porkjournal www.primarymedia.com.au
Volume 39 Issue 5
September/October 2017
Terry Cook chalks up 50 years in pigs
New genetic data may hold the clue to vaccine development for African Swine Fever
Celebrating 30th Anniversary of APSA
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porkjournal www.primarymedia.com.au
Volume 39 Issue 5
September/October 2017
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Terry Cook at Tarree Pastoral’s piggery.
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Page 6: Another workplace agreement on Pork CRC Industry Placement Program
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Page 12: Pig Industry Update Meeting – Pork SA Inc Page 14: Future Pork sponsors Pig Club Competition Page 16: Pork CRC benchmarking producers’ progress Page 17: Celebrating 30th anniversary of APSA Page 18: New hope to control zoonotic disease in Asia Page 19: Fall in farm production predicted Page 22: Gestational strategies to improve piglet survival
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.
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NEWS
New genetic data may hold clue to vaccine development for African Swine Fever Researchers from CSIRO’s AAHL, Kansas State University and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have uncovered genetic data that may contain the key to developing a vaccine for African Swine Fever (ASF), as published recently in ‘Nature: Scientific Reports’. For the first time, the scientists compared immune system responses, at the genetic level, in pigs infected with low versus high virulence strains of the virus that causes ASF and they were able to identify a set of common responses. The next aim is to target these common genetic responses as the basis for vaccine development and diagnostic tests. So far, attempts to develop a vaccine using conventional methods have failed. Dr David Williams, based at CSIRO’s Australian Animal Health Laboratory says, “There are no effective treatments or vaccines available for ASF, so disease control is based on the enforcement of strict quarantine and stamping out measures. “The impacts of ASF include death and sickness in domestic pigs, loss of trade and the costs associated with outbreak response and eradication measures,” he said. “Our findings have extended our understanding of the virus-host relationship, an important element in developing new intervention strategies including new vaccine research to identify genes that stimulate protective immunity. “Our genetic investigations shed light on how immune system genes of pigs respond to ASF virus infection and also, how they influence virus replication in the host,” said Dr Williams. Dr Raymond Rowland from Kansas State University and co-author on the article says, “This work represents the benchmark study for all future work done in this area.” ASF is one of the most important pig diseases, often resulting in high fatality rates in domestic pigs and trade restrictions upon reported outbreaks. In Russia, overall losses due to ASF between 2007 and 2012 are estimated at around US$ 1 billion. Although ASF has usually been restricted to Africa, in recent years it has
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Above: Members of the research team based at the AAHL. (From left to right) John White, David Williams, Andrea Certoma, Brenton Rowe, John Bingham. Credit: CSIRO. Below: New research may assist with the development of a vaccine for African Swine Fever in Pigs. Credit: K-State Research & Extension. emerged and spread steadily across Europe and there is growing concern it will continue to China and beyond. In June this year, the Czech Republic recorded its first case while in January and February, 10 000 pigs had to be culled in Latvia as part of ASF control measures. Although the ASF virus doesn’t infect people, the disease often has severe socioeconomic effects on rural farmers as entire herds may be lost in an outbreak “Fortunately ASF has not yet been detected in Australia or the AsiaPacific region, however, we need to be prepared and able to facilitate an early return to trade, should there be an emergency animal disease incursion,” Dr Williams said. AAHL plays a vital role in Australia’s biosecurity infrastructure, conducting research on diseases that could devastate our livestock industries should they reach our shores. Pat Mitchell from Australian Pork Ltd stated “Australia’s pork industry, which contributes approximately A$2.8 billion in gross domestic product and more than A$1.3 billion in household income, strongly supports research to develop a vaccine for ASF.
“ASF is a terrible disease with the most virulent strains being impossible to treat. “Access to a vaccine may not only assist with reducing the level of the ASF virus circulating globally, it will also dramatically improve our ability to respond to an emergency animal disease outbreak,” said Pat. David Williams explained “We will continue working with the genetic information we have identified to further our understanding of the host’s response to ASF infection and what effect this has on virus replication. “The availability of a vaccine and better diagnostic capability will go a long way towards halting the spread of ASF and managing future outbreaks,” concluded Dr Williams.
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NEWS
Another workplace agreement on Pork CRC Industry Placement Program Veterinarian Stephanie Nicholas, who commenced work in Western Australia this week with Portec Veterinary Services, is the latest in a long line of Pork CRC Industry Placement Program appointments. Dr Nicholas, who graduated from Murdoch University in December 2015 with Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (BVMS) and Bachelor of Science Veterinary Biology (BSc), has already completed several externships with Portec. Portec Principal and veterinarian, Kim Nairn said her appointment would further enhance Portec’s capacity for developing training for Murdoch veterinary students and making more resources available to Australian pork producers to help ensure healthy, sustainable and, hopefully, profitable pig production enterprises. Since 2007, Portec has designed and delivered the intensive animal industries component of the veterinary undergraduate degree at Murdoch. “Fellow veterinarian Vanessa Morris, who recently completed her two year Pork CRC IPP internship with Portec, continues to work for us and we’ve been delighted with her input and what she’s delivered for our clients,” Dr Nairn said. “The Pork CRC IPP program, where Pork CRC financially assists such placements, is a win-win for businesses like Portec and more broadly for the Australian pig industry,” he said. While completing her degrees at Murdoch, Dr Nicholas received three vice-chancellor commendations and graduated with 17 high distinction and 14 distinction grades. “Having had a reasonable level of practical experience during my veterinary studies, including at Craig Mostyn Farms, I now look forward to further challenging myself professionally and welcome the opportunity offered by Pork CRC and Portec,” she said. “Maintaining healthy pigs is vital in producing profitable pigs and that’s my focus.” Pork CRC CEO Roger Campbell said creating opportunities for graduate students and post-graduates in the workforce by partnering with industry was a cornerstone of the Co-operative Research Centre for High Integrity Aus-
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Veterinarian Stephanie Nicholas with Portec Veterinary Services Principal and fellow veterinarian Kim Nairn. Dr Nicholas is the latest Pork CRC Industry Placement Program appointment. tralian Pork for the past six years. “Our Industry Placement Program has underwritten that commitment and we’ve now placed more than a dozen highly credentialed young people in
jobs where they not only engage their academic skills and qualifications, but they also add value to their workplace with innovative ideas and refreshing enthusiasm,” Dr Campbell said.
