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November/December 2017 Volume 39 Issue 6
Best hams in Australia awarded
EW Nutrition Group expands into further bio-tech capability Alltech/Lienert Blueprint Roadshow arrives PrintPost Approved PP10003090 ISSN 1032 3759
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porkjournal www.primarymedia.com.au
Volume 39 Issue 6
November/December 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 Franz Knoll from Barossa Fine Foods, SA which won Best Traditional Bone-In Ham in the APL Awards.
COMPANY FEATURE Page 10: EW Nutrition Group expands into further bio-tech capability by Peter Bedwell
NEWS Page 4: Alltech Lienert Blueprint Roadshow arrives Page 6: Alltech and Lienert Australia unite companies Page 8: Best hams in Australia awarded Page 16: APSA Conference 2017 delivers Page 19: Board changes at Australian Pork Limited Page 21: APRIL in December makes a first call for new scientists and new science Page 22: APL report: Managing piglet stress at weaning PRODUCT NEWS Page 20: Historical perspectives of Methionine sources by Pradeep Krishnan, Girish Channarayapatna and Alfred Petri
AUSTRALIA One Year - $55.00* 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.
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NEWS
Alltech Lienert Blueprint Roadshow arrives During November 27 to 30, 2017 Alltech Lienert ran its Blueprint Roadshow at five locations in Victoria, South Australia, NSW and Queensland. Pork Journal attended the Queensland event at Dalby Leagues Club on November 30. The keynote speaker for the events was Steve Elliot, Global Director of Alltech’s Mineral Management Division Shane Nicolson, Alltech Lienert’s Northern Area Sales Manager, addressed a good turnout of not only farm managers and owners, but also key farm staff members and introduced Steve Elliot. ‘What if trace minerals could offer more with less?’ was both his first question and title of his topic. In explaining the reasons for reconsidering trace mineral nutrition, Steve pointed out that, “new genetics and animal management schemes may make old recommendations obsolete. “Over-fortification is effecting efficacy of other feed components and polluting the environment,” Steve warned. “Would you ever feed, and/ or supply 3-4 times the recommended protein, energy or Amino acids? “What if these essential minerals could do more when we supplement less and, is excessive usage of inorganic trace minerals inhibiting productivity?” he inquired. The environmental hazards of using excessive amounts of inorganic minerals was explained by Steve and the problems associated with polluted raw materials in trace element supplementation. He spoke about research into comparisons of different mineral types and sources on the efficacy of phytase enzyme activity and later on vitamin stability. Reproductive performance measurements of sows fed dietary trace mineral sources and levels were explained and also the potential of Bioplex TRT Sow Pak to influence the incidence of small pigs at birth and weaning, also litter uniformity. In summarising ‘Bioplex SowPak improved litter growth rate, litter weaning weight, birth weight, wean weight, the incidence of + 6kg pigs at weaning and lactation feed intake,” he said. “The best results would be around two parities for improvement of older
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sows, and on return on investment 6;1, or an extra $70 per sow p.a.,” Steve concluded. Next Sophie Thomson one of eight people on the Blueprint nutritional team, explained the workings of the scheme including basic nutrition and sources, on-farm monitoring and management strategies including air quality and feed supply management. “We measure body condition and set up critical benchmarking parameters. If you can measure it, you can manage and improve it,” Sophie said. “Water quality and availability were also vital components of good performance,” she added. Alltech Lienert’s Blueprint Manager, Damien Kelly spoke about ‘How do we close the gap between meeting nutritional requirements as well as genetic potential?’ “Has practical nutrition kept pace with our genetics,” he asked. “Genetics gives us better animals and gene expression drives the animals performance,” he said. He went on to explain developments in nutrigenomics and its potential for improving feed efficiency, reducing disease risk and thus building profitability. “The Blueprint On-Farm Support program helps producers achieve profitability and performance by providing tools, knowledge and w
Above: Keynote speaker Steve Elliot, Global Director of Alltech’s Mineral Management Division. Below: Sophie Thompson, one of the Blueprint nutritional team.
