welfare in group sow housing facilities. We intend to run a full new product report in the next issue of Pork Journal. It’s an interesting development. Feedworks’ Doug Pearson was on hand to promote the Nedap Velos ESF system that has already been installed in some major facilities in Australia. Alltech/Lienerts’ ever expanding team is being kept busy in SA with their BluePrint Program to support growing production in the region. Speaking of the BluePrint Program, Matt Starick (March/April 2016 issue) from Pork SA, kicked off the conference session introducing Dr Roger Campbell, CEO of the Pork CRC. He was the first speaker in the session ‘Optimising growing herd performance, where the real money sits’. “Where we sit internationally and how the best in Australia do it. There’s some good news and opportunities and some scary comparisons and things we need to improve,” he said. Summing up the global situation, Dr Campbell pointed out our high cost

of production when measured in $A at $2.80 per Kg carcass weight. The USA is 1.60, Canada 1.80, Denmark 2.10 and the Netherlands 2.13. However Australia beats all those EU countries (which import pork into Australia) on post weaning mortality levels when measured as a percentage of the herd – Australia 4.3, US 9.4, Canada 5.5, DenmarkM 6.8, and the Netherlands 4.9. Maybe this is marketable to retailers and consumers who obsess about welfare issues (that’s a PJ speculation, not Dr Campbell’s). Further, despite the numerous government backed ‘incentives’ available to all those countries who import pork to be processed in Australia none of those countries’ pork industries made a profit in 2015, Dr Campbell revealed. Some good news, he stated, was that when comparisons were made between 2010-11 and 2015-16, pigs born alive increased from 10.9 per litter to 11.6 and pigs weaned/litter 9.5 to 10.2. Suggesting new technologies available to improve performance and reduce costs, Dr Campbell pointed to, “AusScan (A global advance), grain processing – (maybe more flexibility than previously thought) and genetics (assuming that they are as good as those available globally. He also mentioned, “Paylean (a product under pressure but proven to be cost effective) and exogenous enzymes – not quantified and probably not properly exploited in Australia, but there’s little doubt that they can improve health, performance and reduce costs”. “Also higher sulphur amino acid levels (Methionine) to reduce inflammation. “We have years of knowledge on requirements and nutritional strategies and maybe it’s time to look at some new ideas. “Those initiatives could include a single diet and manipulating feed intake: improving health through new vaccines for APP and SD. “Also reducing inflammation associated with commercial practices, use of Lauric and manipulating the gut w microbiome,” he said.

4 1. Deb Kerr, Operations Manager APL. 2. Karen Moore, researcher from WA. 3. Graeme Pope, from Graeme Pope Consulting. 4. Peter Brechin, ABC, received an SA Pork life membership award.

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NEWS v

Next Tony Edwards (ACE Livestock), speaking about the current grain harvest, pointed out that there had been a record global 59 million tonne grain crop – “a world awash with grain,” Tony said. “Easily available to Australian growers are good quality raw feed materials high in starch, lower in protein and offering low mycotoxin risk (despite late rains). “A note of caution however, is that late crops in SA are subject to Helitrope and possibly moulds. “Legumes feature strongly. There are plenty of quality grains so there is no need to take risks on ‘dodgy’ parcels,” Tony said. “One of the results of these record stocks, is a reduced prospect for exports and potentially lower costs for local buyers. “The bottom line is a raw material feed cost of around $300/$330, down $50/$80 a tonne on last year. There is also the prospect of a ‘second harvest’ in the autumn,” Tony said. In concluding he spoke about productivity. “Productivity drives profitability and productivity underpins efficiency and ultimately, lowers the cost of production.” Karen Moore, a researcher from WA has been conducting valuable research into ‘Single diets and developments in manipulating feed intake to improve feed efficiency’ and this was the title of her paper. Karen defined the single diet as, “feeding the same diet through the grower/finisher period: the theory being that initially the diet may be deficient in nutrients but in the latter stages there is as excess supply of energy and amino acids,” she said. The initial research conducted in 2008 (22.5 to 101.5 Kg LW) resulted in a feed cost saving of 3.1 cents kg LW gain feeding a single diet when compared to phase feeding. “The results met with some disbelief so trials were conducted in a commercial environment supported by a Pork CRC project in 2011 with a single diet fed from 25kg LW to slaughter. “There was a small difference in performance revealed but there was some concern that the lysine concentrations were insufficient so the true effect of the single diet were not realized,” Karen said. “We revisited the single diet with the increased requirements for a pig at 60 kg LW. “In results published in 2018, there was a feed saving of 5.1 cents /kgLW