Alltech Ideas Conference 2018 Alltech will once again be holding its ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference between May 20 and 23, 2018 at the Lexington Convention Centre in Kentucky, USA. This year’s theme is ‘Ideas Change Everything’. An idea, the press announcement says, even at its root meaning, is ‘to see’ and many of the greatest thinkers in the world, like Da Vinci and Einstein, had the ability to see what others could not. The transformative power of ideas will be the focus of the conference. “Join us to explore how ideas can germinate into innovations that change the course of our businesses and lives,” said Dr Pearse Lyons, Alltech Founder. “Alltech discovers and delivers solutions for the sustainable nutrition of plants, animals and people. “With more than 100 manufacturing sites globally, Alltech is a leading producer and processor of yeast and
organic trace minerals and our flagship algae production facility in Kentucky is one of only two of its kind in the world,” said Dr Lyons. “Our guiding ACE principle seeks to develop solutions that are safe for the Animal, Consumer and the Environment,” he said. “Our more than 5000 team members worldwide put this purpose to work every day for our customers. “Alltech is a family based company which allows us to adapt quickly to emerging customer needs and to stay focused on advanced innovation. “Based in the USA, the company has a strong presence in all the regions of the world,” Dr Lyons concluded. To register for the conference go to one.alltech.com. If you want to register before November 1 you can save $600. Go to ideas.alltech.com in order to see all the details about sessions and speakers which will be avvailble in ealry 2018.
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© 2017 Zoetis Inc. All rights reserved. Zoetis Australia Pty Ltd. ABN 94 156 476 425. Level 6, 5 Rider Boulevard Rhodes, NSW 2138. www.zoetis.com.au ZL0768.
Terry Cook, Manager of the Tarree Pastoral’s piggery at Loxton in SA.
Terry Cook chalks up 50 years in pigs By GRAEME POPE
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n February, 2018 Terry (Cookie) Cook will have chalked up 50 years working in the SA pig industry. As the Manager of Tarree Pastoral’s 540-sow piggery south of Loxton, in SA’s Riverland, Terry has experienced significant changes over that time in the way the industry has developed and improved its herd health, nutrition, breeding and housing systems. The fact that he has worked for 50 years in the SA pig industry, and all that time in the same family business, is a significant and rare milestone unlikely to be replicated in a hurry! I caught up with Terry at the piggery in September to chat about his last 50 years in pigs.
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“I started working with pigs in 1967, straight out of school,” he said. “My uncle Trevor Falting knew that I needed a job, and I had been out to his farm a few times, but I really didn’t have any pig experience when I started. “He had 30 sows to start with, running them in paddocks with straw roofed, sleeper huts like most people did back then. “Some years later, the Falting’s decided to build up to 100 sows, to value-add to the grain side of the business. “We built a new farrowing and bacon shed using Besser block walls, but we didn’t have a front end loader at that time and had to dig the pits and
mix all the concrete by shovel! “The feeding was pretty simple. Initially we hammer milled the grain into bags, and then mixed in the vitamins and minerals from Lienert’s by hand. “Later on we had a Mix-all but everything was still floor fed by barrows and buckets, so we probably lost a third of the feed down the pit until we fitted gate feeders along the front of the bacon pens,” he said. Herd expansion Twenty years ago, the decision was made to build a new 300-sow piggery at a new site on the farm, and Terry was offered the job as Manager. It was from this point onwards that he has seen enormous changes in the way pigs can be farmed. “We built a five room, climate controlled farrowing shed, to help our sows through the hot summers we get up
w
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here,” he said. “We still use the old conventional farrowing shed for overflow sows and we run drippers with the shutters opened-up, but the new rooms never get above 30C degrees, even when we get 50C days up here,” he said. The herd was then expanded to its current size about four years later. Implementing straw-based shelters Tarree Pastoral opted for strawbased shelter housing at the new site for its growing herd, (some of which have been supplied by Jacksons Australia) with the farm able to produce all the straw needed in most years. “We used to keep our weaners in weaner boxes at the old piggery, with the lids adjusted for ventilation, but now we’ve gone into shelters you can see they were never able to provide the air quality young pigs needed,” Terry said. “When Trevor decided to build shelters, we looked around at a few piggeries first that had already built a few, like Salt Lake Bacon in the midnorth. “We started off building two weaner shelters, then the pork and bacon followed. We wean into the shelters for four weeks and then move into a grower shelter for six weeks and then a finisher shelter where they stay until sold. “In our climate we keep our shelters open all year round, except for the western end blinds to avoid sunburn. That way we can give them plenty of fresh air. “You should be able to sit down in the middle of a shelter yourself and breathe normally. If you can’t, then how can you expect your pigs can! I think fresh air is the best medicine for all pigs really,” he added. “We use barley and wheat straw. I’ve tried Triticale, but it’s stiffer and can tend to get a bit mouldy. Mondays and Fridays are our straw-up days. You need to have a routine so you know that every shelter has been taken care of. “And we weigh all our finishers using an auto weigh drafter, every Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, so that gives me our next two weeks of sales,” Terry said. Converting to sow stall free Converting the piggery to meet sow stall free standards was another major challenge for Terry and his farm staff to implement in more recent times. But incorporating straw based sow shelters into the farm’s breeder herd flow has given benefits in sow health and docility, and a system that Terry now considers is easier to manage. “I didn’t really know how it was all going to work out and what to expect when we decided to remove most of our stalls, except that I knew it would
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Terry Cook with the weaner pigs in straw based shelter. improve our sows feet and legs. “And it was probably harder for the sows to adapt to than for us, because they had to live under the new system,” said Terry. “Now we wean into single pens in our conventional mating shed. We’ve kept enough of our original stalls to be able to hold sows on-heat for up to 24 hours during their AI’s, and then they go back to single pens for the next five days, before we move them into pairs based on even body size. “Then after a three week check, or an early scan, they are moved into a sow shelter in groups of 25, with gilts put in with older sows. “Putting our sows onto straw has turned them into a totally different animal,” he added. “We trickle feed them in full length feeder stalls, so that prevents any fights around feed time. “When we used to run our gilts on slatted floors we struggled to get them to eat when they came into farrow. But in the shelters, they are used to the feeding stalls and also eat a lot of straw which increases their gut capacity, and now they eat well. “Our sow temperament on straw has totally changed and issues with lameness on concrete have gone. “I think the secret to running sows in shelters is to give them plenty of width in the bedded part. Give them space behind the feeding pad and plenty of straw and you’ll have no issues.” Sourcing new information Terry completed his Certificate III qualification in 2011 and has been Secretary of his local pig discussion group. “For years we had our local Murray Mallee Pig Producers Group, where
