Pork Journal November/December 2010

PrintPost Approved PP243096/00002 ISSN 1032 3759

November/December 2010Volume 32, Number 6

Another eight yearsfunding for Pork CRC

Testing timesfor stockfeed

Berkshire blessing for Young producers

What a sow-stall freeindustry means forfuture food production

What’s so special about organic minerals?

PorkJournal

PJNov/Dec2010:PJJanFeb09 11/12/10 6:25 PM Page 1

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CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Send details to: GPO Box 1846, Sydney NSW 2001, Fax: (02) 9492 7310 (Subscriptions only).ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT(editorial and advertisements) and may not bereproduced without the written consent of the publishers. Whilst every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the contents of PORK JOURNAL, thepublishers do not accept any responsibility or liability for the material herein.

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PORK JOURNAL consists of a bi-monthly managementmagazine and an annual industry review. Published by C D Supplies Pty Ltd (ACN 091 560 557)

Production: Rosemary EmberyEmail: [email protected]

NEWS4 What a sow-stall free industry means for future food production

Peter Bedwell reports on the announcement from APL that industry delegatesvoted at its recent AGM to pursue the voluntary phasing out of gestation stalls by2017 and what that will mean for the future of food production in Australia.

11 Australian pork producers vote for sow free stalls

Following its recent AGM, APL announced that the Australian pork industry hadvoted to pursue the voluntary phasing out of gestation stalls by 2017.

14 SA Pig Health Monitoring Scheme enters a new era

A dinner attended by SARDI pig researchers, veterinarians and pork producersheld in Gawler on November 22, marked the official end of SARDI’s involvement inthe SA Pig Health Monitoring Scheme (PHMS).

16 Alltech to capitalise on new technologies and Equestrian Games aura

Although the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games ended a couple of months ago,title sponsor Alltech’s President, Dr Pearse Lyons, is still very much in a ‘post-games honeymoon period’. He is measuring the consequences this hugely-media-tised global event has had on his company and on the agribusiness sector.

17 Another eight years funding for Pork CRC

Australia’s pork industry has welcomed the announcement by Federal InnovationMinister, Senator Kim Carr, that the Pork CRC has been funded for a further eight years.

18 Testing times for stockfeed

Technology commercialised as AusScan by Australia’s Pork Cooperative ResearchCentre (CRC) is successfully using new Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR) tests toimprove the transparency of grain quality between buyers and sellers.

19 Researchers, producers discuss pig industry innovation

Increasing the iron content of pork and improving the survival rate of piglets werejust two of the topics discussed during an international Pig Genetics Workshop atthe University of New England recently.

20 CSIRO well prepared for foot-and-mouth

CSIRO is enhancing Australia’s biosecurity preparedness and capabilities to mountan effective response to a potential outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)through a five-year FMD risk management program.

8 UP FOR ADOPTION – PORK CRC Berkshire blessing for Young producers

‘Up for Adoption’ by Brendon Cant will appear regularly and exclusively in Pork Journaland will focus on Pork CRC supported research and development which has been, or isabout to be, adopted by on-farm producers. In this issue we look at Windrige Pig Farms atYoung and their adoption of the first seed of the Pork CRC’s new triticale variety Berkshire.

12 NUTRITION FEATURE What’s so special about organic minerals?

Trace minerals make up a very small proportion of both the amount and cost of a typicalpig diet, yet their presence can have a big impact on whether an animal grows or producesto its genetic potential. Andreas Kocher and Adam Naylor from Alltech Biotechnologybring us this report.

PORK JOURNAL, November/December 2010 3

Sally Walker from Windridge Pig Farms

PorkJournal

November/December 2010Volume 32, Number 6

Contents

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4 PORK JOURNAL, November/December 2010

NEWSWhat a sow-stall free industry means for future food production

APL held its AGM recently and industrydelegates voted to pursue the voluntaryphasing out of gestation stalls by 2017.

