NUMBERELEVEN2010

ROTECNAWORLD

Castration: anaesthesia or anti-inflamma-toriry treatment

Swing R3,wet & Tube: two new models

EFSA assesses risk of salmonella from pig meat

RESEARCH&DEVELOPMENT

TECHNOLOgy FUTURE

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Gener RomeuRotecna's President

LETTERFROMTHEEDITOR

SUMMARY

ROTECNA WORLD 11

AUGUST 2010

EDITION:RoTecnA, S.A.

EDITORIAL STAFF:MonTSe PAlAU

DESIgN:MonTSe GUeRReRo

PRINT:IMPRenTA bARnolA

ISSn: l-41-2007

Rotecna's World's editors accept no

liability for contributor's opinion

4 6 10

2012

The hopes in the pig sector of recover-ing from the downturn have not totally faded as some signs of recovery are starting to appear. However, it is true that the global situation is still the same. The European economy still hasn’t taken off –at least not fast enough, while other world powers, such as China or Japan do seem to be on the rise. Thus, in Europe the pig sector continues on the same path: not very good but then not very bad.

However, life goes on and the sector continues its struggle. In health ques-tions, first it was Aujeszky disease that restricted the movement of herds between EU countries. This was fol-lowed by the presence of Salmonella in pig meat. Because of this, we have dedicated space for the opinion of the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) about the current situation of this food safety problem in the European Union. Greater control and more measures

seem to be among the solutions. The consumer should also be more careful when it come to storing meat, as well as in the transport of the meat.

More measures, after all, to be more competitive and increase food safety, in a setting in which all differentials are a very valuable plus. Regarding Rotecna’s part in this, in this RotecnaWorld we present the Swing R3 range, with three new models: Swing R3 Duo, Wet and Tube. We must also seek differentials, and like always, keep innovating. In this case, these are among the most appre-ciated feeders in our external market: the Swing (for weaning, fattening and wean to finish).

In spite of everything, I encourage the pig sector to continue the fight and trust in the sector’s possibilities, all over the world. After the storm, the calm always comes. But sometimes it takes longer.

Gener Romeu

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ROTECNANEWS

Rotecna is preparing a new web, which will soon be on-line. The aim is to make the site more dynamic, with more direct access to the contents. With only 3 clicks, the user will be able to visit all the sections we have included in the web.

Rotecna has proposed to make this new web a meeting point for the pig sector, but espe-cially to transmit and communicate everything that can be of interest for the sector. The site will be a platform where the surfer will be able to find the leading news from the sector, mar-ket prices, etc.

Naturally, the new web will include the full range of Rotecna products, with the corre-sponding technical details. The site will also offer the possibility of seeing all the compa-

ny’s publications in digital format (such as the RotecnaWorld), as well receiving a newsletter with all the novelties.

Another important part of the Rotecna web will be the multimedia section, with galleries of vid-eos and images of products, installations, etc.

To sum up, a practical web, with entertaining and interesting contents for the pig sector, to become a site reference for a dynamic and enterprising sector.

With this initiative, Rotecna will continue with the same leitmotiv as always: keep on innovat-ing. In this case, thanks to the technology of Internet, a platform de communication and pro-motion that any company should take closely into account in the 21st century.

THREE CLICKS, EASIER•

NEW SITE, MORE DYNAMIC•

OUR LEITMOTIV: KEEP ON INNOVATING•

A PRACTICAL WEB•

ENTERTAINING AND INTERESTING•

Rotecna renews its web

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RESEARCH&DEVELOPMENT

Valérie COURBOULAY (1), Anne HEMONIC (1), Marie GADONNA (1), Armelle PRUNIER (2,3)

(1) IFIP - Institut du Porc, BP 35104, F-35651 Le Rheu cedex

(2) INRA, UMR1079 SENAH, F-35590 Saint-Gilles

(3) Agrocampus Ouest, UMR1079 SENAH, F-35000 Rennes, France

With the technical collaboration of Béatrice Peltier, Didier Pilorget and Kélig Rocher.

castration with

local anaesthesia or

anti-inflammatory treatmentimpact on the pain and consequences for work

Castration is habitually in many countries in Europe.

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Introduction

Castration, depending on the age it is done, is painful for the pig. The effects are essentially felt at the moment of castration and the following 48 hours (Prunier et al., 2006). General anaesthesia allows this pain to be reduced enormously, but done by injection, means peri-ods of sedation of the animal and a risk of being crushed by the sows (EFSA, 2004). The methods of general anaesthesia by inhalation of isoflurane or carbon diox-ide have been developed for use in livestock, but the irritating effect of CO2 in the loss of consciousness must still be evaluated (von Borrell et al., 2009).

Local anaesthesia by injection is easier to use. Lido-caine is habitually used by vets on Norwegian farms prior to castrating piglets, by subcutaneous and intra-testicular injection (Frediksen and Nafstad, 2005). The injections themselves are a source of pain but the width of the peaks of ACTH and cortisol is much less important than the one observed at the moment of castration (Prunier and Bonneau, 2008).