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resources necessary to make informed decisions. “The program involves training and workshops, consultative services including problem solving and target setting. “It offers research based nutritional solutions with on-farm tools and assessments delivering best management practices based on global experiences,” Damien explained. He then introduced a new product, Blueprint Piglet Milk, part of the Blueprint ‘starter ‘ program “The product contains the Blueprint Gut Conditioning Pack, organic trace minerals and high quality vitamins, a unique blend of probiotics and direct fed microbials, also a balanced mix of fatty and amino acids, “Damien explained. Instruction sheets handed out at the seminar on the Blueprint piglet milk (a premium sow milk replacer) showed a typical product analysis of 27% milk protein, 20% milk fat, 40% milk lactose plus the gut conditioning pack. Available in 20 kg bags, Blueprint Piglet Milk suits both liquid and gruel feed and the ease with which the powder could be mixed using warm water was demonstrated by Alltech Lienert staff. “Why use the Blueprint Starter program?” Damien asked his audience. “It offers a good transition to solids, reduces digestive disorders, promotes
Above left: Alyshia McRae from Alltech Lienert demonstrates the easy mixing process of the piglet milk. Above right: Damien Kelly, Alltech Lienert’s Blueprint Program Manager. gut development, delivers better heath status and boosts early growth rates, leading to a life time of optimal performance. “The program is designed to be customised to the requirements of individual growing operations,” Damien said. Before concluding the seminar, Damien mentioned the Alltech Monogastric Tour and combined One: Alltech Ideas Conference to be held in
Illinois and Kentucky from May 20 to 23, 2018. A full program delivering both specific industry experience and social activities will be arranged by Alltech at a cost of A$6900 per person which includes all flights, accommodation vehicle hire, meals during the conference. Contact Damien Kelly for more information. Email: Damien.kelly@ lienerts.com.au
Alltech and Lienert Australia unite companies Animal health and nutrition companies, Alltech Australia and Lienert Australia, will unite to form Alltech Lienert Australia Pty Ltd as of January 1, 2018. The current activities of Keenan and Alltech E-CO2 in Australia, both of which are Alltech companies, will be conducted under Alltech Lienert Australia Pty Ltd. This union will align the offerings and services of both companies, simplify processes and procedures, and will ultimately enhance the quality of service to customers in Australia, according to Mark Peebles, Alltech Lienert Australia Pty Ltd General Manager. Alltech Lienert Australia Pty Ltd, located in Roseworthy, Australia, will continue to provide its range of quality Alltech products, services, nutrition programs and technologies throughout Australia. “By uniting the companies, we will
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effectively be combining highly successful businesses in terms of resources and expertise, resulting in even better nutrition, health programs and services for our clients’ operations,” said Mr Peebles. “This move will allow our business to strengthen our nutritional technical support, as well as research and development, to bring new, innovative products to the market. “Our team will be able to offer a wider range of products for our customers, with more localised nutrition support,” he continued. “Customers will now be able to order Alltech, Lienert, Keenan and Alltech E-CO2 products from one company, receiving their order in one shipment and on one invoice. It will also provide clarity on our position in the market.” “Both Lienert Australia and Alltech are dedicated to bringing nutritional
solutions to the farm and the food industry,” he said. “For more than 40 years, Lienert Australia has manufactured, distributed and supplied ingredients, supplements and nutritional expertise to the livestock and feedstock industries in Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines. “Its customers range from small family farms to integrated operations and commercial feed mills. “Alltech is a family owned company headquartered just outside of Lexington, Kentucky, USA, with a strong presence in all regions of the world. Previously represented by a distributor, Alltech has operated as a private company in Australia since 1997. Existing customers of Alltech Australia and Lienert Australia will be able to access the same expertise and benefits as previously, and their contacts will remain the same.
PIG & POULTRY Study Tour of Illinois and Kentucky USA 13th - 24th May, 2018 5 days in Illinois, USA John Deere Headquarters and Factory Hans Stein Monogastric Lab Visit Fair Oaks Farms Feedmill and farmer visits Baseball game 5 days in Kentucky, USA Attend ONE18: The Alltech Ideas Conference Visit Alltech facilities across Lexington
For more information and how to register, please contact your local Alltech Lienert sales representative or call 1800 649 231.
1800 649 231
Alltech Lienert Australia 8 Roseworthy Road | Roseworthy 5371 | SA | Australia
NEWS
Best hams in Australia awarded Christmas can be a busy time of year, but the Australian PorkMark Ham Awards have done the hard work and found the best 100% Australian hams across three separate categories. “Chefs Paul McDonald and Simon Bestley teamed up with Fleischmeister Horst Schurger, who has a Master’s Degree in Butchering and Smallgoods, to assess more than 140 entries to find the best traditional bone-in, boneless and nationally available hams,” said APL Marketing Manager Mitch Edwards, when he announced the awards in Sydney recently. The Best Artisan Ham and Best Boneless Ham was awarded to Pingelly Quality Meats, Pingelly, Western Australia, for a ham the judges described as perfectly smoky and sweet, with a brilliant initial taste, true to style and with even colouring. The Best Traditional Bone-In Ham was awarded to Barossa Fine Foods, South Australia, with judges noting its well balanced and very mild flavours, mild smoke and excellent texture. The judges awarded the Best Nationally Available Ham to Woolworths for the Woolworths Half Leg Ham – Bone In, which had a great cure, great creamy fat, good salt and great colour. While bone-in hams, like those that feature at Christmas are guaranteed to be Australian, the same can’t be said for all ham. “Many people are still surprised to find that more than two thirds of ham sold in Australia is made from imported pork,” Mr Edwards said. “So if you’re picking up a boneless ham, look for the pink PorkMark or the words Product of Australia.” For more winners of this year’s Australian PorkMark Ham Awards, plus recipes, tips and tricks for your Christmas ham, visit www.pork.com.au
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1. The three judges assessed more than 140 entries. 2. Woolworths won Best Nationally Available Ham. APL’s Peter Haydon with Alan Nunan and Rob Carratt. 3. Best Boneless Ham and Best Artisan Ham went to Sandra & Maurice, Pingelly Quality Meats, WA. 4. Taste testing the hams for the Peoples’ Choice awards. 5. Mitch Edwards, APL Marketing Manager. 6. The award for Best Traditional Bone-In Ham went to Franz Knoll, Barossa Fine Foods, SA.