gain single diet compared to phase feeding which translates to a saving of approx. $3 a pig,” Karen revealed. Karen stated that, “in phase vs single there was no difference in lifetime growth and carcass value. With a single diet there were cost savings in feed fed/ kgLW gain and in feed manufacture, storage and delivery. “However, success in the single diet will likely depend on the diet specifications chosen, genetic potential and weight range over which the pigs are to be fed. “The is need to consider LW variation in the pen at the commencement of the single diet,” Karen said. The next subject tackled by Karen was ‘Manipulating feed intake’. “The task, Karen stated, “was to find an easily implemented strategy to improve feed efficiency and reduce backfat in pigs that have received Improvac, but the concept can be applied to all sexes. “A variety of options were considered but discounted due to market access issues, potential welfare, on farm practicality and cost. “The plan was to use in-feed ingredients to suppress voluntary feed intake. The ingredients chosen were Albus lupins – 20% for the last 2 weeks before slaughter, and mineral salts, 3% calcium chloride and 1.6% sodium triolyphosphate,” Karen explained. “The results were that mineral salts reduced intake and improved FCR but had no effect on backfat or growth rate so cost effectiveness is questionable. “Albus lupins reduced feed intake, but also reduced growth rate, and improved FCR in one experiment. “They reduced backfat but further research is required to determine CONTINUED ON PAGE 20 w

1. Winner of the Ronald J Lienert Scholarship, Bryony Tucker (centre) with Chris Lienert and Nick Lienert. 2. Haylee Clifford who has just joined Lienerts. 3. Nathan O’Dell from BE Campbell. 4. Robert Wadland from JBS.

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Skiold multiple input system for blending diets.

SA grower gets a firmer grip on destiny with advanced milling technology By PETER BEDWELL

hen Pork Journal first visited Andrew Johnson’s Mt Boothy farm in South Australia back in 2001, the farm

had moved to batch farrowing and the use of straw based hoop barns. Andrew’s father set up their farm in the early 1960s, driven by the end of Australia’s famous wool boom. He cleared the scrub and through necessity built a 200 sowpiggery. When Andrew and his brother Alastair joined the operation, they expanded into cropping, seed, sheep, wool and cattle. The farm was soon recognised as being a leader in both pig production and diversification growing mixed crops – all vital crops for maintaining feed efficiency. The operation expanded through the acquisition of another piggery, since sold, further development of the home piggery and procuring more land. The Mt Boothby farm was, with its other activities, a significant enterprise.

“Looking to improve efficiency and thus viability as a business, we realised more improvement could be made on our feed costs. We estimated that by having our own milling facility we could, by integrating our other activities, save up to 20 cents a kilo LW in production costs, largely just on freight alone,” Andrew said. “Our old roller mill did a good job and with sound advice and planning made us a better business. It was running 52 weeks a year and though effective, was very labour intensive. “As we expanded to our current level of 1000 sows it was time to reconsider our options,” he said “The last year delivered us the kind of returns that allowed us to safely expand our business by targeting feed production. That meant installing a

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new feed mill which was able to cope with not only greater volumes, but deal with a variety of raw materials and diet specifications. “Full automation was also desirable to free up labour input for a variety of activities in both our sheds and paddocks. Push button, digital technology has delivered some amazing advantages and we wanted that,” he said. “The Skiold disc mill and fully automated input and output system are pretty much state of the art, so with a sharp intake of breath, we called Martin Liese at Vac Mill Solutions and soon set him and his team to work. “We have not been disappointed. The Skiold set up can not only handle a variety of raw materials but also deals with frosted or out of spec grains like much of the crops available in recent seasons. “Also we realise that if and when more export opportunities arise, as they have in the past, we may be required to grow to different customer needs in other markets and need to able to produce feed that suits differing carcass weights. “The disc mills’ ability to better control particle size has become a critical part of modern pig feed strategies and we can benefit from that,” Andrew said. “When we planned our current expansion it was based on four key strategies. The first was a new high capacity fully automated feed mill, and simply more grain storage, the second was a new state of the art farrowing shed and the third was two dry sow houses having a ‘cafeteria’ system to suit new sow stall philosophies and the fourth was the grower expansion. “Our farms are now set up to deal with whatever conditions face us in the future. Right now there are plentiful supplies of raw materials but this can change as we have seen in the past. “Should climatic conditions mean that we have to purcgase grain or transport materials from interstate, we know from past experience that this has serious cost implications. “Australia has one of the highest port/shipping costs of anywhere on the planet and other transport costs are not far behind. While we obviously want to be able to utilise our own raw materials whenever possible, we need the flexibility to use external supply sources where necessary,” Andrew emphasised. The development of the Mt Boothby farming enterprise typifies the entrepreneurial attitude of many of the independent mid-sized family farming operations in Australia. “We operate as an independent entity within a diverse industry, but I do have an interest in industry matters beyond our own farm gate.