The other products, the anti-inflammatories, are con-sidered to the extent that they are of interest for long-term painkilling coverage.

This article presents the results of two successive studies. Firstly, the effects of the ketoprofen or lido-caine on the pain at the moment of castration, an hour later and the following day are measured. The pain was evaluated by indicators of psychological and zoo-technical behaviour. Then the impact of local anaesthesia prior to castration was measured in relation to the operators working time.

1. STUDy 1

1.1. Material and methodsThe study was carried out with crossed animals (Large White x Landrace) x (Large White-Pietrain) divided into two groups of 24 sows in 12-place maternities. The limited adoptions were carried out during the 48 hours after the birth of the piglets. The animals were castrated on the Tuesday of the follow-ing week, at between 4 and 6 days after birth.

The day before castration, the piglets were weighed were checked for hernias. The piglets were marked to be identified. Of the two groups, the behaviour of 12 ani-mals was observed in the mid term (maternity 1) and the psychological behaviour of the others (maternity 2).

Four treatments were carried out:

S: simulated castration.•V: animal castrated in vivo, without anaesthesia •or analgesic.L: with local anaesthesia with lidocaine before •castration.K: with anaesthesia with ketoprofen before cas-•tration.

The lidocaine and ketoprofen injections were given ten and twenty minutes before castration, respec-tively.

Some measurements were taken during the study. Before castration, the posture, behaviour and posi-tion of each piglet were observed every 2 minutes, during the 24 hours after the operation.

The most frequently observed behaviour after castra-tion and the following day were: shaking, spasms, huddling, scratching, moving the tail, isolation, despondency, lack of coordination and playing.

Results

At the moment of castration.Generally, all the castrated piglets showed signifi-cantly more movements than those whose opera-tion was simulated, but not significantly between them.

The pigs castrated with method L squealed less than those in groups K and V, with shorter duration in other groups.

After castration.An hour after castration, the animals showed signs of despondency, especially those in group S, the piglets castrated in vivo, more than those in groups K and S. Those in group L were intermediate. Those castrated

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RESEARCH&DEVELOPMENTin vivo and with lidocaine huddled together more than the others, and were also more discoordinated.

The day after castration, some piglets seemed despondent. More tail movements were observed in the castrated groups and more frequently in those castrated in vivo than in group K. During the day of castration and the following one, there was no differ-ence in the postures of the animals in the different groups. Group S slept less frequently than group K.

DiscussionWhatever the method used, castration led to behav-ioural changes among the piglets. The differences were in the treatment, although independently of this, pain was principally detected at the moment of castration and an hour later, although some effects were also noted the following day.

The lidocaine injection led to the reactions to pain at the moment of castration being greatly reduced. It is an easier and shorter operation. Two thirds of the animals showed lesser reactions at the moment of the operation. If in some treatment the movements of the legs the animals were important, it was in S, which was interpreted as greater pain. The body movements were less in those anaesthetised, which was shown through less squealing (in group L) in comparison with the piglets in which ketoprofen was used and the in vivo method.

On the other hand, the observations show that keto-profen has a limited effect at the moment of castra-tion, as the animals behaved as if they were being castrated in vivo although it allowed the effects of castration to be reduced in terms of liberation of cortisone. The concentration of this hormone, which is considered an indicator of psychological pain, was not different in those piglets anaesthetised or not. So, it is supposed that ketoprofen is more effective than lidocaine at reducing the reaction to stress linked to the pain of castration and/or in the following min-utes. However, for this conclusion it should be cor-roborated that ketoprofen does not inhibit the work-ing of the corticotrope axis of the non-castrated animals.

An hour after the operation, behaviour non-specif-ic to pain such as exploring, playing, the same posture of the animal, took place. In our study, the animals castrated in vivo or with anaesthesia usu-ally spent more time sleeping than the others, which could indicate the presence of pain. On the other hand, those castrated in vivo or with lido-caine tended to huddle more than those castrated with ketoprofen.

Generally, we observed that the anti-inflammatory treatment led to a reduction in the behavioural per-

turbations observed. For example, there was more moving of tails between the first and second days in those castrated in vivo or with lidocaine. There was also less scratching actions among those castrated in vivo and with ketoprofen.

2. STUDy 2

2.1 Materials and methodsThe study was carried out on two groups of 24 pigs in two rooms. We compared two treatments:

Control treatment, V, corresponding to castration in vivo.

The study mesures the operator working time.

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Treatment con anaesthesia with lidocaine, L, corre-sponding to the treatment in Study 1 but with a double intra-testicular injection.

Two operators did the work in each group, each in one room. The working sessions were timed to check the consequences of castration on the working of the farm.

Results and discussionHalf the operation time corresponds to catching the animals and vaccinating them. The time in applying

each methodology differed between operators. Except with group 2 of the first operator, the working time increased between 39 and 53% when castration was done with anaesthesia.