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Christian Deter’s grow out farm achieves 1000 grams daily weight gain
EW Nutrition Group expands into further bio-tech capability
By PETER BEDWELL The German based EW Group, a family owned company established 80 years ago and in its third generation of management, consists of more than 65 subsidiaries and has more than 6000 employees. Though based in Germany, the company operates globally and is a major supplier of poultry genetics, livestock vaccines, food products and an increasing range of animal nutrition solutions. More recently it has invested significantly in the aqua industry and in
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January this year EW took over a major biotech research company, now known as EW Biotech located at Leuna near Leipzig. That organisation is now part of the growing EW Nutrition GmbH based in Visbek, Germany. In late September, Pork Journal was invited to visit the advanced biotech facility to learn more about a project that holds great promise for generating new products to cater for the complex needs of commercial livestock production in the 21st Century. Dr Joachim Schulze, the current Managing Director under EW ownership, explained the history of his company, which began under the control of the gigantic Thyssen/Krupp enterprise, a merged entity established in 1999. After the reunification of the former GDR (East Germany) with West Germany, significant investment and diversification followed and Thyssen/ Krupp developed a biotech facility to meet new imperatives. “There was a need for bio degradable plastics and chemical polymers but in 2013/14 a drop in the oil price made some investments and research less viable,” Dr Schulze explained.
“We have seen little investment in developing industries and there is a tendency to ‘shy away’ from the large sums involved for state of the art hardware necessary to develop highly specific products like those linked to genomic advances,” he added. This point was re-enforced as we toured the EW Biotech plant with laboratories, a range of fermenters, centrifuges and all the necessary infrastructure to conduct research into the next generation of advanced livestock feed additives; the equipment alone at the EW Biotech facility is worth more than 25 million Euros. The whole philosophy behind the EW Biotech research capacity is that research in the lab can translate into the production of a new product idea and very quickly, enough material can be created for use in field trials to demonstrate viability in commercial production. “If the trials are successful and there is the demand, we can very quickly scale up to produce commercial products,” Dr Shultze said. While we were there, work was being conducted on single cell proteins and other fermentation based w
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production. “There is a new feed additive working through the system right now. “We can, with a clear target, produce new products within a 6 to 12 month time frame. “We have plenty of room to expand and apart from working on EW’s needs we can conduct compatible research for outside requirements,” he said. Time and again on our tour Dr Shulze emphasised the need for incredibly high levels of cleanliness in all aspects of the plant. “The smallest level of microbial contamination can ruin any given project. From a regulatory point of view we are considered as a ‘food’ industry, so are subject to the highest levels of outside scrutiny regardless of the need to maintain our own standards,” he said. Recently drones have been used in an inspection process and this has given rise to even more stringency in inspection procedures at the plant. In an environment where numerous critical issues in animal production, like antimicrobial reduction, and improved feed efficiency are critical, the need for answers to questions like, ‘how do we achieve more production with less resources?’ are likely to come from facilities like the EW Biotech plant. EW Nutrition has tested a number of advanced feed additive products in Australia like Activo (available in solid and liquid form) a blend of microencapsulated secondary plant compounds with a slow release aspect that has a focus on GIT health and has demonstrated FCR improvements and higher average daily weight gain in pig production. On September 26, Dr Heinrich Kleine Klausing, the Managing Director of EW Nutrition, during a meeting at EW’s head office at Visbek, explained the mode of action of Activo. “The mode of action consists of stimulation of the gastrointestinal cells, delivers a negative impact on bacterial growth, has antioxidant benefits and a positive effect on meat quality,” Dr Klausing said. He then explained the interactions of the key ingredients and the optimal route to supply. “The process technology we use is vital to ensure an effective and quality product and includes an assurance of the raw material origins and the quality of those materials. “Extraction is by technologies developed and proven over a prolonged program. Blending these materials correctly is also a vital component of quality control. “Finally we generate an assurance of stability by using specific methods w for micro-encapsulation.