In a statement following the vote,APL’s Managing Director Andrew Spencerwas quoted as stating, “The APL Boardfirmly believed this issue had to be debatedby the industry in an open and transparentmanner”.

At Pork Journal we would take issuewith this statement.

The media and members of the publicwere prohibited from attending the AGMat which the discussion and the vote wastaken.

This is a pity because it would havebeen an ideal opportunity for those thathave reservations about a radical andexpensive change to the industries produc-tion methods to express those doubts in awider forum.

We were told that the ban on mediaattendance was thought to be necessarybecause it might inhibit delegates’ fullexpression of their views.

In the ten or so years that Pork Journalhas been interacting with growers we havehardly ever experienced a reticence of keyplayers in the industry to express theiropinion.

Still, we realise that in this instance‘media’ potentially meant more than justthe pork industry publications, with muchwider interest in the whole sow stall debatebeing expressed by all mainstream mediaincluding daily press and television.

However, this wider interest could havegenerated a bit more awareness amongstthe consumers about our industry.

After all, the main reason that theindustry is volunteering to dispense withsow stalls is that the consumer, expressingtheir views through buying preferences,wants it, apparently.

Wider media attention would havedemonstrated our willingness to addresstheir concerns but also show the cost to theindustry in both investment and produc-tion loss which is involved in complyingwith perceived ‘welfare’ friendly productionmethods.

None of the above changes the factthat the decision for the industry was onethey had to make.

Though there has obviously been thepressure from major retailers and Coles inparticular, had not the industry taken thestep to make changes voluntarily, there canbe little or no doubt that state govern-ments, ever concerned with the growing

‘green’ vote, would have forced the industry’s hand, as it did in Tasmania.

Any grower contemplating upgrades orconstruction of new sheds would simply bemad not to consider alternative sow housing systems.

But in complying with consumer driven retailers’ pressure, the industry nowfaces two potentially dangerous precedents.

Firstly, it has allowed its productionsystems to be dictated by animal welfaregroups and through their influence, the bigretail operations.

It is no secret that Coles and Woolliesare locked in a battle for market domi-nance that involves large corporate egosand huge capital investments.

This battle is for Coles to win andWoollies to loose (along with other smallerretail operations).

Coles’ management appears to be significantly influenced by senior executiveswith extensive experience in the highlycompetitive UK market where ‘free range’pork sales have restored some balance tomarket share held by UK farmers who werebeing swamped by pork imports, particu-larly from eastern Europe.

Though there are some similarities tothe UK situation faced by Australian growers there are key differences, particu-larly in the fresh pork market.

It has been suggested to Pork Journalthat, though the UK consumer share pigwelfare and housing concerns withAustralian consumers, one of the main UKconsumer concerns is food safety.

It may well be that the UK consumerhas an innate aversion to pork importedfrom regions where food safety regulationsare less than comprehensive - this is not asfar as we are aware, a concern shared byAustralian consumers.

The UK consumer may see some bene-fit in free range production, but it may bemore about their safety rather than just sowwelfare.

Further, Coles has made its views widely known that their livestock basedofferings are about consumer choice. w

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It is ironic therefore that in terms ofretail preference there is in Australia, verylittle choice – it’s Coles or Woollies!

A recent curious decision by theACCC to try to prohibit Metcash fromacquiring the Franklins 77 store chainbecause it would ‘reduce consumer optionsin NSW’ seems on the face of it to furtherentrench the Big 2’s dominant position.

Then there is the question of what theretailers actually want – is it the removal ofsow stalls or a significant increase in freerange production?

The answer is probably both, but thereare serious concerns being expressed byenvironmental scientists as to how muchfree range production is viable on typicalAustralian paddocks.

Even at around 5% of total pork production, there are already signs in someregions that even this low level of outdoorproduction, may be unsustainable – timewill tell.

The second concern is that by accept-ing the overall industry need to remove sowstalls, the industry will be abandoning ascience based practice – a fact raised inAPL’s release on the subject.