anyone with a few pigs would meet in Loxton every few months and you’d pick up new bits and pieces from a guest speaker, or during a farm visit to someone else’s piggery, or over a barbeque. “Plus I’ve always learnt a lot over the years through working with our vet Barry Lloyd,” Terry said. “We’ve got our system of doing things pretty simple these days and our piggery crew work with it pretty well. “Our nutrition is easy to follow, our sows are milking well and giving good numbers, we know where our weights and P2s should be, the buyer is getting the pig they want in the store and people are eating it! “And if you keep up with your vaccinations, sows pre-farrowing and their litters, you won’t get bitten. “Taking on APIQ has been pretty good for us too. It makes sure you’ve got everything under control and flows along, so you’re not left chasing your tail. Our guys work in well with it.” And his final words on his 50 years at Tarree Pastoral? “I’ve probably had a pretty casual approach to managing my piggery staff. I prefer to work alongside them, hands-on. “You get so much out of working with pigs, and what you can achieve with them. If you wanted to make changes to your production system you can do that tomorrow, and see what happens. “We allow local school students to come out and see what we do on this farm. Most people don’t get to see much of that. You never know, one might decide to give it a go. “That’s what I’ve tried to do. I don’t run this piggery like it’s a job. I’ve always seen it as if it were my own.”
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Zoetis Australia Pty Ltd. ABN 94 156 476 425. Level 6, 5 Rider Boulevard, Rhodes NSW 2138. © 2017 Zoetis Inc. All rights reserved 10/17 ZL0811 For more information on this campaign visit www.zoetis.com.au/communitysupport
NEWS
Pig Industry Update Meeting – Pork SA Inc The SA Pig Update meeting was held at the Barossa Weintal, Tanunda on Friday 25 August 25, 2017. Peter Haydon from Australian Pork Limited gave a ‘Marketing Briefing Update’. “Meat produced has gone up 5.2% so there is more meat to move,” he said. “Slaughter weights are up to 80kgs, so we killing more pigs and the pigs are heavier. “Pricing has stabilised over the last few months and meat in freezers has started to tighten up in the hope of a pricing increase. Wholesale and carcass pricing has gone down. “The penalties are being more strictly applied on pigs that are out of specification. “The production survey, completed for June/July, included 69% of the herd with only 98 producers responding. “Of those, 46% were planning to increase their herd size, 18% to decrease herd size and 34% said they would stay the same. “The sow herd has grown by 1.23% from February to June 2017. “There were 5.3 million slaughters over a 12 month period at a rate of 100,000 pigs per week average. “Meat Consumption (demand) according to ABARES total consumption is increasing to 28kg per year. Fresh pork consumption has increased to 10.9kg over a period of the last six years. “So what we learned?” asked Peter. “We need better forecasting and information about pig supply – there is a week to week basis of slaughters. “Some farms are texting pigs weaned information to APL, giving it a four month product survey and this information is helping with monitoring the market. “Import volumes have increased over the last three years but there are problems with tracking the import product and measuring frozen uncooked pork. “The cooked product is coming in under a different code, and APL does not have access to that data. It is a challenge to gather this data, and APL is working through a plan to track it. Peter outlined the strategies that have been implemented. “There was an increase in marketing of $1million and ribs, bellys and mince are being promoted. “Fun with pork mince advertise-
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Bruce Hunt, Tom Cowper and John Reeves, Zoetis at the SA Pig Update meeting. ments are ready to go on TV. They are all designed to demonstrate how versatile pork can be. “There are also consumer focused advertisements going out online promoting Australian pork and not promoting imported pork. “There are some questions on labeling and what the labeling requirements are. “There is also a focus on industry engagement in order to build industry confidence by listening and talking to farmers. “APL is speaking to supply chain contacts to get better data on where the product is going and what is being used. Zane Harper, Production Manager from CEFN, spoke about ‘Ways to reduce cost of production’. “CEFN has 5700 sows on four different sites and the family-owned company has been in operation for 77 years involved in genetics, cropping, cattle and also part of Stockyard Industries. “The company has just put in a new farrowing shed as part of its improvement process. “When looking at the cost of production, there are vital questions to ask about where you want to be in the future. “Do you understand your businesses strengths and weaknesses? If you cannot identify those two things, it is difficult to control your future and cost of production. “Production data collection is vital on weights feed conversion, accurate slaughter data etc. “Real time information on treatments, mortality and feed usage are
also important. “Financial data needs to be collected per farm or operation and separated as much as your accounts will allow. Understanding where the money is spent and where it comes from is necessary. “A key point on data analysis is to know how to analyse the data, or hire a consultant who can. This data should be used to help you make decisions. Feed costs appear transparent, but it is necessary to drill down and find out where the wastage is happening.” Deb Kerr from APL spoke about ‘Policy updates’. “Pork SA Welfare Standards and guidelines are in the process of being updated. The website – keepingourpigssafe.com.au covers exotic diseases. “There is still work happening on the visa scheme and the government’s changing of visa laws. There is a call for producers to fill out an online survey regarding the visas and how the law changes will effect employment. “An Aussie pig farmers’ website has been launched which provides information to the general public about our farms, pig producers, and the industry – aussiepigfarmers.com.au Heather Channon then discussed the recent trial work conducted through APL – ‘Identifying early lifetime performance indicators to improve sow longevity’ and ‘Suppressing voluntary feed intake in immunocastrated males’. Also ‘Antimicrobial stewardship’ – consumer perceptions and how antibiotics are used in livestock production. She discussed how to manage antibiotics on farm and how antimicrobial resistance is monitored.