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1. Dr Heinrich Kleine Klausing, MD EW Nutrition. 2. ‘Waterfall’ scrubs ammonia from the shed. 3. Christian Deter and Mediput dosing system adds Activo. 4. Pig toys and chewing block. 5. Controls for shed atmosphere regulation.
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Right: EW Nutrition’s Global Marketing Manager Christian Blocker with Marketing Intern Vito Bernardi and farmer Christian Deter on his farm near Lohne in Lower Saxony. Far right: Ventilation chimney fans. Ammonia/bacteria system housing and solar panels to reduce energy costs.
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“Three key ingredients of Activo are Carvacol, an agent that aids digestion, has antimicrobial properties and acts as an anti inflammatory. “Also Cinnamaldehyde, an appetising agent that has microbiocidal effects and offers protection against ulcers and finally Capsaicin, an appetising, digestive and anti inflammatory agent,” he said. The is a further blend of secondary plant compounds in the Activo combi-
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nation formula, including Cineol (Eucalyptus) which delivers an additive effect that is bacteriostatic against both Gram + and Gram – bacteria as well acting as an antioxidant,” Dr Klausing added. In explaining the specifics of the Activo product line he said, “Activo is microencapsulated in a fat matrix delivering slow release and is designed to focus on GIT health thus delivering measurable FCR improvement. “Activo Liquid is emulsified with
organic acids and ideal for drinker application delivering rapid effect and with an antimicrobial mode of action. Next Dr Klausing mentioned developments to EW Nutrition’s Mastersorb mycotoxin binding products range. Master Risk, a tool developed to assist with mycotoxin management in both pigs and poultry, had been modified in December 2017 and MasterRisk 2.0 covers a broader species range with easier handling despite the increased complexity of the tool. “Now a more accurate estimation of the economic effect of mycotoxin combinations for fattening pigs is possible. We have made the shift from a single sample approach to taking into account the whole diet,” Dr Klausing concluded. On the following day Pork Journal joined EW Nutrition’s Global Marketing Manager Christian Blöcker and Vito Bernardi on a visit to a local farmer whose farms were used during the trial phase of Activo. We met Christian Deter at his company’s offices. He grows out fattening pigs in various locations in the region, which is around Lohne in Lower Saxony. The weaner pigs are sourced from nearby Denmark and are Duroc cross genetics, fast growing with high nutrient demands. Christian, however has adjusted feeding concepts using a lower crude protein and phosphorous rate (The RAM concept). He first tested the Activo complimentary feed in just one shed. At the start of placement he applied 2kg per tonne of feed reducing to 1kg/t as the pigs approached market weight. “Using this method the pigs showed daily weight gain of more than 1000g and a content of lean meat between 57/58%. “The feed conversion rate improved from 1:2.75 to 1:2.71 and mortalities were absolutely minimal,” Christian reported. Using the Activo added about 2.70 Euro per grower pig and Christian is still calculating his cost/return ratios over the whole grow out period. However he is convinced that the application of the gut stabilizer for a short period after placing the weaners is absolutely beneficial. “Previously we did have some diarrhea problems and the texture of faeces is much better. “Now only a few animals need treatment so we can reduce antibiotic use to only three treatment days per pig.” Apart from the use of Activo, vaccination against Ileitis has helped and particularly during recent Porcine Intestinal Adenopathy (PIA) has helped
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to improve overall health levels on Christian’s farms. Though Christian usually limits the application of Activo to the first two to three weeks, he usually mixes the product into a dosing system (Mediput) on his own operation. He can, however, be flexible in application regimes and acts according to the condition of his piglets. Though always aware of costs in a thin margin business, Christian works on the theory that “if I can improve my animals’ health it is worth the investment in using Activo as necessary,” he said. Other aspects of Christian Deter’s farm design and operation also contribute to the overall health of his livestock. A complex ventilation and shed atmosphere management system works to dramatically lower ammonia levels and reduce bacterial levels. A tower above the loose housing pens has the air from the pens pumped into it where it is ‘scrubbed’ in a waterfall system, then passed through a large filtration system. The overall expense of a system like this would probably shock Australian growers, but then we don’t have to deal with a cold Northern European winter like Christian does – straw based Eco barns don’t apply this far north! Automated chimney fans are also part of the overall environmental control set up which is energy hungry. That problem is in part solved by an impressive array of solar panels on the sheds roofing. The region around the farms is thickly populated with thousands of gigantic Schneider windmills, that even on a relatively still and foggy day, were still churning out power. Of interest in the pens were the ‘chewing stations’ where the pigs can chew on short lengths of scrap timber: the stocking densities in the fully enclosed housing seems to be low by Australian grower shed standards. Issues like animal welfare and energy efficiencies in Germany have progressed way beyond philosophical discussion and are clearly mandated by regulation. Sure the levels of automation on Christian’s farm are impressive, but in a high labour cost country the investment in the technology is a no brainer. Pork Journal enjoyed learning about how a German farmer can make his operations both more productive while complying with community expectations. Now as livestock rearing becomes more subject to pressures for lower antimicrobial use, advanced products like Activo keep growers both compliant and profitable.