This may come home to bite us wheninevitably we are faced with further pressures from the ‘free trade no matterwhat fanatics’ to open up our markets tomore imports.

Ultimately, because of purely politicalimperatives, the industry lost its science-based arguments against US imports basedon the dangers posed by PMWS andPRRS.

But the strong evidence from indepen-dent scientific bodies like the CSIRO andthen the problems caused by PMWS inthe New Zealand industry, demonstratedthe justification of the industry stand.

By going against established science onthe sow stall issue (and possibly environ-mental issues associated with extensive systems) we may face problems down thetrack.

Then there is the ‘elephant in theroom’ that is population growth, bothwithin Australia and globally.

Let’s take Australia first. Despite resis-tance from both the general populationand many in the scientific community, weare heading towards a significantlyincreased population - 35 million within25 years.

Our infrastructure is creaking and ourwater supplies are running out right nowwith just a 21 million population, but

But in complying with consumer driven retailers’pressure, the industry now

faces two potentially dangerous precedents


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NEWSdevelopers, many politicians (and theirpublic servants) along with other big industry influence groups like banks, anddare we suggest retailers, all want a biggerAustralia so that, inevitably is what we willget.

Just recently Australia became a netimporter of food (in $ value terms) for thefirst time. It will be interesting to seewhere we are by 2017 let alone 2035.

No doubt those who want a biggerAustralia are confident that they can relyon imports (a true free traders dream!) butthose imports may not be either affordableor indeed available.

Just recently Argentina put export taxeson beef exports and Russia, because of apoor harvest, simply banned wheat exportsso it could feed its own populations andexpanding livestock industries.

The WTO, an organisation that seemsto have our pollies in its thrall, protestedshrilly but that didn’t seem to impress thelikes of Putin and Medvedev or the newArgentinian President.

In the US, an ever increasing propor-tion of US feed crops is diverted to ethanolproduction, an insanity pursued byAustralian state governments as well.

How long will it be before even themost competitive exporters in OECDnations start to consider restricting exportsin favour of feeding their own citizens andtheir livestock?

Unfortunately our big retailers, likemost of our politicians, are only concernedwith two to three year intervals – the nextAGM or the next election.

Then there’s the global situation withpopulation growth heading towards ninebillion and much of that growth comingfrom our region.

To accommodate that populationgrowth and the increasing demand formeat as developing mega markets likeChina and India grow more affluent, wewill need to produce at least twice as muchfrom our currently available farmingresources.

That’s a big ask as population growthinvolves increasing urbanisation and depletion of land banks for agriculture.

Australia could be in a position to benefit from the ability to produce moreand our proximity to the growing marketsof Asia.

But to do this we will have to signifi-cantly increase productivity throughout theproduction process.

At the Feedworks Forum held inCoolum during September, leading animalnutritionist and APL as well as Pork CRCDirector, Dr Robert Van Barneveld demon-

strated that by improving FCR, up to 32grams of feed could be saved per day forthe same outcome in pork production.

This saving extrapolated globally could,Dr Van Barneveldt suggested, save theworld millions of tonnes of feed.

As we in the industry all know, gainingeffeciencies in pork production involvesmore than just feed – genetics, disease prevention and of course housing and rearing methods, all contribute towards thebest use what are becoming, increasinglyscarce resources.

The very governments and influencesthat drive them, like pressure from animalwelfare groups and major retailers, may belooking at a very changed landscape by2017, let alone 2035.

Already food prices in Europe areclimbing at an alarming rate. Consumersare notoriously fickle and it would appearthat the combination of failing economiesthanks to the GFC, and rising prices, areseriously reducing demand for more expensive free range and ‘welfare friendly’products.

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Denmark for instance, has reduced itsfree range production which it found to beunsustainable, in favour of more efficientintensive indoor operations.

Australia has, thus far, escaped theworst ravages of the GFC but there areother pressures on the consumers purseincluding rising interest rates and housingcosts.