NEWS “The use of antibiotics in humans is 14 times greater than in the animal industry and stewardship provides evidence for our leadership and responsibility on this issue. “Strategies we are working with currently include strategies to reduce feed costs, new effluent management options, and AMR stewardship.” Jessica Craig, a PhD student from Murdoch University and Rivalea, talked about ‘Benchmarking the performance of gilt progeny’. She looked at how much gilt progeny are underperforming. What are the problems and what can be done to manage gilt progeny better. “This involves benchmarking performance, measuring colostrum, milk and gut permeability,” she said. “These factors will be used to improve segregation and feeding strategies. Current industry information shows that gilt progeny is consistently lighter which follows the worldwide trend. “In the Australian study, the main outcomes were that gilt progeny are lighter at all stages. On average the gilts
took a extra day to mate. This amounts to 1200 nonproductive days per year. “The summary so far is that gilt progeny will cost producers money. By understanding the shortcomings of gilt progeny this can help to manage costs and making informed decisions. Robert Hewitt, from SunPork Solutions, spoke about ‘Gilt progeny interventions’. “The trouble with gilt progeny is that they are 10-14 days behind in production and this is costing producers. Strategies to try and reduce the variation in the herd is a major focus. “Funded projects are focusing on how to optimise gilt progeny performance through gilt development.The focus should be on several non-negotiable points like feeding and breeding. “Planning a strategy for feeding is a good process and part of this is backgrounding the gilt, and gestation feeding programs. “The trial work completed was done in a 7000 sow herd. Key outcomes were ad lib feeding during gilt development, reduced age of mating, but less gilts presented for mating.
“Shifting gilt progeny performance is difficult and management is the key to minimising the impact of progeny performance variation. Management is the key to reducing costs,” he said. Steve Miller, from APL, APIQ (Australian pork industry quality assurance program) talked about ‘Complying with environmental standard 6.1 and Entity Licensing’. The 6.1 is about a piggery showing that the farm has the proper licensing to operate or working to obtain the proper license. “Licensing and approvals must be in place. The new standard says that after January 2017 piggeries must have a license in place. “If they were built before then, they can show a permit or demonstrate an environmental plan. But there is a legal requirement for a license to be obtained. AUSMEAT is now involved in the new trial rollout for auditors. There have been 39 audits for the trial period. Feedback was that it was a good experience for the producer and cost effective.
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Future Pork sponsors Pig Club Competition By GRAEME POPE Five pairs of Adelaide University Pig Club students competed in Class 50 – The Future Pork Prize at the Royal Adelaide Show, with their pig handling skills judged by Graham Reu, SABOR Artificial Breeding Centre. The Roseworthy students were challenged to move pairs of grower pigs along the same route used by high school students in the earlier Class, but using different pigs. Most of the pigs used had been ‘borrowed’ from SA breeders as weaners, and grown-out in a shelter at Roseworthy Campus by the students, before being brought to the showgrounds for the show. Michael Blenkiron, ‘Gumshire Stud’, Tony Richardson, ‘Yelmah’ and Damien Amery, ‘ShuamPork’ provided Hampshire, Landrace, Large White, Duroc and Berkshire purebreds, to give the Roseworthy students: L-R back row: Nicole Cruickshank, Parris Jeffries, Tahlia Liebelt and Madeleine Reichstein. Front row: Regina Tay and Victor Law with their awards.
students the opportunity to work with the different breeds. Pig Club students were also rostered-on during the show to wash, feed, water and manage the bedding for the 90 pigs entered in various commercial classes. The Roseworthy Pig Club is one of several Production Animal Specialist Interest Groups now operating within the Adelaide University vet school, exposing its 60 student members to a range of extra-curriculum pig industry activities during the academic year. During this year, these have included managing their mini-shelter on-campus and commercial pigs during the Show, extra lectures and tutorial sessions, and attendance at local Pork SA and APL Roadshows. Throughout the 10-day show, Pig Club members were also rostered onto the Ag-splorers stand, which was strategically located opposite five sows with litters to attract a crowd into the Pig Pavilion, with students stationed to answer questions about pigs and the industry.