The mean duration of the anaesthesia per piglet was 30 +/- 7.8 seconds and the castration 36.3 +/- 10 seconds. Significant variations between operators were observed, groups and treatments for the dura-tion of castration.

This duration diminished from one group to another and was systematically shorter in treatment L, with anaesthesia.

Final discusión and conclusionsLocal anaesthesia with lidocaine at a higher dose than the one used in earlier studies (Courboulay et al., 2010) gave a marked reduction in pain at the moment of castration, while the difference was maintained with the animals that were given a simulation of castration. However, this dose has to be defined, in those piglets that showed convulsions without consequences even-tually combining the anaesthesia with adrenaline to limit its toxicity (EFSA, 2004). This technique, in con-trast, limited the postoperative pains.

Compared with lidocaine, the treatment with ketopro-fen has the advantage of ease of administration. It has a limited effect on the pain at the moment of castra-tion, but is more effective for postoperative pain. Compared with other analgesics, ketoprofen is more effective than aspirin at reducing the corporal effects resulting from castration and has a similar effect as meloxicam. However, ketoprofen or meloxicam, effec-tive at reducing pain in a durable way, probably slowed down healing. This phenomenon was observed with ketoprofen (Courboulay et al., 2010). Thus, to limit the risk of infection, that the cleaning of the room is car-ried out in the hours after the operation is primordial. The health risk linked to the delay in healing needs evaluating in the long term.

Our measurements allow a cost of production per pig-let castrated with local anaesthesia to be calculated at 0.348 euros. This value is an estimate taking into con-sideration the dose used and the reduction in working time. It was also estimated that the use of anti-inflam-matories would again be half as expensive.

According to the observations, the joint use of an anti-inflammatory and local anaesthesia seems necessary for full coverage of pain during and after castration. However, this is pending evaluation. The important cost of the techniques, the supplementary workload for the farmer and the regulatory problems, must be taken into account before reaching a decision.

Notes:Summarised article. Request bibliographic references from the publisher.

Castration, depending on the age it is done, is painful for the pig

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SOMETHINgABOUT…

Salvador Dalí (Figueres 1904 - Púbol, 1989) was born early one spring morning in 1904 into a comfortably off family, son of a sanctimonious notary and a sen-sitive lady keen on birds. Later he would write, “At the age of three I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon. My ambition has been growing steadily ever since and now it is to become Salvador Dalí and nothing more. On the other hand, that is very difficult, as the closer I get to Salvador Dalí, the further he moves away from me”.

Eccentric among eccentrics, at an early age Dalí was already showing a special way of seeing things. He was a very bad and conflictive student, and from an

early age wanted to be a painter; at the age of 15, he took part in a collective exhibition. Dalí studied in the School of Fine Arts in Madrid, where he became friends with young intellectuals and artists, including Luis Buñuel (filmmaker), Federico García Lorca (poet), among others.

In 1926, he went to Paris for the first time, and met Picasso there. That same year, he was expelled from the School of Fine Arts, so he moved back to Figueres and began to paint intensively. In 1927, the first clear influences of surrealism can be appreciated in his works. That same year he had his first stand-alone exhibition in Paris, in the Galerie Goemans.

the geniusSalvador Dalí

The characteristics eggs in Theatre-Museum in Figueres.PHOTO: Pep Iglesias, gave up by Arxiu d’Imatges PTCBG

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In the early 1930s, Dalí found his own style, his own language and the form of expression that would always accompany him, although changing and evolving, would be what we all know him for and which defines him so well. A mixture of vanguard and tradition, Dalí became fully immersed in surrealism and began to earn his name as a painter.

Painter, writer, collaborator in the cinema (with Buñuel and the Marx brothers), designer of jewels, decorator and costumes (as in the work “Labyrinth”) and illustrator, Dalí had ideas for many disciplines, even for a ballet, like “Mad Tristan”, with libretto by Dalí, based on Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde. By the 1940s, Dalí had exhibited in Paris, New York and Lon-don. Surrealism, paranoid-critical method, mysticism and breaking with the conventional have all, at dif-ferent stages, marked Dalí’s work.

It was in the late 40s when the artist began a mystical and nuclear stage, characterised by religious themes and technological advances of the time, outstanding among which was the influence on Dalí and his work of the dropping of the atomic bomb. His works were undoubtedly a reflection of what he had around him: his fascination with Gala (his wife and muse) was one of his influences, as were such characters as Sigmund Freud (who he knew), Michael Angelo and Rafael (a who he admired) or André Breton.

Dalí’s work is on show all over the world: The Salva-dor Dalí Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida (USA); Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid (Spain); MOMA, New York and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, (USA); Guggenheim Museums in New York and Venice (Italy); Tate Gallery, London, (Great Britain) and the Museum Boijmans Van Beun-ingen Rotterdam (Holland).