Having voted to give the retailers thewelfare friendly and possible free rangeproduct they demand, there needs to beassurances that there is adequate financialrecompense for the production sacrificesand infrastructure costs involved.

Just recently the egg industry inAustralia, having dramatically increased‘welfare friendly production’ methodsincluding free range, barn laid and newlower stocking density cage systems, hasbeen thanked for its initiatives by demandsfor a significant reduction in returns byretailers who want to reduce the cost ofthese products on the supermarket shelves.

Who knows, as global conditions causea shift in demand to more affordable foodfor growing populations, the governmentsthat want us to remove sow confinementtoday may soon be encouraging us to dootherwise down the track.

That great statesman WinstonChurchill said many things in his longcareer, but maybe one of his most quotablequotes was, “when the population is with-out food for over 36 hours, governmentsfall”.

Today it’s politicians in more volatileareas of the globe like Eastern Europe andSouth America that are keenly aware ofChurchill’s warning.

Right now with the liquorice allsortsthat is Australian politics, such warningsfall on deaf ears.

Though our industry is currently subject to more state government legisla-tion in running its production facilities, thewider topic of food security will have to beaddressed by Canberra.

Let’s hope that someone there candivert their attention from wether theyshould be discussing gay marriage ornuclear power at the next Labour partyconference long enough to contemplatewhat the consequences for their parties andpensions would be if through ill advisedshort term considerations, Australia facedunaffordable or worse, an unobtainablefood situation.

The pork industry has demonstratedthat it is prepared to make compromises –let’s hope those who sell our product andregulate our industries are prepared to reciprocate. n

As we in the industry allknow, gaining efficiencies in

pork production involvesmore than just feed –

genetics, disease preventionand of course housing and

rearing methods, all contribute

Dr Robert Van Barneveld speaking atthe recent Feedworks conference


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8 PORK JOURNAL, September/October 2010

Windridge Farms are prettypleased they asked for some of the first seedof the Pork CRC’s new triticale varietyBerkshire.

Like so much of the eastern Australiancropping belt, their three farms aroundYoung, on the NSW south-west slopes, didn’t have much of a cropping season in2009, but Jonathon Duff, one of the direc-tors, was still impressed with the perfor-mance of their initial Berkshire planting.

So impressed that Berkshire is the onlytriticale they’ve planted in 2010, replacing

Berkshire blessing for Young producers

w

Jonathon says triticale – the varietyTahara immediately before the release ofBerkshire – has had a firm place inWindridge rotations for many years,because of its all round qualities as pig feedand for its ability to yield well in the Youngregion, particularly on the lighter, acidicsoils to the east of Young.

Jonathon’s wife, Sally Walker (who buysgrain for the Windridge feedmill) andJonathon (who manages most of theWindridge cropping) were attracted toBerkshire after hearing about Pork CRCresearch indicating the new varietypromised both high yields and improveddigestibility for pigs.

Berkshire was one of three new grainvarieties – the others being Maki field peaand Shepherd barley – from Pork CRCplant breeding projects released for commercial sowing during the 2009 season.

According to Pork CRC Program OneManager, Dr Ray King, at an averagedigestible energy (DE) content of up to 13.9MJ DE/kg, Berkshire contained about 0.5MJ DE/kg more than the average energy inother triticale varieties, including Tahara.

Sally Walker of Young, NSW, expects the PorkCRC triticale variety Berkshire could yield sixtonnes per hectare this year at ‘Koorani’.

UP FOR ADOPTIONUP FOR ADOPTION

Tahara and they also used it in place of thewheat that has been part of their regularcropping rotation. They have planted 427hectares in 2010.

The Windridge Farms piggery enter-prise runs 3300 sows, turning off progenyat a range of weights. It crops 900 to 1000hectares each winter, as well as running cattle and sheep.

All home produced grain and the neces-sary bought-in product as well, is processedin Windridge’s own feedmill, which putsthrough some 30,000 tonnes a year.