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APSA Conference 2017 delivers The 16th Biennial APSA Conference was held at The Grand Hyatt Melbourne from November 19 to 22, 2017. The APSA Student Workshop, which ran for a full day, was punctuated by a frisson of much excitement as threats by a visitation from animal activists were predicted. However by early afternoon as calm was restored, the first of three industry speakers from Auspac Nutreco, BEC Feed Solutions and Phytobiotics, with speakers from both overseas and Australia introduced delegates to the latest advances in feedadditives and meeting changing markets. Dr Pat Mitchell, APSA President, officially opened the conference and well know industry identity and APSA Fellow Dr Ray King then delivered The A.C Dunkin Memorial Lecture, ‘Seasonal ifertility in pigs; what have we achieved and where are we up to?’ After describing the research initiatives into the problem which date back to the late 1970s and peaked in the 1980s to mid 90s he made some recommendations which included “maximising nutrient intake of lactating sows, supplementing the gestation diet with betaine and to mate more sows to cover any predicted shortfall in expected farrowings,” he concluded. The first session on November 20 was ‘What the consumers want’. Dr Darryl D Souza from Sunpork Solutions presented a paper ‘Consumers want pork with ‘adjectives’. “Pork is an ‘experienced good’ product, where quality is unknown before purchase and must be inferred from quality attributes and the source of theses quality attributes have changed,” Darryl said. “Consumers use adjectives as an indicator of pork quality and brand recognition is an important quality attribute,” he said. “There will be a continued focus on animal welfare/production systems/ health attributes and eating quality assurance remains a real opportunity for the Australian pork industry,” Darryl concluded. “Innovation in an expanding market: Australian pork is not a commodity’ was the topic for a very thought provoking paper by Evan Bittner from the University of Melbourne. He emphasised the cultural diversities in many of Australia’s current and potential markets and the result of
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these attitudes to food. ”Internationally, Australian food exporters are seen as traders, and not considered good promoters of their products, and, marketing the export of Australian pork as a single entity or commodity carries greater risk,” he warned. On the subject of being able to influence the increasing number of Chinese visitors to Australia and influence their future buying preferences at home, Evan pointed out the following:“When a Chinese consumer walks into an Australian supermarket, they feel that not a single product on the shelf is designed for them,” he said. Dr Heather Bray from the University of Adelaide asked in her paper ‘What are they thinking? Consumer attitudes to meat production’. “We are all citizen-consumers,” Dr Bray stated. “People engage in both citizen and consumer behavior all the time and these can often appear in conflict,” she said. The program then moved towards a more purely scientific approach with sessions on ‘Nutrition and gut health, nutrition, growth performance and heat stress and in the final session, lactation and sow welfare. In the final session the ‘Review’ paper was delivered by Professor Alan Tilbrook ‘Neurophysiological assessment of animal welfare’. The following poster session covering environment, genetics, health, and meat quality involved 26 papers
Top: Tony Edwards, ACE Livestock Consulting. Above: Fergus Neher, Phytobiotics. Below: Wayne Bradshaw, Jefo with Rob Hewitt, winner of the 2017 APSA Poster Award, sponsored by Feedworks.