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During August 450 of Jefo’s employees, partners and clients from 28 countries gathered in Saint-Hyacinthe to celebrate the company’s 35th anniversary under the theme “Leadership & Partnership”. Gratitude was the core word to express each and everyone’s contribution to Jefo’s successful story along the years. Guests visited the facilities and the brand-new Jefo Campus and then attended conferences about inspiring adaptation stories and upcoming trends in the animal nutrition industry. Finally, a golf tournament followed by an exciting party that featured Canadian artist Gregory Charles and breathtaking fireworks as the grand-finale. Founded in 1982 by its current president Mr Jean Fontaine, Jefo is a family-owned company internationally known as one of the main players in the high-performance non-medicated supplement industry for animal nutrition. Five sons and daughters of the founder are among the employees. In the past few years, Jefo experienced an extraordinary expansion: • Its products are commercialised in 57 countries and there are offices in four continents. • From 2010 to 2015, the company doubled its revenues totaling almost 250 million Canadian dollars. • Jefo employs over 250 professionals and expects to create 100 new jobs in Saint-Hyacinthe region by summer 2018. Furthermore, the company foresees 65 million Canadian dollars investments in the next couple of years, including 16 million to build Jefo Campus – a groundbreaking concept designed to promote knowledge exchange, training and innovation all in the same place. “Jefo devotes its energy to delivering innovative, animal-friendly and specie-specific metabolism products in order to be a strong catalyst in agribusiness innovation,” Mr Fontaine said. “The company aims to pave the way to solutions aligned with consumer aspirations at the end of the food chain.” For information visit www.jefo.com
Anthony, Justin, Emilie, Jean, Audreanne, Emmanuelle, Alexandre and JeanFrancois Fontaine at the anniversary celebrations.
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NEWS
Pork CRC benchmarking producers’ progress Pork CRC benchmarking results for 2016-17 are in and the progress achieved by Australian pork producers has impressed CEO Roger Campbell.  “I’m very happy with the progress made over time, especially in reproduction,� Dr Campbell said.  “We now have Australian herds exceeding 11 weaned per litter and 26 plus weaned per mated female per year.  “The trends in born alive, number weaned and weaned per mated sow per year have also been very positive over the past six to seven years, with individual herds achieving exceptional improvement year on year.�  Pork CRC held its last Benchmarking Project meeting in Melbourne recently (October 16 & 17), having commenced 10 years ago at a time when the majority of Australia’s pork producers, even those achieving commendable productivity levels, did not know how they were tracking compared with their competitors, both locally and overseas.
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 “Pork CRC’s Benchmarking Project has informed members and industry on where we sit globally and, importantly, how we compare to each other,� Dr Campbell said.  “Non-members can use the figures to compare their performance with some of the best and in many cases identify what areas need to improve.  “I think the information is critical for the industry and the project has been so successful it is likely to be carried on by Australian Pork Limited in 2018.�  New Zealand, whose peak body NZ Pork is an Essential Participant in the CRC for High Integrity Australian Pork and has a member in the Benchmarking Project, increased born alive by two piglets over the past eight years (indoor average now 13.1 and outdoor 12.8).  “While this sets a pretty high bar for Australian producers, we’re reminded that the Kiwis use genetics from Europe and USA, so are probably seeing the advantages of genomic technology used by most international genetic companies,� Dr Campbell said.  “There are lessons to be learned from the NZ industry and that’s what benchmarking is all about and their born alive and weaned per sow are the targets we need to achieve.  “We have a couple of herds in Pork CRC’s Benchmarking Project with born alive above 13 and weaning 11 plus piglets per litter, so they are closing in on where we need to be.  “This all suggests we have the genetics and knowhow to reach 26 to 28 pigs weaned per sow per year. We need to make further improvements through means other than importing superior genetics.  “However, as one participant at the benchmarking meeting said, all the signs are that it may not be too long before we are the best in the world.�  Dr Campbell thanked all participants for their involvement and contribution to Pork CRC’s Benchmarking Project and all thanked Dr Rowan O’Hagan for managing the project over the past six to seven years.
Ham awards open The PorkMark Artisan Ham Awards are now open. Now in its seventh year, the awards have grown to become a highly recognised annual celebration. The results of the 2017/18 PorkMark Artisan Ham Awards will be announced this November, at the start of Australian Christmas ham season. Last year’s Ham Week generated 509 media reports, worth $5.4 million in advertising space, making it a great PR opportunity for the national and state winners. Winners will receive: • The highest scoring ham, the best artisan ham of the 2017 PorkMark Ham Awards and will receive one week’s free radio advertising in their state or territory, including production costs. • All finalists of each category receive a plaque for their shopfront and customised targeted media releases. State winners will also be mentioned in targeted media releases. • Winners of previous awards have significantly widened their distribution networks, and seen sales increases of up to 400%. • All entrants receive detailed feedback on their ham entry from three independent judges • All PorkMark licensees receive access to free DIY Christmas Ham promotion kits including posters.
NEWS
Celebrating 30th Anniversary of APSA The 2017 Australasian Pig Science Association (APSA) Conference is nearly upon us. Kicking off on Sunday November 19 at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne, the APSA Conference will not only be a celebration of pig science research, it’s also a reminder of how far the APSA society has grown from its humble beginnings in Albury in 1987 to the international conference that it is today. The success of APSA can be attributed to the hard work and dedication made by many in the pig science community who have ensured every APSA Conference was a success with topical sessions and high quality abstracts, which delivered the latest pig science outcomes. In 2007, the APSA Committee decided to acknowledge the contributions of those who have worked tirelessly in many different roles to ensure the success of the APSA Conference, through the conferring of the APSA Fellow Award. This prestigious award is offered in recognition of past and present members who have made an outstanding contribution to APSA as well as their contribution and commitment to pig science.