By BRENDON CANT, Brendon Cant & Associates


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Top: Pork CRC’s new triticale wheat variety Berkshire has higher DE content. Centre: The farms run 3300 sows and the digestibility benefits in pig diets fromBerkshire triticale should reduce cost of production. Above: Directors of Windrige PigFarms, Jonathon Duff and Sally Walker.

The higher DE content of Berkshirewas confirmed by AusScan feed analysis onsamples of Berkshire collected from aroundAustralia during the 2009/10 harvest, mak-ing it similar to the ‘average’ wheat.

Dr King encourages grain growers andpork producers to have their grain samplesanalysed for energy by AusScan, becauseactual DE may vary significantly, dependingon yield and location.

A technology commercialised by thePork CRC, AusScan uses new Near InfraredSpectroscopy (NIR) tests and is now available at a number of licensed laborato-ries around Australia.

“This is our second year of growingBerkshire and, while we haven’t harvestedyet, the crop looks terrific, with lovely bigheads, five rows of grain in them and bigseeds,” Sally said.

“On our better soils I believe it is notunreasonable to expect six tonnes perhectare this year, which is just great.

“This has been a good growing season,of course and Berkshire won’t yield thatmuch in every paddock, because of the variation in our soils, some of which aren’tthat good.”

In 2009, for instance, Sally andJonathon made their initial Berkshire plant-ing on their largest property Templemore,which has light, acidic soil where triticaleperforms best. They were pleased with theyield, in what was a poor season.

It was “pretty impressive”, according toSally and out yielded other varieties of triticale growing on the better soils onWindridge’s other two farms.

“In the past we have grown somewheat on the better soil on those other twofarms but this year we have totally replacedwheat with Berkshire triticale,” Sally says.

“There is one farmer here, who hasgrown grain for us in the last few years,who also has planted some Berkshire and isso impressed with it he says we should goand have a look at his crop.

“We believe that, with the better yieldand the digestibility benefits in pig diets,Berkshire triticale will reduce our cost ofproduction and increase income for ourgrain growers.

“And it is so good for pig feed that wewould like more people around here togrow it for us, particularly those growers onthe lighter soils where it should be veryattractive,” Sally said.

‘UP FOR ADOPTION’ will appear regularly and exclusively in Pork Journal andwill focus on Pork CRC supported researchand development which has been, or is aboutto be, adopted on-farm by producers. Fordetails of AusScan Program contact JohnSpragg on 0402 831 843. Brendon Cant canbe contacted on (08) 9384 1122.

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NEWSAustralian pork producers vote for sow free stalls

The pursuit of a sow stall free industry

Following its recent AGM, APL announcedthat the Australian pork industry had votedto pursue the voluntary phasing out of gestation stalls by 2017.

“The vote is a major step forAustralian pork producers,” said APL CEOAndrew Spencer.

“The phasing out of gestation stalls willcome at a significant cost to farmers, withinitial modelling estimating it will cost upto $95 million. To successfully achieve thisoutcome by 2017, pork farmers will requiresupport from regulators, political stakeholders, the retail sector, consumers andthe general community.

“As a result of this historic vote, APLwill start a round of meetings with Stateand Federal Agriculture Ministers to briefthem on the voluntary phase out and whatthis step means for Australian pork farmers.

“This decision comes at a time whenmajor retailers in Australia are clearly indicating there is a growing unrest amongcustomers about the industry’s use of gesta-tion stalls. The vote demonstrates that theindustry recognises the issue of gestation

stalls has moved beyond the scientific argument of whether or not they are betterfor pigs.

“The vote propels Australian pork pro-ducers onto the world stage as leaders inanimal welfare policy development. It alsoprovides the marketing opportunity forAustralian pork to differentiate itselfagainst its global competitors who continueto use gestation stalls.

“This vote comes after extensiveindustry consultation in which producers atmeetings across the country were given theopportunity to express their views on thisvery important issue.

“The APL Board firmly believed thisissue had to be debated by the industry inan open and transparent manner. Theresultant vote of today has supported thatobjective” Mr Spencer said.