1. Farm has used Jacksons’ shelters since 2000. This is the latest addition. 2. Automated auger drive linked to the Skiold control system, shown in pic 4. 3. Four tonnes per hour produced by Skiold disc mill. 5. Jacksons’ silos and increased grain storage capacity.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a Director of APL and as Deputy Chair and Director of Pork SA, I am involved with both national and regional drivers of our industry,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am a great supporter of the Nuffield Scholarship initiatives in Australia and in 2005 my own Nuffield sponsored scholarship allowed me to study sow housing and other pig industry welfare issues, both nationally and overseas, which has helped me significantly in driving our business to a sustainable future. Other key aspects of the Mt Boothby farm, apart from a very impressive feed milling set up, are the Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shelters. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were the first growers to use Jackson shelters and feeders when we worked with them 17 years ago in the development stages and they did a great job then and continue to do so in our recent expansion. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They developed the design to minimise the often drastic wind issues that can cause problems in SA and their silos are also built to a high standard. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Jackson business highlights how great our local tradies were and are right now in helping us with the various projects. Without the efforts of all our local trades people, it would have been a lot harder,â&#x20AC;? Andrew said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tony Edwards has been the designer of our diets in recent years and our genetics are CEFN and it all works well.

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Top: Yet another load of feed off to the sow housing. Above: Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plenty of room to grow on this property and add more housing.

Pork Journal would like to recognise the help of Luke Steinborner, Sales Manager at National Feed Solutions, the company which supplies Mt Boothby with feed pre-mixes and protein meals. Luke gave up most of his day to take us to the farm to have a look at the Skiold set-up. Martin Liese, the head of Vac Mill Solutions, Australian agent for Skiold, who was on hand fine-tuning the impressive milling set up. Finally Mt Boothby Farm Manager Angus Wood who gave up his time to show us the new equipment. Owner Andrew Johnson was over at the farrowing sheds and mustering sheep for shearing, trying to do a weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chores in a day so he could attend the South Australian Pig Day on the following Friday. The Mt Boothby farm clearly illustrates how long term investment strategies can help to iron out the inevitable cycles in all livestock industries. Established as a farm to rescue a primary wool producer as returns plummeted, Mt Boothby has seen the highs of the early 2000s followed by drought, imports and the GFC. Having survived all this, Andrewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision to use the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;happy timeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of the mid 2016 prices to invest in cost saving feed strategies, have come on stream as returns decline. The Mt Boothby farm has been designed not only to operate as a viable business but also one that has responded to changing consumer expectations, now and into the future.

NEWS

David Thompson hosts Sydney chefs for PorkStar It was a hot night out for Sydney chefs when they gathered for PorkStar at David Thompson’s acclaimed restaurant, Long Chim. More than 100 of the city’s top chefs gathered over Mr Thompson’s world-renowned modern Thai cuisine, featuring pork. Australian Pork Limited’s PorkStar program is in its second decade of encouraging and celebrating chefs’ pork usage. PorkStar’s Mitch Edwards said the event was a chance to celebrate all things pork and sample Thai flavours and modern techniques. “While he has a remarkable global reputation, David Thompson is also a PorkStar and we’re so excited he was able to host this great event,” he said. “When Long Chim opened in Sydney last year, it was to great media buzz as part of the reinvigoration of the Angel Place dining precinct. We are excited David was able to host PorkStar tonight and share his Thai flavours and passion for the pig.” Long Chim opened in Angel Place, off Martin Place, late last year, the latest in a long list of successful restaurants run by the man known as an encyclopaedia of Thai cookery, and featuring his take on street food.

“The PorkStar event was a pork feast including cured pork fritters, grilled pork cheek salad and pineapple curry of pork,” Mr Edwards said. “Put aside your experiences at your local Thai restaurant because the way David cooks Thai surpasses expectations and delivers both

authentic flavours and delicious dishes.” Wines for the evening were sourced by Domaine Wine Shippers, with beer from Two Birds Brewing and water from Aquabotanical. The PorkStar national tour continues, showcasing the top chefs and dishes featuring Australian pork.