Committee five times; twice as President. All past APSA fellows were significant contributors to APSA and pig science, and have provided significant benefits to both the national and international pork industry. Previous recipients: • Dr Ray King and Dr David Hennessy (2007) • Dr Michael Taverner (2009) • Dr Ian Williams (2011) • Professor Frank Dunshea and Dr Bruce Mullan (2013) • Professor John Pluske (2015) The recipient of the 2017 APSA Fellow Award will also have made significant contributions to APSA, pig science and the Australian pork industry. The recipient of the APSA Fellow Award will be announced at the APSA Conference Gala Dinner, held on Monday November 20. APSA social events The social events of APSA 2017 are shaping up to be a highlight of the
conference. On Sunday night, following the AC Dunkin Memorial Lecture, conference delegates will be able to network at the Grand Hyatt in The Residence which has been kindly sponsored by AusPac Ingredients with meat supplied by SunPork Fresh Foods. The APSA Conference Gala Dinner will be held in the magnificent Plaza Ballroom at the Regent Theatre which is kindly sponsored by DSM with meat supplied by Rivalea. There, conference delegates will have the opportunity to meet friends and colleagues old and new and listen and dance to a fantastic Australian band. On Tuesday night, and the last night of APSA, the conference delegates will be able to relax at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground with breathtaking views of the hallowed turf of the ‘G’, which has been kindly sponsored by Zoetis. From all in the 2017 APSA committee, we hope you will join us in celebrating the 30th anniversary of APSA this coming November.
APSA Fellow Award Nominations for the APSA Fellow Award are received from the current APSA Committee and the initial nominations are supported by a verbal statement addressing the selection criteria which are weighted to assist the committee in its deliberations. The selection criteria for the deliberation of APSA Fellow nominations cover contributions to: • The APSA Committee (President, VicePresident, Secretary, Treasurer, ordinary committee member) • Technical content contribution (editor, referee, scientific authors etc.) • Membership development (students, national and overseas) • Contribution and commitment to Pig Science (research, involvement in postgraduate training) It is very fitting for the 30th Anniversary of APSA that Dr Ray King, one of the first APSA Fellow recipients will present the Dunkin Memorial Lecture which will open the 2017 APSA Conference. Ray was also the first APSA President and has served on the APSA
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NEWS
New hope to control zoonotic disease in Asia Researchers led by the UK’s Pirbright Institute are developing an effective and inexpensive vaccine for pigs against the Nipah virus Researchers in Australia, Malaysia and India will be led by the UK’s Pirbright Institute, which has received a grant to develop a safe, effective and inexpensive vaccine for pigs against the Nipah virus. The award–worth over GBP2.3 million (US$3.0 million)-was given by Innovate UK, an innovation agency sponsored by the country’s government. Causing severe symptoms and fatalities in pigs, humans and other animals, Nipah virus is known to be present in South and Southeast Asia. “The region at risk of Nipah virus has some of the highest pig population densities found anywhere in the world, which are rising fast due to the demand of a growing human population,” said Simon Graham, PhD, a scientific leader at the Pirbright Institute. “This increases the risk of Nipah virus transmission to pigs and humans, which is why this work to generate effective vaccines is so important.” As a first step, the research will focus on developing a vaccine that offers an alternative to the culling of pigs when outbreaks of the disease occur, which has adverse economic and animal welfare consequences, as well as posing a risk to public health. It is hoped that the work will ultimately improve public health directly through the development of a vaccine to protect pig farmers and other people from Nipah virus. Fruit bats and flying foxes are the most common hosts of Nipah virus, but the infection can spread to other species, including pigs and humans. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Nipah virus was first identified in 1999 following an outbreak of encephalitis and respiratory symptoms in people who had contact with pigs in Malaysia and Singapore. The virus was named after a Sungai Nipah, a Malaysian village with a number of early victims. While the signs were mild in pigs, almost 300 cases were confirmed in humans, more than 100 people died of conditions related to encephalitis. After an incubation period of five
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to 14 days, patients suffered fever and headaches, followed in some cases by respiratory and/or circulatory problems, coma and death. There were long-term health consequences in some cases that lasted for or recurred for years after. Following the 1999 outbreak, more than one million pigs were destroyed in Malaysia, which hit the country’s pork sector hard as it also halted exports. Since then, pig farms have only been
permitted in selected areas, but there have been no further cases. A different strain of the Nipah virus was found to be responsible for an outbreak of the disease in people in Bangladesh in 2001, and according to CDC, there are new cases almost annually. Nipah virus was also detected following a series of cases linked to a hospital in Siliguri in India in the same year.
Cautious optimism at 2017 WAPPA Industry Day Cautious optimism at 2017 West Australian Pork Producers Association President, Dawson Bradford, highlighted the need to find new markets in Asia which are prepared to pay a premium for WA pork, in his report to WAPPA’s 2017 annual general meeting. Meanwhile, he noted import protocols, which he believed should have been addressed years ago, were keeping Australian pork out of China, at least for now. At the August 18 AGM, industry consultant Emalyn Loudon was reelected to WAPPA’s Executive Committee, along with producer Torben Soerensen of GD Pork at Pinjarra and Dean Romaniello of Craig Mostyn Group. Their terms had expired due to the effluxion of time. Fellow Committee
members are Graeme Dent of Bimbadeen Farm at Cuballing and Dawson Bradford of Hillcroft Farms at Popanyinning. WAPPA’s AGM was part of a very successful 2017 industry day which was held at the International On The Water Hotel at Ascot, attended by producers, industry stakeholders, sponsors and speakers. The speakers included Roger Campbell from the Pork CRC, Deb Kerr and Lechelle van Breda, both from Austrlian Pork Limited, Anne-Maree O’Callaghan of Strategy Matrix, Ruel Pagoto of Boehringer Ingelheim, Fadi Malek of Global Skilled Employment Services, Ron Penn of Linley Valley Pork, Chris Brennan of MSD Animal Health, Bruce Hunt of Zoetis and Christopher Tyson of Bunge Australia.