Following the announcement from APL,Lee McCosker, from Humane Choice, said“We applaud the move by the pork industry away from sow stalls and hopethat their good intentions do not fall bythe wayside as others have done.

“In 2007 Smithfield Foods, the largestpork producer in the US, promised to besow stall free within ten years. The worldcongratulated them and Smithfield Foodsrelished the praise and avoided a lot ofscrutiny for nearly three years. It aban-doned those plans citing operating losses

and a lack of available capital expenditure.“The Australian Pork Industry is only

proposing a voluntary phasing out of sow-stalls,” she said.

“Unless the Code of Practice for theWelfare of Pigs is changed to reflect thisindustry decision, producers will still befree to use sow stalls.

“The Code of Practice is due for revi-sion in 2014. If industry is truly intent onmaking change then they should be happyto have sow stall use banned in the Code ofPractice and legislated nationally.”



Trace minerals make up a very smallproportion of both the amount and cost ofa typical pig diet, yet their presence canhave a big impact on whether an animalgrows or produces to its genetic potential.

For example, trace minerals are compo-nents of hormones, metallo-enzymes andenzyme factors, they help regulate and control cell replication and differentiation.

Furthermore, the presence of someallows the animal to present an adequateimmune response. Trace minerals that arenormally included in a mineral premixinclude copper (Cu), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn),selenium (Se), iodine (I), manganese (Mn).While base ingredients contain some traceminerals, the concentration and availabilityis never enough to meet the animals’requirements and hence a mineral premix isalways required.

Traditionally these minerals have beensupplied as inorganic salts, such as sulphates, carbonates, chlorides and oxides.These salts are broken down in the diges-tive tract to form free ions that can formcomplexes with other dietary molecules.

They can have antagonistic interactionswith other minerals making them more difficult to absorb. While there is no doubtthat our high producing animals willrequire higher concentrations of trace minerals than did pigs thirty years ago,simply increasing the supply of inorganicminerals is not the answer. There is someevidence that high levels of certain traceminerals may actually cause cell damage,and any oversupply ultimately results inhigher levels in excreta and hence possiblepollution.

In recent years there has been a lot offocus on the use and potential benefits oforganic minerals.

Alltech pioneered the science behindorganic minerals. The Bioplex rangeincludes zinc, copper, manganese, magne-sium and iron in which the mineral isbound to an organic component in the

form of specific soy peptides. Selenium (asSel-Plex) on the other hand is incorporatedin a range of amino acids in a specificyeast.

What are the differences between organicand inorganic minerals?

There are many important differencesbetween inorganic trace minerals and thosesupplied as a high quality organic source.These include:1. A reduction in the extent of interactionsin the gut, so that producers have increasedconfidence that what we are feeding theanimal is actually available for the animalto use.2. Improved absorption of organic mineralsfrom the gut compared to inorganicsources.3. Producers can add smaller quantities oforganic minerals to the diet and get thesame or an improvement in response com-pared to when we add inorganic minerals.This is particularly important in countrieswhere the inclusion rate of trace minerals isbeginning to be controlled by law.4. Improved absorption and a reduction inthe rate of minerals in the diet means a bigreduction in the amount of minerals in theeffluent system, and hence less impact onthe environment.

Sources of organic mineralsThere are many suppliers of organic

minerals on the market. Deciding whoseproduct to use can be a difficult decision tomake, and it should certainly not be madejust on price. Suggested criteria uponwhich to judge a good supplier of anorganic mineral would be:• What research data is available to supportthe claims made about the product?• Can the company adequately describe theproduction process?• Have the research results been publishedin a scientific journal where they have beensubjected to peer review?

• Is the product produced under a recog-nised quality assurance program?• are the minerals completely free of anydetrimental chemicals such as dioxins, PCBor heavy metal

Taking these points into account it isalso important to look at the way inorganicmetals (Zn, Co, Cu, Fe, Mg) are bound toan organic compound.