NEWS prepared by post graduates and industry researchers. One of the advantages of some of the research projects undertaken by post graduates was the ability to work closely with suppliers to achieve improved outcomes for industry. Rob Hewitt’s poster ‘Microencapsulated feed additives allow improved production efficiency in weaner pigs’ included research conducted with the help of Jefo and its Australian representative, Wayne Bradshaw. Rob also won the APSA poster Award sponsored by Feedworks and by Sunpork. The Gala Dinner, sponsored dy DSM, at the truly spectacular Plaza Ballroom in Collins Street, was the venue for the presentation of the Batterham Award presented to a young scientist within 10 years of graduation. Dr Kate Plush, now working with Sunpork in South Australia and previously a postdoctoral research fellow through the Pork CRC at the University of Adelaide, has conducted much valuable research into piglet and sow welfare.. Top: BEC Seminar speakers: (LtoR) Professor Eugeni Roura, University of At the 2017 APSA Conference QLD, Dr Kobe Lanoo, Nuscience and Kevin Liu, Adisseo. Above: The Genetics she presented a paper on some of her Brains Trust: Dr Kim Bunter, Dr Dorian Garrick and Dr Matthew Culbertson. latest research, ‘Farrowing performance of sows with increased magnesium in a transition diet.’ She is without doubt a worthy recipient of the Batterham Award for 2017. In 1995 Dr Robert van Barneveld, now CEO of Sunpork, also won a Batterham award at the APSA event that year and in 2017 he was presented with the APSA Fellow Award at the 2017 event. In Session 6 on November 21, ‘Feed ingredients and their impact’ the review paper delivered by Professor John Doherty (University of Dublin –vsupported by Feedworks) was truly intriguing.It was ‘Novel marine polysaccharides and maternal nutrition to stimulate gut health and performance in weaner pigs’. The following genetics session , ‘What does ‘closed heard’ really mean for Australian breeding companies and their customers?’ from Dr Kim Bunter was the first paper. ‘The role of genomics in pig improvement’ from Dr Dorian Garrick, Massey University, and Genetic improvement and dissemination for the global commercial swine industry’ from Dr Matthew Culbertson, Genus PIC, followed. There was universal praise for this session and Dr Roger Campbell was w
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heard to quip that, “even he understood the excellent science revealed in the session�. Meat eating quality and food safety was the Session 9 topic and started with an in-depth review paper from APL’s Heather Channon, ‘Guaranteeing consistently high quality Australian pork; are we any closer?’ The poster session sponsored by Evonik, revealed further excellent work in the areas of lactation, nutrition and welfare. The final day, November 22, commenced with a series of short papers on ‘Reproduction and piglet welfare’. The final session for the conference was ‘Antimicrobial resistance and health’ and Dr Sam Abraham from Murdoch University spoke first about ‘Current and future antimicrobial resistance issues for the Australian pig industry’. The APSA Medal for a first time presenter at APSA was won by Evan Bittner from the University of Melbourne. The 2017 APSA delivered a huge amount of scientific knowledge in four workshops, 66 papers and 52 posters. The material was absolutely relevant to an industry that has to constantly evolve, not only to satisfy consumer and community expectation, but also stay in business.
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Top: LtoR: APSA Vice President Dr Stuart Wilkinson, APSA Medal winner Evan Bittner and Dr Darryl D’Souza, Sunpork. Centre: L to R: Battenham Award Sponsor, BEC’s Craig McCann , Battenham Award winner Dr Kate Plush, Sunpork. Above: L to R: 2017 APSA Fellow Award presented by Dr Rob van Barneveld to Dr John Pluske from Murdoch University.
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1. L to R: Dennis Mutton, Chair of Pork CRC and APRIL, Dr John Black and Roger Campbell, CEO Pork CRC. 2. Dr Pat Mitchell, APSA President. 3. Speakers in the Genetic and Sow Reproductive Performance session.
Board changes at Australian Pork Limited Australian Pork Limited (APL) has announced the appointed of a new Specialist Director, Mr Andrew Baxter and the reappointment of Producer Directors, Dr Brian Luxford and David Plant at its Annual General Meeting, held in November 2017. The APL Board has appointed Mr Baxter to fill the vacancy created by Specialist Director Mrs Kay Carey who is retiring in accordance with the rotational requirements of the APL Constitution and was not seeking reappointment. APL Chairman, Mr Enzo Allara said it is always an exciting time of year when the Australian pig industry gets together to discuss where the industry is heading and how it is getting there. “It is important we continue to move forward as an industry, and we are very fortunate to have highly respected individuals involved with our industry sharing their expertise and skills. “Mr Baxter will provide new insights and experiences that the industry can learn from. His enormous and diverse experience will make him a great asset to the Board and the industry.” Mr Baxter is a leading marketing and communications expert, with experience working on some of Australia’s most visible brand communications campaigns.
“Every industry has different challenges and opportunities. I look forward to working on those that are shaping the Australian pork industry and achieving some positive outcomes for our producers,” Mr Baxter said. Specialist Director Kay Carey was appointed to the Board in 2006 and announced earlier in 2017 that she would not be seeking re-appointment after her current term expires. On behalf of the Australian pork
industry, APL thanks Mrs Carey for her tireless work during her time on the APL Board, particularly her dedication to APL’s marketing efforts. “Mrs Carey was a great advocate for the consumer in an industry moving from being largely production led to more consumer driven. She was always curious of the emerging trends in consumer behaviour and her wisdom when dealing with complex information will be greatly missed,” Mr Allara said.