But, naturally, to get to know his works and the place where he did them, the best is to visit his native Empordà region. Salvador Dalí’s life and works are condensed into three places: the Theatre-Museum in Figueres, which holds such works as Galarina, The Spectre of Sex-appeal, or Leda Atomica; surrealist installations like the Rainy Taxi, or the Mae West

room and recurrent obsessions such as his Emporda-nese roots or the figure of Gala

The second place is the House-Museum in Portlligat, near Cadaqués, a set of fishermen’s cottages that Dalí reformed for his home-workshop, which still holds the furniture and the painter’s personal belongings. The triangle is completed with the Púbol Castle, which Dalí gave to Gala to fulfil his promise to make her queen of a castle. Apart from decoration, the muse’s private rooms are notable, as are her collec-tion of haute couture dresses, the couple’s Cadillac and the crypt where Gala is buried.

“The true painter is one who can paint extraordinary scenes in the midst of an empty desert. The true painter is one who can patiently paint a pear in the midst of the tumults of history.” Salvador Dalí.

Information:

www.costabrava.org www.salvador-dali.org

The House-Museum of Dalí is in Portlligat, near Cadaqués (Costa Brava). PHOTO: Pep Iglesias, gave up by Arxiu d’Imatges PTCBG

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Coinciding with the first anniversary of the launch of the Swing R3 Duo feeder, ROTEC-NA moves forward with the presentation of two new models: for wet feeding and with drop through a tube; the Swing R3 Wet and the Swing R3 Tube, respectively.

With these three models, livestock farm-ers the world over can choose the one that suits them best model: Swing R3 Duo, in dry, Swing R3 Wet, in wet; and the Swing R3 Tube models, with feed drop through a tube.

In the case of the Wet, the plate is spe-cifically designed for wet feed. Made of stainless steel, it has been designed for the animal to mix feed with the water, so the bottom of the plate has only has one level,

unlike the Swing R3 Duo dry feed model, where the feed and water fall into separate areas. The width of the plate allows easy mixing and the

farmer can clean the recipient without difficulties.

TECHNOLOgy

Swing R3Wet & Tube:

two new models

The rest of the Swing R3 Wet is similar to the Swing R3 Duo dry feed model: feeder with a capacity of 95 litres, with two lateral drinkers and one worked by the feed drop– pendulum mode- which is easily learned.

The base of the Swing R3 Tube is the same as the Swing R3 model: feeder for wet and dry feeding, with

two lateral drinkers and one easily learned one worked by feed drop. However, in this new model, there is the alternative system of feed drop. Instead of the pendu-lum in the Swing R3, there is a tube that goes down to the plate and ends in a textured ring so the pig can work it and make the feed drop. The ring, which turns, also moves vertically depending on the adjustment of

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SWING R3 reforircement, use when the feeder for finisher in the middle of the pen.

NEW SWINg ANCHORAgE

The anchorage for all kinds of floor allows all versions to by fixed cor-rectly in an easy and clean way.

the feeder allowing larger or smaller quantities of feed to drop.

The Swing R3 Tube, also for animals between 6 and 120kg, has the tube feed drop, which is easily learned as the animals make it work through their natural instinct to nuzzle. The feeder (with a capacity for 30-50 animals) is easy to fill and clean, thus making it easier and more comfortable for the farmer to handle.

The three models of the Swing R3 are also notable for:

The plate, entirely made of stainless steel, now keeps •the water and feed separate in the Duo and Tube models.The structure of plastic reinforced with stainless •steel.

Easier and more precise adjustment with 24 posi-•tions.Easy filling and cleaning to make handling more •comfortable. Excellent performance with meals, through the •height and inclination of the filler mouth. Both the feed drop systems, with pendulum and •with tube, have been designed for easy learning for the animals. In the case of the Swing R3 TUBE, the drop tube ends in a turning ring that moves verti-cally, in function of the adjustment, to increase or reduce the quantity of feed drop.

The Swing R3 version is optimised for greater effi-ciency as the same feeder can be used for weaning, fattening and wean to finish. Rotecna presents all the product family to meet one objective: satisfy the farmer and increase the profitability of the farm.

ADVANTAgES:

• Better learning

• Better working with meals

• Easier regulation (24 positions)

• Easier filling given its lower height

• Easier cleaning

HIGHER EFFICIENCY BOTHFOR WEANINg, FATTENINg AND WEAN

TO FINISH

TECHNICAL DETAILS:

Nº animals for feeder 30-50

Animal live weight, kg 6-120

Hopper capacity, L. 95

Hopper filling height, cm 125

Diameter of hopper (maximum), cm 57

Plate width, cm 55

Plate depth, cm 45

Plate length, cm 10+3

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PIgPRODUCTIONIN…

Pork production in Australia is worth nearly one billion dollars per year and is climbing quickly - growth is esti-mated at 10 % per year. Australia is in the top 25 pork producing nations in the world and Western Australia accounts for more than 10% of the nation’s output.