Protected trace minerals: chelationIn simple terms, a chelate is a mineral

or metal atom chemically bonded to anorganic molecule (chelating agent).

This chelate can be amino acids, di-and tri-peptides. The word ‘Chelate’ comesfrom the Greek word ‘chele’ meaning claw,which is appropriate for the way in whichthe cations are held in a pincer-like graspby the metal binding agents. The chelatecarries no electrical charge, and as such isstable through the pH changes that takeplace during digestion.

The ideal chelating agent is one thatreleases the mineral in the ionic form at theintestinal wall, or that can be absorbed asan intact chelate. The organic substanceswhich bind to the metal are called ligands.

What is a true chelate and why?There is a great deal of confusion in

the animal feed industry as to what isdescribed as organic trace minerals.

For example, we hear of metal aminoacid complexes, metal amino acid chelates,metal polysaccharide complexes and metalproteinates. In real terms, ‘complex’ is justa generic term to describe what is formedwhen a metal ion reacts with a ligand.

Single amino acids and short peptides(two or more amino acids) are among thebest and most practical ligands for protect-ing metals in the digestive tract. Whenamino acids are used on their own, currentterminology designates them as ‘metalamino acid chelates’.

However not all complexes are chelates,Chelates have the ‘ring structure’ formedby the chemical bond between the aminoand carboxyl ends of the amino acid andthe metal ion. Chelates formed between ametal and di or tri-peptides will have greaterstability than a complex formed by reactinga single amino acid with the mineral.

NUTRITION FEATURE

What’s so special about organic minerals?

By ANDREAS KOCHER and ADAM NAYLOR, Alltech Biotechnology Australia Ltd



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NUTRITION FEATUREHow do we measure the value of a

chelate? - Stability constantsWhen trying to compare chelates or

complexes on the basis of “which is bestunder this set of conditions”, it is best toconsider what is known as the stability constant. The stability constant is the ratioof the chelate concentration to the concen-trations of the free metal and ligand undera set of conditions. The greater the value ofthe stability constant, the greater the pro-portion of the chelate or complex which ispresent relative to free metal or free ligandat a given pH.

Stability constants are available for different products, and not only does thetype of amino acid influence the stability ofa given chelate but that the configurationof amino acids in a peptide can also signifi-cantly influence how the ligand and mineral interact.

If one were to model the complexesformed by a series of ligands such as a single amino acid, a dipeptide and a tripep-tide at a given pH (in this instance pH 4)and at relative proportions of mineral toligand, then the following complexes wouldbe formed:

During the formation of the Cu-glyci-nate, a covalent bond forms between the Oand Cu and a coordinate covalent (alsoknown as dative) bond forms between theN and copper. This complex still has a single positive charge (due to the dativebond) and obviously has the propensity toreact with negatively charged molecules.

As such its stability and ability to effectively deliver mineral is impaired.

During the formation of the Cu-Gly-His chelate, a covalent bond forms betweenthe O and Cu and a second covalent bondforms between the N and copper. This

complex is a chelate and as such isuncharged and unreactive.

Bioplex minerals are unique in thatthey are protected by multiple amino acidsand peptides rather than single amino acid-linked compounds, replicating the formfound in plants.

This level of protection gets then safelythrough the volatile GI tract, making themmore easily absorbed and more highlyretained.

SummaryFeeding the animal with trace minerals

in the correct form (i.e. high bioavailability,high stability and free of contaminants)and amount is essential if we expect ouranimals to grow and produce to theirgenetic potential.

Organic trace minerals have severaladvantages over the use of inorganic minerals. There is a lot of confusion as towhat constitutes an organic mineral and,more importantly, how to distinguishbetween different supplies based on quality.The Bioplex process (Alltech Inc.) is atightly controlled and standardised processwhich guarantees stability, safety and mostimportantly biological availability.

Figure 1: Complex formed betweenCopper and a single Glycine.