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PRODUCT NEWS
Historical perspectives of Methionine sources By PRADEEP KRISHNAN and GIRISH CHANNARAYAPATNA* and ALFRED PETRI**, Evonik DL-Methionine (DL-M) and 2-Hydroxy-4-methylbutanoic acid (HMTBa) are frequently used as a feed supplement with the purpose to balance animal diets with regard to the level of methionine equivalents for maintenance and production purposes. In particular, in low protein diets, the addition of free amino acids or amino acid precursors to the diet, including methionine sources, is common practice for most monogastric animal species. Numerous studies involving different approaches and various animal species have been carried out in order to establish the relative efficacy of different methionine sources compared to DL-Methionine. The purpose of this short article is to highlight the historical view of producers of methionine sources on the nutritional value of their product and how the same has changed over the years. DL-Methionine, the racemic mixture of D- and L-isomer of Methionine is commercially available as a feed additive with 99% purity. Methionine Hydroxy Analogue Free Acid (MHAFA, commonly known as liquid MHA, chemically abbreviated as HMTBa) is also a racemic mixture of its D- and L-isomer and consists of about 65% in monomeric form, and 23 % in the dimeric/trimeric form and the remaining 12 % being water. Project4:Layout 1 21/03/14 12:22 PM Page 1
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Looking back at the 80s and early 90s, a comparative fact book on the nutritional value of DL-Methionine and MHA-FA (Methionine Hydroxy Analogue-Free Acid) released by then Rhone-Poulenc and now Adisseo states that a figure of 70% efficacy on product-to-product basis should be used when comparing products. This means the historical view of Rhone-Poulenc/Adisseo was that every kg of MHA-FA used in the feed industry could be replaced by 700 g of DL-Methionine with the same nutritional effect. At the same time, DL-Methionine producer Sumitomo conducted animal trials with broilers which showed biological efficacies of 63% and 70% on product-to-product basis for MHA-FA compared to DL-Methionine. By that time, Sumitomo did not yet produce MHA-FA. The historical results of both companies Rhone Poulenc/Adisseo and Sumitomo fit very well to the findings of DL-Methionine producer Degussa (now Evonik) who claimed in the past and continues to claim today on average a 65% equivalence on product-to-product basis for MHA-FA compared to DL-Methionine. This position is backed up by many references and independent statements (Brazilian Text Book of Animal Nutrition, Premier Atlas-2011, NRC for Fish and Shrimps-2011, European Commission Standing Committee Report (2010) on the Labelling of Hydroxy Analogue of Methionine in Feed, CVB desk study, 2003) are available which clearly indicate the nutritional efficacy of MHA-FA compared to DL-M is on an average 65% on product-to-product basis. Although both products, DL-Methionine and MHA-FA haven’t changed since the 1980s, the opinion of several producers about the nutritional value of the product has definitely changed. This change in opinion is most probably not due to a change in nutritional equivalence of both products which actually remains the same as in the past, but due to commercial preferences having nothing to do with the real interest of the feed compounders or end users. Overall, it can be stated that the methionine sources DL-Methionine and MHA-FA are clearly different in their nutritional value and yes, it matters to the animal species. There are multiple reasons for the value difference and customers should take a deep insight when making their choice about the best source References are available upon request. * Pradeep Krishnan and Girish Channarayapatna are from Animal Nutrition, Nutrition & Care, Evonik (SEA) Pte. Ltd, Singapore. **Alfred Petri is from Animal Nutrition, Evonik Nutrition & Care GmbH, Germany
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NEWS
APRIL in December makes a first call for new scientists and new science global market it had to be one of the best, if not the best, in the world. “Our challenges are obvious and they will all respond to high quality research, but this has to be cutting edge research if we are to ensure sustainability and profitability of our industry. “We have some great scientists, but we’re now looking outside the room for researchers who may not have
previously considered the pork industry, but who are good thinkers and who have new technologies and ideas that could be applicable to the pork industry. “It is going to be an exciting journey, so come along for the ride if you have something positive to offer,” Dr Campbell said. Details can be accessed from the APRIL link on Pork CRC’s website www.porkcrc.com.au Pork CRC and APRIL Chair, Dennis Mutton is determined to drive Australia’s pork industry into new areas it has never been before.