There are around 2.7 million pigs in Australia at any one time. Around 5 million pigs are slaugh-tered in 2009 and the country produced around 327,000 tonnes of pigmeat in the same year. There

are about 290,000 breeding sows. They each have an average of 2.2 litters a year. In each litter, an average of 10.2 piglets are born alive, and an aver-age of 8.9 are weaned from their mother around 3 weeks later, which means that 12.2% die during this time.

The largest 2% of farms hold 40% of the sows, which means that there are some very large farms - some with up to 20,000 breeding sows.

Australia, in the

top 25 pork producingResource: USDA Foreign Service.

Domestic pig meat production is forecast to remain largely unchanged at 329 kilotonnes in 2010-11.

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INDUSTRIE OVERVIEW

The Australian pork industry focuses on developing “world’s best quality status” niche markets and tai-lored domestic and international standard products. Australian Pork Limited (APL) has estimated that the Australian pork industry contributed $2.9 billion to the national economy in 2006-07. Globally, pigmeat is the most popular meat with one and a half times more pigmeat consumed than beef. The Australian industry is relatively small in the world market, accounting for only 0.4% of the world’s production and around 1% of world exports.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) states that as of 30 June 2007 the Australian pig industry com-prises around 892 specialist pig producing enterpris-es. However, the 2008-09 Agricultural Survey revealed that the number of agricultural businesses had fallen to 136,000. This represents a 3% decrease compared with 2007-08. So it is supposed that this number is inferior.

The total herd size at 30 December 2008 sat at 2.411 million pigs.

Production, exports and imports

According to the ABS the industry is estimated to have produced approximately 5.4 million pigs throughout 2007-08 and produced 385,000 tonnes (carcass weight) of pigmeat. ABARE estimates the 2007-08 gross value of production (GVP) was $880 million. This drop from the 2006-07 figures of $944 million occurred as a result of a lower number of pigs being produced due to the high cost of feedgrain, due to the drought, combined with low pig prices.

Pig producers are located throughout all states and are generally close to grain producing regions. The largest concentration of the industry (30%) is in New South Wales (NSW), closely followed by Queensland (25%) and Victoria (18%).

According to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) data, just under 85% of Australia’s pork production is consumed domestically. APL estimates that approximately 40% of that amount goes to the domestic fresh pork mar-ket, with the remaining 60% contributing to proc-essed pork products. These include: fresh ham, deli bacon, deli ham, pre-packed rashers and pre-packed ham loaf.

Pork production in Australia is worth nearly one billion dollars per year.

Graphic 2: Pig slaughterings in the December quarter 2009 increased 2% to 1.2 million compared to the previous quarter Source

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100

90

80

Dec 2001 Dec 2003 Dec 2005 Dec 2007 Dec 2009

Graphic 1: Pig meat production in the December quarter 2009 increased 2% to 84 thousand tonnes compared to the previous quarter

1500

1375

1250

1120

1000

Dec 2001 Dec 2003 Dec 2005 Dec 2007 Dec 2009

'000 t '000 t

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PIGPRODUCTIONIN…The export market is important for the Australian pork industry, in some years accounting for more than 20% of production. APL’s priority export markets are Singa-pore, Japan, New Zealand and Hong Kong. According to the ABS, during the 2007-08 financial year the volume of pork exports fell by 5% on 2006-07 to 39,100 tonnes. However, higher prices and better market mix mitigated the volume loss to hold value steady at $128million.

Pork imports, which began in 1995, have continued to rise sharply since 2000 and in 2007 were equal to almost half of domestic production. Imports from selected countries have been permitted following vari-ous changes to quarantine regulations. Biosecurity Australia carried out a further Import Risk Analysis (IRA) regarding pigmeat that led to changes in the pigmeat import policy in 2004. Because of this new policy, imports of pigmeat are permitted into Australia from several countries, subject to conditions depend-ing on the health status of the export country.

The major exporters to Australia are Canada, Den-mark and the United States, accounting for 99% of imports between them. Latest estimates by the indus-try are that imports account for around 64% of processed pork consumed in Australia. A number of countries have requested market access since the establishment of the new import policy.

While canned pork products are permitted from New Zealand, almost all imports are in uncooked, frozen, boneless form and must be processed on arrival under quarantine control. AQIS has developed spe-cific import conditions for deboned pigmeat from the following countries:

Canada (Cooked and uncooked for further •processing).Denmark (Cooked and uncooked for further •processing).United States of America (Cooked and uncooked •for further processing.) Finland (Uncooked for further processing). •Sweden (Uncooked for further processing). •Spain (Dry cured Serrano type ham). •Italy (Dry cured Parma type ham). •

Australian Pork Limited (APL)

APL is the declared national industry service provider for the Australian pig industry under the Pig Industry Act 2001. It is a producer-owned, not-for-profit company and achieves its aims through marketing, export development, research, innovation and strate-gic policy development.

The Australian Government works in conjunction with APL to provide a long-term, sustainable frame-work for pork producers to supply high-standard food to both the export and domestic markets.