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NEWS

Pork CRC commercialisation advances Cooperative Research Centre for High Integrity Australian Pork (Pork CRC) Manager, Commercialisation and Research Impact, Charles RikardBell, has confirmed that a pipeline of products is being developed which will advance Australia’s pork industry, while, in some cases, earning income for ongoing and future research and development. “Our pipeline has already delivered products such as the Ridley Sow Enrichment Block, which was commercially launched in October last year, after being showcased at the 2016 Pan Pacific Pork Expo. It now has an international patent pending and 170 tonne of product was manufactured in the first batch,” Dr Rikard-Bell explained. “It all comes down to reducing aggression between sows when they are first mixed in groups, which is now common practice in modern Australian pork production, and our sow enrichment blocks are delivering positive, measurable outcomes. “Excitingly, we are about to commission some promising research into refining the block to suit weaners and finishers, rather than just sows.”Addressing Pork CRC’s February commercialisation and adoption committee meeting in Melbourne, Dr Rikard-Bell also highlighted and updated positive developments in his portfolio, including commercialising vaccines for Actinobacillus pleuropneu-

Pork CRC Commercialisation and Research Impact Manager Dr Charles Rikard-Bell (left) met at WA’s Murdoch University with Dr Tom La, Dr Nyree Phillips and Professor David Hampson, the team investigating how to identify, track and control swine dysentery in Australian pig herds. moniae (APP) and swine dysentery, plus diagnostics tests for Lawsonia and swine dysentery. “All of these technologies have the potential to impact global pig production, particularly our swine dysentery research. “The commercial success of AusScan, a joint venture between Pork CRC and Aunir UK, which made online AusScan near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) calibrations available to customers worldwide two years ago, is a stand-out example.

“Pork CRC revenue from the AusScan business exceeded $A182,000 in the quarter ending December 2016, with soybean meal measurements in highest demand. Test numbers reached 2799 in the December quarter. “The future is bright, with Pork CRC’s researchers working with industry to identify and investigate more promising technologies, systems and services that can improve pork production profitability and generate a viable income stream for future R&D,” he said.

Pork represented in rural achiever awards Australian Pork Limited’s (APL) Manager of Technology Adoption and Industry Capability, Ashley Norval, has been announced as one of the 2017 Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) Rural Achiever finalists. The RAS Rural Achiever Award is a state-wide leadership program run by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW. It recognises young people who are working hard to make a significant contribution to their community and to rural Australia. Miss Norval is an integral part of APL research and innovation (R&I) division, running and managing APL R&I’s extension activities, including the

‘Pigs in Schools’ education portfolio. Her industry knowledge and passion for the agricultural sector has led to many successful achievements for the pork industry. Ashley will participate in the 12 month program that prides itself on developing future leaders in the agricultural sector. Ashley will be exposed to a range of unique networking and professional development opportunities. She also takes home $2000 in prize money, 12 month RAS alumni membership and clothing from Akubra and Thomas Cook. “I am honoured to have been cho-

sen to be a part of such a great program and am looking forward to representing the Australian pig industry to the best of my ability,” Ashley Norval said. APL’s Acting General Manager, Research and Innovation, Heather Channon acknowledges how great this will be for Ashley, and the benefit of new ideas and skills she will bring back to APL. “Ashley is one of our rising stars here at APL, and we know she will do very well in the program.” “This is a great example of talented people in the pig industry doing great things to ensure we keep moving forward,” stated Mr Andrew Spencer, CEO, APL.

PRODUCT NEWS

BEC Piglet Buddy developed to improve feed intake, feed efficiency and growth By Dr DAVID ISAAC, Research Manager BEC Feed Solutions The modern pig industry is focused on improving feed efficiency at every stage of pig production. The first critical stage is weaning which is a stressful experience for piglets. On the one hand there is separation from the sow, mixing and moving to the nursery and on the other an abrupt change from suckling to solid feed. The consequences for the newly weaned piglet is a significant decrease in feed intake and nutrient supply which compromises the intestinal integrity and can lead to infection, diarrhoea and poor performance. The amount and frequency of feed consumption post weaning has a major

effect on gut morphology and health. Vente-Spreeuwenberg et al. (2003) showed that villous heights are positively correlated with feed intake and negatively correlated with more-liquid faeces. A strategy to improve feed intake and minimise the impact of weaning is to reduce the interval from weaning to first feed. Feed palatability Feed palatability may play a central role in increasing meal size and frequency. Feed evokes odour, taste and thermo-mechanical (somatosensing) sensations that stimulate appetite of