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Australasian Pork Research Institute Limited (APRIL) has made its first call for research proposals to markedly enhance the competiveness and sustainability of the Australasian pork industry. APRIL, which replaces the Cooperative Research Centre for High Integrity Australian Pork (Pork CRC), is fully member based with an initial investment in 2018-2019 approaching $3 million and is actively seeking new science and creative new ideas. With the objective of commissioning research by the middle of 2018, basically 12 months before the close of Pork CRC operations, the APRIL call will ensure continuity of the current level of research and support opportunities for relevant researchers during the wind-down. Pork CRC and APRIL Chair Dennis Mutton is determined to drive Australia’s pork industry into areas it has never been before by encouraging fresh, game changing ideas from incumbent and new researchers and harnessing a new wave of scientific power. “One of the ways the APRIL board has agreed to do this is by identifying and engaging with a previously untapped pool of talent and bringing new and creative thinking into the pork R&D space to increase speed of discovery and delivery of profitable outcomes,” Mr Mutton said. Pork CRC CEO, Roger Campbell, agreed, inviting researchers to apply if they thought they could dramatically improve sow reproduction, for example, or lift the inherent feed efficiency of grower pigs. “The same invite goes out to anyone with new ideas on how to reduce Australia’s reliance on global grains and soybean meal to reduce feed costs, or those with thoughts on how best to reduce antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance,” Dr Campbell said. APRIL is also interested in cost effective engineering and precision farming technologies applicable to the pork industry. Dr Campbell said the Australasian pork industry had a globally acknowledged track record in terms of the adoption of new technologies and ideas, but in an increasingly competitive
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APL REPORT
Managing piglet stress at weaning During weaning, the piglet’s ability to adapt to the new environment and diet determine the survival, health and growth rate of the pig. Therefore, by reducing stress we can improve growth and reduce the losses associated with weaning pigs. Not only would this improve pig welfare but it would also benefit the industry by improving feed efficiency and growth performance, allowing pigs to reach market weights faster and thereby increasing profitability for the farmer. In many commercial environments piglets are weaned at approximately three weeks of age, during which time they face several stressors. These include separation from the sow, changes in diet from mainly a liquid milk diet to a solid pelleted diet, mixing with unfamiliar piglets that can lead to tail biting and bullying, changes in the housing environment that can lead to cold or heat stress and increased susceptibility to certain pathogens. Exposure to these stressors often leads to a reduction in growth rate due to reabsorption of amino acids and a redirection of nutrients to cope with some of the stressors and the lack of feed intake. Samantha Sterndale’s APL funded PhD research investigates opportunities to manage the stress experienced by piglets during the weaning event through nutritional interventions. The first experiment looked at determining if gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the diet can reduce stress during weaning. GABA is a non-protein amino acid and an inhibitory neurotransmitter that has been shown to improve growth and reduce stress response in different species including pigs. An amino acid is an essential or non-essential nutrient that needs to be provided in the diet to meet optimum performance in the animal. Several different concentrations of GABA were tested in weaner diets to determine its effectiveness. It was found that although GABA did not reduce certain blood stress markers or improve growth rate, the product should be explored further on different stress models that activate other blood markers in the endocrine and immune system. The outcomes from this study are yet to be finalised.
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Previous research has shown diets low in Tryptophan can reduce serotonin production in the brain resulting in reduced feed intake and increased stress response (Henry et al., 1996; Le Floc’h and Seve, 2007; Liu et al., 2013). Tryptophan is an essential aminoacid that is a precursor to the production of Serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter which is involved in sleep, appetite regulation, mood and stress response. A neurotransmitter is a chemical that communicates information throughout the body and brain. Therefore, the more Serotonin the pig is producing the more they should eat and the calmer they should be. However, in order to improve tryptophan availability and therefore serotonin, other amino acids that compete with Tryptophan need to be limited. The second experiment looked at reducing the stress response by manipulating the diet of the pig. The ratio of Tryptophan to large neutral amino acids (competitors) were manipulated to reduce stress at weaning.
It was found that a diet that was high in Tryptophan and low in large neutral amino acids increased serotonin and average daily gain by 60g per day when compared to pigs fed to the current nutritional standards for weaner pigs ie. NRC requirements. These improvements were only significant for the two weeks following the stressful event, therefore the diet could be marketed as a short-term post weaning diet or dietary additive. The current NRC requirements includes a Tryptophan to large neutral amino acids ratio of 0.045 (0.246:5.443) which was manipulated to a ratio of 0.073 (0.339:4.639). Although results from the experiments have been promising, further research will be required to determine the effectiveness of the nutritional manipulation on different stressful events and, the way in which these changes to the weaner pig diets can be made affordable for the producers. For more information please contact Samantha Sterndale from Murdoch University, Western Australia on emaIl: samantha@sterndale.com References: Henry, Y., Seve, B., Mounier, A., Ganier, P., 1996. Growth performance and brain neurotransmitters in pigs as affected by tryptophan, protein, and sex. Journal of animal science 74, 27002710. Le Floc’h, N., Seve, B., 2007. Biological roles of tryptophan and its metabolism: Potential implications for pig feeding. Livestock Science 112, 23-32. Liu, H.-W., Shi, B.-M., Liu, D.S., Shan, A.-S., 2013. Supplemental dietary tryptophan modifies behavior, concentrations of salivary cortisol, plasma epinephrine, norepinephrine and hypothalamic 5-hydroxytryptamine in weaning piglets. Livestock Science 151, 213-218.
Samantha Sterndale: her APL funded PhD research investigates opportunites to manage stress in piglets during weaning. Photo taken at Medina Research Station Western Australia.
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