Lechelle van Breda, APL, Jan Cooper, WAPPA and Emalyn Lounda, PIWA.
PRODUCT NEWS
APIQ approved Greta Valley Free Range Farm for sale Almost four years ago to the day Pork Journal visited The Greta Valley Free Range Pork Farm in the heart of one of Victoria’s best known wine regions near Wangaratta. The farm was one of the first to receive APL AQIP Accreditation for free range farms. That report ran in the September/ October 2013 Pork Journal: to view that story go to Issuu.com then type Pork Journal into the ‘Search issuu’ box at the top of the page. Kim and Brian Smith converted the
Fall in farm production predicted The gross value of Australian farm production is forecast to fall almost 9% to $58 billion in 2017–18, primarily reflecting a decline in crop production, according to the Agricultural Commodities, September quarter 2017 report. ABARES Chief Commodity Analyst, Peter Gooday, said the outlook had been affected by mixed seasonal conditions. “The fall in the total value of farm production is driven by a forecast decline of 39% in total winter crop production, as yields fall from the record highs achieved last year,” he said. “This is around the 10 year average for winter crops to 2015–16, but there is substantial variation in crop prospects across the country “For livestock we are expecting a 1% rise in the value of production. “Cattle slaughter is forecast to rise after two years of declining turn-off, however prices are expected to fall as domestic supply increases and we face increased competition in export markets. “Sheep and lamb prices are forecast to rise supported by restocker demand and lamb slaughter is forecast to increase.”Farm export earnings are also expected to fall from the highs of last year to be 7% lower at a forecast
127 hectare property from a dairy to a pig farming operation in 2010 and were running around 50 sows when Pork Journal visited in 2013. The genetics of the livestock are the famous ‘Black Berkshires’, ideal for outdoor rearing. Today the farm has expanded to accommodate 100 sows producing around 1200 piglets a year and is turning over around $580,000 plus. Apart from being an efficient accredited piggery, well equipped with a modern four bedroom house on the property, the Greta Valley Free Range Pork business is well established in the region with its own website and growing list of retailers. Got to gretavalley freerangepork.net.au After having put a huge effort into building the business Kim and Brian are looking forward to well deserved retirement. The property is listed through Pat Rice and Hawkins, of Laverton North Vic; main contact is Matt Childs (matt.
childs@prh.com.au mob 0418 512 494) When Pork Journal was discussing the property with the real estate agency Matt Childs he pointed out that “this is a very profitable farm business generating a significant turnover and there is plenty of potential for new owners to develop the business further.
$45 billion in 2017–18. “The forecast decline is driven by a 16 % decrease in export earnings for crops to $23 billion, reflecting lower forecast production,” Mr Gooday said. “Export earnings for livestock and livestock products are forecast to increase by 4% to $22 billion. Income growth in Australia’s major export
markets is supporting demand for our meat, wool and dairy products.” Export prices of barley, cheese, lamb, wheat, wine and wool are forecast to increase in 2017–18. Export prices for beef, veal, canola, chickpeas, cotton, live feeder/slaughter cattle, sugar and rock lobster are forecast to fall.
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NEWS
Pork SA supports Roseworthy Pig Club Pork SA has supported the Adelaide University’s student Pig Club in 2017 through several financial sponsorships. In July, 28 students attended a sponsored 3-hour tutorial focused on Pig Marketing and Pork Eating Quality, presented by industry consultant Graeme Pope, Nuriootpa and Greg Richter, JBS Pt Wakefield. The aim of the tutorial was to demonstrate to Pig Club members how industry manages the pork supply chain from pen gate to a consumer’s plate. Graeme’s presentation ‘This Little Piggy Went to Market – Farm Staff and Transporter Responsibilities’ covered Codes and regulations around selling pigs, Fit to Load guidelines, loading facility design, APIQ, PPNVD’s and impacts of pig handling and transport on pig welfare and pork eating quality. Greg Richter then took the discussion from the point of unloading pigs into lairage at abattoir, through to boxed pork in chillers, including handling between the unloading ramp and stunning, along chain carcase checks, and managing abattoir throughput by projecting farm turnoff. Using a presentation supplied by Heather Channon, APL, Graeme covered ‘Pork Eating Quality’ and discussed aspects of current consumer perceptions of pork eating quality, on-farm and processing influences on ultimate carcase quality, PSE, DFD and boar taint carcase defects, and future industry R&D focus on improving pork eating quality. The tutorial also included a pork eating quality demonstration, where students were challenged to pick differences in the moisture content, flavour and taste of loin steaks and belly cuts cooked at varying temperatures and lengths of time, both with and without moisture infusion treatments. In August, eight students accepted Pork SA’s invitation to attend the spring APL Roadshow held in Tanunda, where discussion topics of most relevance to their current studies included differences seen between the performance of gilt-born litters when compared to sowlitters, and tips to achieving commercial piggery KPI’s. Pork SA also sponsored the students’ participation in Class 50 at the Adelaide Show in September, where pairs of students were judged on their pig handling skills while moving grower pigs along a short obstacle course.
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Top: Graeme Pope presents a tutorial on Pig Marketing and Pork Eating Quality. Centre: Students from Adelaide Univeristy Pig Club assess the varying cuts of pork. Above: Adelaide Unversity Pig Club Members at the Royal Adelaide Show.