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ingredients which will ensure nourishment. In particular the taste system has evolved as a response to the need of identifying adequate nutritious foods. Mammals differentiate not less than five different tastes each activated by different nutrients such as simple carbohydrates which evoke sweetness or amino acids and peptides which evoke umami/savoury taste. Both tastes motivate consumption in pigs (Roura, 2011). Weaner pig diets are formulated to be highly digestible and very palatable to ensure high feed intakes and excellent growth rates. Traditionally the inclusion of highly palatable ingredients are required to promote post weaning performances. However, due to the huge cost of most of these highly palatable ingredients (such as lactose and other simple carbohydrate and amino acid rich ingredients), the use of high intensity sweeteners (HIS) alone or in combination with flavour additives in pig diets have been widely accepted for a long time but yet the controversy related to their efficacy remains unresolved (Roura et al., 2008). A novel premix The Pork CRC, in conjunction with the University of Queensland (UQ), have developed a novel premix that when added to a simplified weaner pig diet improves feed intake, feed efficiency (FE) and growth. UQ research followed a systematic approach to identify taste active compounds which would trigger sensory specific appetite in young pigs. That included double-choice trials measuring not only preferences but also, and most importantly, sensory driven motivation to consume. In addition, performance trials (no-choice) were used to test the most outstanding synergistic combinations which included the evaluation of appetite-related hormonal profiles. The outcome of the four year project was the novel premix BEC Piglet Buddy. Two commercial studies were conducted at a research facility. The studies compared a simple low cost diet with the addition of BEC Piglet

PRODUCT NEWS Buddy with a more complex commercial weaner diet. In Study 1 the pigs fed the low cost diet with BEC Piglet Buddy were 600g heavier at the end (P=0.07) and had a 7.5% (P=0.002) improvement in feed efficiency when compared to the positive control indicating improved nutrient absorption. Study 2 involved lighter weaned piglets (5.1 kg). The addition of BEC Piglet Buddy to the low cost diet produced similar growth and feed efficiency performances as the piglets fed the complex diet. Study 2 also showed an increase in feed intake within the first 14 days (P=0.094) and significant increase for the entire 28 days (P=0.017), indicating a taste preference towards BEC Piglet Buddy. Conclusion Weaning is a critical phase in pig production. Adequate feed intake post weaning can prevent traditional growth checks. The novel premix, BEC Piglet Buddy has shown to have significant positive impact during this period.

Dr David Isaac, Animal Health, Innovation and Research Manager, BEC Feed Solutions with Pork CRC Commercialisation and Research Impact Manager, Dr Charles Rikard-Bell. If you would like more information and diet recommendations when using BEC Piglet Buddy, please contact: Dr David Isaac, Animal Health, Innovation & Research Manager (BEC Feed

Solutions). Email: d.isaac@becfeed. com.au or Dr Charles Rikard-Bell, Commercialisation & Research Impact Manager (Pork CRC). Email: c.rikardbell@ porkcrc.com.au

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NEWS

APSA conference program announced Bookmark_27022017.ai 2 27-Feb-17 10:19:45 AM

Dunkin Memorial Lecture Seasonal infertility-how far have we come in 30 years? Dr Ray King, RHK Consulting

Reviews Current and novel feed additives–how they inuence pig production. Professor John O’Doherty, University College Dublin

CMY

The use of antimicrobials in agriculture-is agriculture really to blame for antimicrobial resistance (AMR)? Professor Darren Trott, University of Adelaide Eating quality assurance for the pork industry. What has been achieved in 16 years? Ms Heather Channon, Australian Pork Limited The advanced assessment of animal welfare-achieving understanding of advanced objective measures of animal welfare. Professor Alan Tilbrook, SARDI

Symposiums Genetic improvement in a closed herd. Dr Kim Bunter, University of New England, Professor Dorian Garrick, Massey University, Dr Matt Culbertson, Genus PIC What consumers want? Dr Heather Bray, University of Adelaide Dr Darryl D’Souza, SunPork Group, Mr Evan Bittner, The University of Melbourne.

The Program for the Australasian Pig Science Association (APSA) 16th Biennial Conference has been completed and the organising Committee believe it will be a fitting way to commemorate and celebrate how APSA has highlighted thirty years of pig industry research in Australia. The very first APSA came about via the hard work of a few Australian pig researchers and was held in 1987 in the NSW regional town of Albury. The modern APSA conferences have truly become international gatherings and the 2017 APSA Conference will be held at the Grand Hyatt, Melbourne, Victoria from the 19th22nd of November 2017. It’s incredible that during that first APSA a symposium was held on seasonal infertility, and after 30 years it is still affecting the industry. It seems fitting that Dr Ray King, a stalwart, long-standing and respected researcher within the Australian pork industry will deliver the A.C. Dunkin Memorial Lecture by revisiting seasonal infertility research and far we have come in our understanding in 30 years. Dr Ray King has been there from the start, attending the inaugural APSA conference and helping to promote scientific discussion within the pork research industry throughout his career. The A.C. Dunkin Memorial Lecture traditionally opens the APSA conference. The lecture is delivered to inspire, encourage thought, and to give members of the pig science community the opportunity to think about their contribution to pork production and the overall contribution of pork production to the global community. World renowned pig research scientist, Professor John O’Doherty from the University College Dublin will deliver a review titled ‘Current and novel feed additives – how they influence pig production’. John is an acknowledged authority in this field of research and this review will no doubt spark much interest amongst the conference delegates. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat to both human and animal health and many in the human medical field are critical about the use of antimicrobials in the treatment of diseases in food animals with the Agricultural industries often singled out as being largely