Quality Assurance

The Australian Pork Industry Quality program (APIQ) is the Australian pork industry’s main on-farm qual-ity assurance program, covering food safety, biosecu-rity and animal welfare. The program is administered by APL and was introduced in 1997 to signal to the domestic and export markets that the Australian pork industry is committed to providing a safe, wholesome product of the highest quality.

APL encourages all producers to become APIQ certi-fied, even if they already have sound practices in place that underpin the production of safe and wholesome pork.

AQIS requires all pork exporters to verify that the pork and pig offal that they wish to export meets the quarantine and food safety requirements of the importing country. To meet these national require-ments, the PigPass system has been introduced. Pig-Pass is a new initiative of the Australian pork indus-try, developed under the Commonwealth-funded Pig Traceability Project. It is a National Vendor Declara-tion and Waybill system supported by all industry sectors and Australian and State Governments.

The PigPass program links together the PigPass National Vendor Declaration system and the PigPass Quality Assurance program that allows both the abil-ity to trace individual pigs to their property of origin if an exotic disease or chemical residue is detected in

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the supply chain and ensures that best-practice is employed in on-farm production.

Levy

The pig industry has agreed on a compulsory levy to be paid on the slaughter of each pig. The Pig Slaugh-ter Levy is $2.525 per carcass, of which $2.35 is allocated to APL with $1.65 dedicated to marketing activities and $0.70 for research and development. The remaining $0.175 is used for the residue moni-toring program managed by the National Residue Survey within the DAFF.

Pork Cooperative Research Centre

The Pork Cooperative Research Centre (Pork CRC) established in 2005 aims to enhance the interna-tional competitiveness of the Australian pork indus-try by providing and adopting new and novel tech-nologies to reduce feed costs, improve herd feed conversion efficiency and increase the range and functionality of pork products. The Pork CRC also aims to deliver formal education and training oppor-tunities to attract new industry entrants and retain technical expertise and innovation.

It is expected that by the end of 2012 the pork industry, universities and governments will have provided about $81.5 million in resources to the Pork CRC, with the Australian Government contrib-uting around $26 million.

Pig Welfare Code of Practice

The Primary Industry Ministerial Council endorsed the revised Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals - Pigs (3rd Edition) in April 2007.

The new version of the code includes standards that are to be implemented in nationally consist-ent legislation across Australia. These standards will be brought into force in each state and terri-tory, with some changes phased in over 3, 5 and 10 years from April 2007. The standards strengthen the existing code, and were developed by a panel of experts, representing the pig industry, govern-ments, animal welfare groups including the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), veterinarians and research scientists. The new code provides guidance for all those responsi-ble for pig welfare. The new code restricts the use of individual sow stalls for pregnant sows to a

The major exporters to Australia are Canada, Denmark and the United States.

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PIGPRODUCTIONIN…

The Primary Industry Ministerial Council wrote a Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals.

maximum of six weeks (under the old code it was 16 weeks).

OUTLOOK TO 2014-15

Held across Australia in 2010, the Regional Outlook conference delivers commodity forecasts and research results directly to rural and regional audiences. Fea-turing a diverse range of local speakers, comple-mented by ABARE economists, the Regional Outlook program is tailored to specific regions, with eco-nomic data and commodity forecasts, a focus on regional industries and trends, innovative business stories, agriculture, productivity and climate change, and the opportunity to make new contacts in the community.

To discover a new perspective on your region, join other delegates, drawn from businesses, government, industry and the community, at the next Regional Outlook conferences.

Prices

The weighted average Australian saleyard price of pigs is forecast to be 317 cents a kilogram in 2010-

11. While this represents a decline of 1% from the average price achieved in the previous year, this fore-cast remains around 33% higher in real terms than the average price over the five years to 2008-09.

Over the medium term, the weighted average sale-yard price of pigs (in 2009-10 dollars) is projected to fall gradually to 297 cents a kilogram in 2014-15, which reflects increases in both domestic pig meat production and imports. Under the assumption of a gradual depreciation of the Australian exchange rate toward 2015, growth in import demand could ease marginally over the outlook period.

Domestic production to increase

Domestic pig meat production is forecast to remain largely unchanged at 329 kilotonnes in 2010-11. Pro-duction is projected to increase to 338 kilotonnes by 2014-15 as producers respond to relatively high real prices projected over the medium term and more favourable feed grain costs. Feed costs account for approximately 55% of total production costs. Over the outlook period, the pig to feed grain price ratio, which is an indicator of returns from pig production, is expected to remain largely unchanged from current levels.

19

Imports to rise slightly over the medium term

In 2010-11, pig meat imports are forecast to increase by 4% to 148 kilotonnes as a result of the relatively high value of the Australian dollar. Australian Pork Limited estimates that around 70% of processed pig meat con-sumed in Australia is currently sourced from imports. The processed pig meat sector accounts for around 60% of total pig meat sales. As the domestic pig meat indus-try increasingly focuses on the fresh pig meat market, the scope to which imports can substitute domestic production or maintain downward pressure on domes-tic saleyard prices will depend on the extent to which consumers will accept processed pig meat as a substi-tute to fresh pig meat. Australian pig meat imports are projected to increase only slightly over the medium term, to reach 151 kilotonnes by 2014-15.