NEWS
Students pig handling skills on show By GRAEME POPE More than 40 high school students representing five different South Australian schools participated in Class 51 – The Urrbrae Prize – School Pig Handling Competition at the Royal Adelaide Show in September. Schools represented included Coomandook Area School, Unity College, Urrbrae Agricultural High School, Waikerie High School and Westminster School. This competition has been run by the South Australian Pig Breeders Association for the past three years, with student numbers increasing each year in line with a corresponding increase in the number of South Australian schools now including pig production as part of their agricultural teaching curriculum, and keeping pigs within their school’s agricultural plots. Participating school’s either bring their own 40-100kg live weight pigs to the Show for the event, or they are able to ‘borrow’ pairs of pigs which have already been entered in the Show’s commercial classes. The school’s pigs were washed, cleaned and powdered by the students prior to the event. Working in pairs, the students were provided with moving boards and paddles, and were then required to move a pair of pigs from pen to pen, along a short, straw bale race and onto a weigh crate, to replicate routine pig handling practices used on commercial farms. The boards and paddles were supplied by David Reu, from VaucluseAPS to the South Australian Pig Breeders Association as his contribution to encouraging a greater interest in pigs amongst school students, and will be kept at the Show for future year’s events. The main aim of the competition is to assess the pig handling skills of each student pair. This year the event was judged by Graham Reu, SABOR Artificial Breeding Centre and MC’d by Graeme Pope, Nuriootpa with Michael Blenkiron, ‘Gumshire Stud’, Cheryl Wandel, ‘Mallee Grove’ and Adelaide University’s Pig Club students who assisted the process by keeping pigs moving-up into the pens to be ready for judging and
South Australian high school students at the Royal Adelaide Show. recording weights. Competition prizes were sponsored by Urrbrae Agricultural High School and Graham Reu, with 1st and 2nd places awarded to Westminster School students and 3rd place to Urrbrae.
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APL REPORT
Gestational strategies to improve piglet survival Increasing litter size of viable piglets is a main focus of the Australian pig industry, as it ensures they reach their genetic potential and increases productivity and profitability. However, larger litter sizes may produce management issues for pig producers. As litter size increases, there is increased potential for fetal growth to be impaired by uterine crowding in early gestation. Fetuses that survive, struggle to gain enough nutrients in the crowded environment to grow, develop and survive. In many instances one or two fetuses fall behind in growth and development and are born as runts. Runts usually have low viability at birth, have trouble thermoregulating and low survival rates. In order for these piglets to have a chance, an increase in farm labour is needed to manage them appropriately. For all other fetuses the birth process can be a cause for concern. This is because an increase in litter size means sows may have a prolonged labour and later born piglets are more likely to experience oxygen deprivation (hypoxia) during the birth process. Hypoxia causes free radicals to form in the brain, which causes brain damage. Those piglets born later are also more likely to be born less viable and in some cases, stillborn, than earlier born littermates. The three days following birth are the most vital for the piglets survival, especially for those piglets who were born with low viability or suffering from hypoxia. These piglets in particular have trouble regulating their temperature and as a result prefer to lie close to their mother for warmth. The problem with this is that when the sow moves she is at risk of crushing her piglets as they are slow to react and have not yet learnt to keep clear of the sow. Piglets affected by hypoxia and low viability also generally have a harder time accessing a teat immediately after birth. The first drink of colostrum is vital for piglets in order to help generate heat, gain vital nutrients and also gain an immune system. In order to improve the problems explained above we have been
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investigating two different treatments to assess the effectiveness on piglet survival and viability. The first treatment assessed supplementing sow diets with melatonin (15mg/day), given orally to sows in either early or late gestation. Melatonin has the ability to pass through all biological membranes, including the placenta, and increase blood flow. By administering melatonin in early gestation we hoped to improve the growth of the fetuses during the uterine crowding phase and provide more nutrients to those that may be falling behind in growth. Ultimately this treatment would result in all piglets being born at an average size rather than one or two runts per litter. We also looked at melatonin given in late gestation to provide extra nutrients to the piglets before the stressful event of farrowing. Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant and may allow piglets to overcome the effects of hypoxia if they were to occur. Therefore this study aimed to increase piglet viability and survival at birth. The second treatment tested the effect of feeding caffeine (6g/day) during late gestation to sows to determine
caffeine’s ability to stimulate breathing and increase heat production in individual piglets. Caffeine is able to cross all biological membranes and be absorbed by the piglets whilst still in utero. The idea to use caffeine came from the use of it in human pre-term neonates who are suffering from hypoxia and apnoea. Interestingly caffeine has also been used in pre-term human neonates to helps stimulate breathing. By giving caffeine to sows in late gestation, the piglets are born with caffeine in their system which is vital for those who have experienced hypoxia and are struggling to breathe after birth. Caffeine also has the ability to increase body temperature which may assist those piglets prone to use their mother for heat but are at increased risk of being crushed. These treatments would benefit the Australian pig industry immensely. By giving these treatments to sows at various times throughout gestation it allows for the healthy growth and birth of the piglets whilst still increasing litter size. This means that the extra time and money spent on selecting for increased litter size will actually result in increased profits as the extra piglets being born are surviving to slaughter. This increases the amount of produce being sold and therefore the total profit for the farmers. These treatments are also cheap and easy to implement, meaning there would not be extra labour or a large added cost in order to increase the number of piglets surviving. This research was performed by Brooke Dearlove (pictured), Karen Kind, Kathy Gatford and William van Wettere from the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at the University of Adelaide. This research was funded by Australian Pork Limited, Project: 2013/2135 Gestational strategies to improve piglet viability and survival.
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