responsible for the continued increase of AMR across the globe. This responsibility is laid at the doorstep of agriculture because of their perceived overuse and misuse of antimicrobials. There has been much call from a number of governments and human health specialists to reduce or ban the use of antimicrobials in agriculture but is agriculture really to blame for AMR? Would ceasing the use of antibiotics completely stop this problem and how much do we really know about AMR? This important question will be answered by Professor Darren Trott of the University of Adelaide. The eating quality of pork has held much of the limelight in previous APSA Conference proceedings, most notably in 2001, with a symposium titled ‘Managing the eating quality of pork’. One of the authors in this symposium was Ms Heather Channon. Heather has spent the majority of her very illustrious career undertaking research concerning the eating quality of pork and will fittingly deliver a review titled ‘Eating quality assurance for the pork industry – What has been achieved in 16 years?’. Heather is Acting General Manager of the Research and Innovation team at Australian Pork Limited and is also undertaking a PhD through the University of Melbourne. The importance of ensuring continuous welfare improvement within the industry is underpinned by the assessment and measurement of a pig’s welfare which goes beyond simple behavioural measurements. This important topic will be delivered by Professor Alan Tilbrook of SARDI in a review titled ‘The advanced assessment of animal welfare-achieving understanding of advanced objective measures of animal welfare’. The ability for genetic improvement within Australia is made challenging as Australia maintains a closed pig herd, which is crucial to protect the biosecurity of our industry. Understanding and applying genetic principles and the advances in genetics and genomics will be discussed in this symposia by Dr Kim Bunter from the University of New England, Professor Dorian Garrick from Massey University and Dr Matt Culbertson

NEWS from Genus PIC. Understanding what consumers want is a difficult question as it can depend on their level of knowledge of livestock industries, their attitudes towards science and technology in food production, how important the origin and provenance of their food is to them and how important the welfare and husbandry is of food producing animals to them. To answer this somewhat difficult question, a symposia titled ‘What consumers want’ will be delivered by Dr Darryl D’Souza from the SunPork Group, Mr Evan Bittner from The University of Melbourne and Dr Heather Bray from the University of Adelaide. APSA International Scholarship Award applications open The purpose of the International APSA Travel Scholarship is to introduce outstanding early-career international pig scientists and their cutting-edge research to the Australasian pork industry. The scholarship will provide travel support to promising early-career

scientists for presentation of their work at the Australasian Pig Science Association (APSA) conference. Applications for the International APSA Travel Scholarship Award are open and closing on May 8, 2017. If you, or someone you know, is eligible and would love to attend APSA 201, visit http://www.apsa.asn.au/ Awards/InternationalTravelScholarship. aspx for further information and to apply. The APSA Conference would be impossible if it were not for the generosity of our sponsors. The APSA committee would like to thank principle sponsors: Australian Pork Limited and the Pork CRC for High Integrity Australian Pork; the gold sponsors: AusPac, DSM, Zoetis, SunPork and BEC Feed Solutions; the silver sponsors: Elanco, Evonik, Feedworks, Phytobiotics, Rivalea, Lallemand, BASF, PIRSA/SARDI, AB Vista, Linley Valley Pork, Kemin, and MSD Animal Health; the bronze sponsors: Biomin, Aunir, Zamira Life Sciences, and Lienert Australia. A number of sponsorship opportunities are still available for silver

Dr Ray King. and bronze sponsorship. Contact Kate Murphy at apsa@yrd.com.au for details. APSA will be held at the Grand Hyatt, Melbourne, Victoria from the 19th-22nd of November 2017 and the committee hopes that you will be able to join them to celebrate thirty years of APSA in this great location.

IMPROVE SOW BEHAVIOUR. ADD A BLOCK TO THE MIX. Adding a SOWBLOCK to the pen gives sows an opportunity to forage and explore. This results in less biting and scratching, particularly while sows are establishing their social hierarchy.

“With SOWBLOCK, injuries have been reduced by up to 44%.” 1 1. Mean number of fresh scratch injuries scored on Day 3 after mixing control sows and sows treated with SOWBLOCK (Pork CRC funded Commercialisation Project).