Given that approximately 50% of Australian pig meat consumption was sourced from imports, market developments in major exporting countries can affect the Australian pig meat market. Over the past five years, pig meat imported by Australia has mostly originated in Australian pig to feed price Denmark, Canada and the United States. In Canada, the breed-ing pig herd has been declining, with a fall of 5% in

the 12 months to October 2009. A similar trend has also occurred in the United States since 2007, with the breeding herd down by 3% in 2009.

Exports to rise slightly

Australian pig meat export volumes consist of around 55% fresh pork, with exports to Singapore and New Zealand accounting for approximately 78% of all pig meat exports by volume. Exports are forecast to remain stable at 27.5 kilotonnes in 2010-11. Toward 2014-15, exports are projected to increase to 29.5 kilotonnes, being supported by an assumed depreciation of the Australian dollar.

References: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Year Book Australia 1999, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, 1999

North R, “Pig meat” in National Farmers’ Federation, Australian Agriculture 1997/8 (6th ed.), Morescope Publishing, Hawthorne East, 1997

Meo H & Cleary G (1998), PigStats 97 , Australian Pork Corporation

“Industrie Overview” by DAFF, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry of the Australian Government.

WAPPA, Western Australian Pork Producers Association.

“Outlook to 2014-15”, James Fell, from “Australia commodities. March quarter 2010”, vol. 7 nº 1

Around 5 million pigs are slaughtered in 2009 and the country produced around 327,000 tonnes of pigmeat in the same year.

20

FUTURE

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) assessed the public health risks from Salmonella in pigs and the impact of possible control measures. The assessment suggests that pigs and pig meat may be responsible for 10 to 20% of all human cases of salmonellosis in the EU - but with differences between countries - and that controlling Salmonella more effectively within the pig meat food chain would have a direct impact on reduc-ing the number of human cases.

This work by EFSA’s Biological Hazards Panel (BIOHAZ) was at the request of the European Commission and will support the setting of any targets for the reduc-tion of Salmonella in pigs across the European Union. To support the Panel opinion and in line with EFSA’s strategy on cooperation and networking with Member States (MSs), a consortium of institutes from across the European Union was established for the first time. This consortium developed an EU level model to quan-tify the public health risk of Salmonella in the pig meat food chain, from farm to fork.

The Panel found evidence suggesting that the human cases attributable to Salmonella in pig meat will mainly depend on the levels of Salmonella in pigs and pig meat, as well as on consumption pat-terns and the relative importance of the other sources of Salmonella.

The Panel evaluated a series of measures to reduce the number of human cases of Salmonella. These included ensuring pigs in breeding holdings are free

from Salmonella, ensuring that the feed is also free from Salmonella, adequate cleaning and disinfection of holdings, avoiding contamination during slaugh-ter, and decontaminating carcasses. The Panel indi-cated that these measures should be used in combi-nation and based on the individual situation of each Member State; and that a hundredfold reduction of the number of Salmonella bacteria on contaminated carcasses would result in a 60-80% reduction of the cases of human salmonellosis originating from pig meat consumption.

The experts also indicated that in order to reduce Sal-monella in pigs going to slaughter, decreasing the levels of Salmonella in holdings where pigs are bred would result in highest reduction. In Member States which have high levels of Salmonella this would lead to the greatest reduction. The Panel also says that ensuring feed is Salmonella-free could lead to further reductions, and, in Member States with lower levels of Salmonella, this approach would have the highest impact.

The opinion also recommends that information on the temperature at which the pig meat is kept during transportation and how consumers store it at home is important to further understand the factors that lead to risks for Salmonella in humans.

In 2008, 131,468 human cases of salmonellosis were reported in the EU, and food is considered the main source of infection for humans. EU regulations foresee

EFSA assesses risk of salmonellafrom pig meat

21

targets for the reduction of Salmonella in the EU and EFSA’s scientific advice provides a scientific basis for setting these targets.

EFSA’s BIOHAZ Panel assessment of the public health risks of Salmonella in pigs was based on a Quantitative Microbiological Risk Assessment (QMRA), which provided a quantitative estimate of the existing risk factors and likely effects of the measures proposed to reduce them. This was the first time a number of institutes from across the EU pooled their resources and expertise to feed into an EU level assessment funded and led by EFSA.

Scientific Opinion on QMRA of Salmonella in slaughter and breeder pigs

Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Biological Hazards was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on a Quantitative Microbiological Risk Assessment (QMRA) of Salmonella in slaughter

and breeder pigs. The assessment would provide the input for a future cost/benefit analysis of setting a target for reduction in slaughter pigs at EU level. EFSA commissioned a QMRA modelling the pig meat food chain from farm to fork.