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“In test pens, sows spent 46% more time laying down and 72% less time chasing.” 2 2. Effect of higher feed levels or addition of SOWBLOCK to group housed gestational sows behaviour in the first four days post mixing (Pork CRC Project 1C-115).

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NEWS v CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 optimal inclusion level. “Lauric acid reduced feed intake and improved FCR and further research is in progress,” Karen concluded. Next, well known SA based industry consultant Graeme Pope urged growers and their staff to enroll for capability programs in transporting pigs, technology uptake and business strategies. “The PORKSA Transporters Workshops cover principles around optimising pig welfare during transport and loading and working with natural pig behavior while both people and pigs are under stress,” Graeme said. “There are to be three sessions held at Primo and BRP. Encourage your carrier and relevant staff to attend. “The APL funded R&D Technology Awareness and Adoption Survey Evaluation project will provide APL with guidelines for effective future technology transfer investments,” Graeme explained. “The Farm Business Strategic Review deals with growth funding including working with banks and investors. Turning your story into numbers and the system offers grower aids such as web based tools to help get your business ‘bank ready’ Graeme said. After lunch in the trade exhibition area, Deb Kerr, Policy Manager at APL went through industry statistics and while it is common knowledge that prices have come off their mid 2016 high, there was other good news. “Exports had increased in volume by 6.7% and by value 9.2%: domestic consumption of fresh pork had increased by over 9% in the past year and per capita consumption now exceeded 10 kg per person per annum,” Deb revealed. Steve Miller from APL next spoke about the APL APIQ auditing process that will change due to a variety of causes including some perceived conflict of interest and expanding workload on existing APIQ auditors.

He explained the move to use AUSMEAT Limited Commercial Services to make the audit process more efficient and acceptable. Ashley Norval from APL gave an update on the ‘Pork in Schools’ program run by APL to assist teachers in delivering lessons using pork based recipes. “APL has developed a suite of resources for kindergarten to year 10. Our resources are now being used by teachers, covering all aspects of pork production in over 900 schools. “KR Castelmaine has donated fresh pork sufficient to teach 3341 students,” Ashley explained. Using IT-smart pig farming was the topic for Tim Croagh from Western Plains Pork. Tim explained how the use of new digital based technologies on their large free range farm had made management tasks easier. Robotic control of feeders, electronic detection of leaking pipes and even drones that could track individual animals fitted with electronic ear tags, are all technologies used at Western Plains Pork. Robert Wadland from JBS and then Nathan O’Dell from BE Campbell spoke about linking the producer to the end market. JBS is a global concern that operates the Primo Group and generates moret than $175 million in pig procurement from SA and Vic producers. Both Robert and Nathan were enthusiastic about the increase in fresh pork consumption in the domestic market, but also mindful that it was essential to find new markets for Australian pork producers. “There are niche market opportunities in Asia as well as opportunity to use Australia pork into supermarket sold small goods manufacture,” Mr O’Dell said Dr Pat Mitchell from APL in her paper, ‘The rat race and how to win – how best to control rats on-farm,’ warned about complacency in rodent

control and how best to stay on top of the problem. “There were some new options on the market to deal effectively with these pests combined with simple improvements to sheds and facilities to keep them out in the first place.” Matt Starick concluded the conference session and the PorkSA AGM was held afterwards prior to the much welcomed ‘happy hour’ event. The SA Pig Industry Dinner held on the evening of February 24, commenced with the announcement of the Ronald J Lienert Scholarship award given to a University of Adelaide honours student. Graeme Pope introduced the winner and Nick Lienert presented the award to Bryony Tucker. In her submission Bryony stated that “I will be studying the influence on GnRH treatment during the period of maternal recognition of pregnancy on the ovarian function and fertility on first parity sows. “I will determine whether single or repeated treatment will increase blood oestrogen concentrations and the subsequent farrowing rates/litter sizes, and whether this effect occurs all year or is limited to the summer months,” Bryony explained. “Bryony has already demonstrated quite some commitment to assist with other researchers trials conducted within the Roseworthy Piggery, and is an active member of the Roseworthy Pig Club, as well as having her contract with SARDI for part time work within the Roseworthy Piggery,” Graeme Pope told diners at he event. Bryony, as part of her scholarship award, will spend time at the University of Guelf, Ontario Canada, one of the word’s best research centres for intensive livestock related science. There were two recipients of life membership awards to Pork SA; they are Chris Sapwell and the long serving ABC identity Peter Brechin who has been following the SA pig industry for more than 50 years.

SAVE THE DATE

April 4th & 5th, 2017

Victorian Pig Fair Bendigo Exhibition Centre Prince of Wales Showgrounds Holmes Rd, Bendigo, VIC

The biannual Victorian Pig Fair (VPF) at the Bendigo Exhibition Centre, attracts local industry attendees each year. It will be held on Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 of April 2017 at the Bendigo Showgrounds. Entry for producers and their employees will be free. As with previous Fairs, in addition to the trade show, the program will be crammed full of many different events including the seminar program, cocktail party and networking session. To enquire about the VPF, please contact: Committee President, John Bourke (VFF Pig Group President) M: 0419552768

NEWS

Liam Flanagan: Larger than life and well loved

Just as we were going to press with this issue of Pork Journal we learned that Liam Flanagan had died. He was well known and loved and had a long history in the pork industry. He manged Nyabing Pastoral Company until 1989 and then managed Great Southern Pig company from 1990 to 2002. He was a life member of WAPPA and was at one stage the President. He was also an APL delegate and between 2002 and 2004 he managed farms at Tamworth. He moved to Tasmania and maintained links with the pig industry through the great friends he made along the way. Many people sent through their memories of him and we are sorry we don’t have room for them all. This tribute was sent by his friend Ross Cutler and seemed to sum him up. “Liam was a larger than life character who wore his heart on his sleeve. He came across as big and tough but underneath he was the original kitten. He was literate, gentle, thoughtful, kind, generous, loyal to a fault and well read. He refused to tolerate authority, big business, government, politics of any sort and a world without beer. He treated small courtesies and kindnesses with almost overwhelming gratitude. He knew how small things could make a world of difference. He loved music, pubs and beer, collected porcelain, read voraciously, drank a lot of beer (have I said that already?), cared for his friends but

remained a child of his Glasgow roots to the day he died. His life was beset by tragedy, adventure, friendships, seizing opportunities, and making things happen. His wife Tracy must be the best thing that ever happened to him. I had the privilege of working with him in various ways over a 30 year period - as an industry delegate, as client, as a recruiter for his Romanian excursion and most recently on our project in Papua New Guinea. We made a good team. I had a bunch of ideas but Liam could get them done. This same ability was in evidence in his work with Great Southern, the Pyrethrin milling group in Tassie that he worked for and more recently the feed mill that he completed near Packenham in Victoria. He was the ‘go to fellow’ when things needed fixing. He was a bloody good bloke and I shall miss him terribly. I think I speak for many of us on that point. He cared for others very much; especially Tracy whom he adored. When he met her and after they were married it was if he gained a new lease on life. When we traveled together he would tell me about her activities and achievements with huge pride.

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NEWS

Selontra rodenticide now approved for use in animal production facilites After being successfully trialed in a select number of Australian piggeries under an emergency use permit, BASF’s unique Selontra Soft Bait Rodenticide is now registered for use in and around animal houses and along perimeter fence lines. Selontra meets the requirements of both lowering the risk of secondary poisoning and also significantly reducing the potential of primary and secondary feed contamination. It is also fast acting resulting in effective, rapid control, according to Dr David Elmouttie, Technical Specialist for BASF. “Selontra has been developed by the experts in pest control at BASF who invest over A$2 million per day in crop protection research and development. “The highly effective and innovative non-anticoagulant bait is based on a naturally occurring active ingredient and offers distinctive benefits that can help to achieve complete control of rodent infestations up to three times faster than conventional anticoagulant rodenticides,” he said.

He also explained that the new rodent bait will be a welcome solution for animal producers to control rodents and their destruction capabilities quickly. “The combined additional benefits of Selontra also increases efficiencies for farmers and businesses alike addressing a multitude of baiting issues that have previously made controlling populations efficiently challenging. “Due to its unique mode of action Selontra also has a low risk of secondary poisoning and feed contamination, which makes it an ideal bait for use in animal houses such as pig and chicken farms,” Dr Elmouttie said. Each year, rodents destroy around 20% of the world’s agricultural products, cause enormous amounts of damage to homes and businesses, and spread over 200 human pathogens. “Selontra requires as little as two bait applications for complete control, resulting in quicker control of the entire colony. It causes rodents to stop

feeding, meaning that each pest will consume the required amount to be effective, leaving the remaining bait for the rest of rodent population. This stop feed action also reduces the likelihood of further damage and contamination caused by hungry rodents, particularly in areas where other appealing food sources are readily available. “Selontra is a unique soft block formulation that remains stable and effective in dry environments and across both hot and cold conditions. “Due to Selontra’s naturally occurring active ingredient and unique mode of action, the development of resistance in rodents is considered highly unlikely; no cases of resistance have been reported globally. “BASF is committed to providing innovative solutions for urban and rural pest control. Selontra’s extremely palatable formulation gives pest management professionals and farmers around the world a reliable, fast and effective baiting solution to tackle even the toughest rodent populations.”

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