The QMRA model was based on input data from the baseline studies of Salmonella in breeder and slaughter pigs, and other relevant data. The QMRA represents a major step forward in terms of modelling Salmonella in pigs from farm to consumption as it takes into account the variability between and within EU Member States (MSs). Transmission of Salmonella was analysed using the individual pig as the unit of interest. There are data gaps and critical assumptions in the model, and these should be carefully considered when inter-preting the results of the model.

The fraction of human salmonellosis cases attributable to Salmonella in pigs and pig meat will vary consider-ably between MSs and will mainly depend on a) the Salmonella occurrence (prevalence and numbers) in

In Member States which have high levels of Salmonella this would lead to the greatest reduction

22

FUTURE

pigs and pig meat, b) consumption patterns and pref-erences and c) the relative importance of other Salmo-nella sources. From the descriptive and comparable analysis of the serovar distribution in animal sources and humans, a cautious assessment would be that around 10-20% of human Salmonella infections in EU may be attributable to the pig reservoir as a whole.

However, the use of this estimate needs caution due to the lack of MS-specific data on the distribution of serovars in humans. From the QMRA analysis, it appears that an 80% or 90% reduction of lymph node prevalence should result in a comparable reduction in the number of human cases attributable to pig meat products.

Breeder pig herd prevalence is a major determinant of slaughter pig lymph node prevalence at EU level. The importance appears to be more obvious in high preva-lence countries as a 90% reduction of the breeder pig herd prevalence could theoretically result in a reduc-tion in an order of magnitude of two thirds of slaugh-ter pig lymph node Salmonella prevalence

The major sources of infection for breeder pigs are the same as for slaughter pigs; infected incoming pigs and

feed contaminated with Salmonella, plus other exter-nal and internal sources. Salmonella control in breeder pig farms need to focus on the following key control measures (1) control of Salmonella in nucleus and multiplier herds; (2) control of Salmonella in incoming pigs (knowledge of Salmonella status); (3) control of Salmonella in feed; and (4) biosecurity programs should include the control of Salmonella.

To achieve control of Salmonella in slaughter pigs the two major sources should be controlled: Salmonella-infected breeder pig herds, and Salmonella-contami-nated feed.

Theoretically, according to the QMRA following sce-narios appear possible (a) by ensuring that breeder pigs are Salmonella-free a reduction of 70-80% in high prevalence MSs and 10-20% in low prevalence MSs can be foreseen; (b) by feeding only Salmonella-free feedstuffs, a reduction of 10-20% in high prevalence MSs and 60-70% in low prevalence MSs can be fore-seen; and (c) by preventing infection from external sources of Salmonella (i.e. rodents and birds) a reduc-tion of 10-20% in slaughter pig lymph node preva-lence can be foreseen in both high and low prevalence MSs. A hierarchy of control measures is suggested - a

Control of Salmonella in pig meat as a public health problem should be based on the situation in each Member State.

23

high prevalence in breeder pigs needs to be addressed first, followed by control of feed and then control of environmental contamination.

Also according to the QMRA, for each MS, a reduction of two logs (99%) of Salmonella numbers on con-taminated carcasses would result in a 60-80% reduc-tion of the number of human salmonellosis cases attributable to pig meat consumption. A reduction of one log would result in a 0-40% reduction of human cases. This could be achieved through measures pre-venting direct and/or indirect faecal contamination during transport, lairage and, particularly, slaughter and dressing processes; and/or by effective carcass decontamination.

Control of Salmonella in pig meat as a public health problem should be based on the situation in each MS and include combinations of the following interven-tions: Salmonella-free (low risk) breeder pigs, Salmonel-la-free feed, cleaning-disinfection between batches both on-farm and during lairage, avoidance of faecal contamination during slaughter and decontamination of the carcasses. Efficient vaccination will also be useful to control Salmonella on farm, but might interfere with the interpretation of serological test results in monitor-

ing/surveillance programmes. The QMRA results could give some guidance on appropriate combinations.

From the current evidence, it would appear that specific slaughterhouse interventions are, at present, more likely to produce greater and more reliable reductions in human illness, at least in a shorter timeframe, than can be achieved at the farm in high prevalence MSs. However, the hypothetical reductions and multiple interventions investigated with the current risk assessment model sug-gest that MSs can achieve more effective reductions in human cases by targeting both farm and slaughterhouse. MSs should have the possibility of assessing their pig meat food chains using this QMRA model.

The slaughterhouse remains a critical step of the pig meat chain regarding pig and carcass contamination and numerous aspects (e.g. airborne transmission of Salmonella in the abattoir) still remain unknown. Therefore studies need to be performed to properly assess the ways carcasses become contaminated.

The control of Salmonella in the pig reservoir in the EU is a reasonable objective. The EU Salmonella control strategy in pigs should be continuously evaluated to identify possible improvements.

The control of Salmonella in the pig reservoir in the EU is a reasonable objective

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