Figure 2: Chelate formed fromCopper and the dipeptide His-Gly



NEWSSA Pig Health Monitoring Scheme enters new era

Top: (LtoR): Peter McMahon(McPiggery), Lameroo; Dr DaveHamilton (SARDI) and JennyMcMahon. Above (LtoR): Drs JackReddin, Andrew Pointon and JanJackowiak.

presence of Ovine Johnes Disease, but nowthat scheme is looking at 20 other condi-tions and PHMS can take credit for open-ing up industry to that type of thinking.Well done!” he said.

PHMS initially reported herd diseaseprelevance on hand scripted reports butevolution over time has allowed for moresophisticated, computer-based disease mapping.

“Each manager of the scheme over thepast 25 years has added their personalsophistication to the way in which diseasereporting could be improved,” said GraemePope, Rural Solutions SA pig consultant.

“There have been state-wide and individual herd disease prelevances reported,their longer term trends and the reasonsbehind those trends having occurred,” hesaid. “JJ, and before him Michael Moore,have put their marks on how the slaughterdata could be best reported back to indus-try and I am thankful that everyoneinvolved over the past 25 years has givenme great support in making sure thesereports were published in a way that couldbe understood across the industry,” saidGraeme.

Dr Barry Lloyd, Gawler veterinarianand a regular user of PHMS data in his pigconsultancy work agreed the scheme stillhas room to grow.

“Some of the farms with would probably generate the greatest benefitsthrough the scheme are still not regularusers,” he said.

Jenny McMahon, McPiggery atLameroo is one producer who has usedPHMS results for many years to assist inmanagement of her herd’s health.

“I’m glad that JJ will be continuing tooffer this service to industry,” she said during the dinner.

“Over the years, its been a wonderfultool for us to use. You can’t always tell day-to-day if you have a new health issue aboutto emerge, so we have always gone to ourPHMS data to keep a watch on what’s happening on our farm,” Jenny said.

Dr Colin Cargill, veterinarian, has beeninvolved in PHMS since its inception, bothin a planning role and as mentor to thescheme’s past abattoir inspectors, MichaelMoore and JJ.

“We need to acknowledge the originalsupport and forward thinking demonstrated

by members of the old SwineCompensation Fund, people like KevinDobson, Ron Lienert, Jim McAuliffe andAlan Fyfe, who years ago could see thepotential benefits PHMS could offer theSA pig industry,” he said.

JJ had the last official say at the dinner.“I inherited PHMS from Michael Mooreand by that time it had passed the test oftime,” he said. “It has never been a com-pulsory scheme but it should have solditself many times over to all SA herds.”

“When the scheme first started it was aworld’s first and the information it generatedhas helped with pig health research hereand overseas. It could be a model for manyother livestock industries and I plan to continue offering it as a private service tothe SA pig industry for as long as I can.”

JJ can be contacted to arrange PHMSinspections on phone 08 8263 6560.

A dinner attended by SARDI pigresearchers, veterinarians and pork producers held in Gawler on November 22,marked the official end of SARDI’sinvolvement in the SA Pig HealthMonitoring Scheme (PHMS).

After 25 years of operation as aSARDI-managed industry service, thescheme will now continue to be providedon a fee for service basis by private veteri-narian Dr Jan Jackowiak.

PHMS was originally introduced in themid-1980s as a tool for pork producers andtheir veterinary advisers to monitor theprelevance and severity of a range of production limiting pig diseases.

In particular, with its focus on respira-tory and enteric diseases, producers coulduse the data generated through slaughterchecks to monitor the impact strategicchanges to their piggery management werehaving on overall herd health status and pigwelfare.

Dr Andrew Pointon, SARDI veterinari-an, was a key driver behind the scheme’sinception and chaired its farewell dinner.

“The original aim of PHMS was toestablish the levels of sub-clinical diseaseoccurring in SA pig herds, to allow industry to become more strategic in howit could then manage them”, he said.

“It gave producers the opportunity toevaluate new veterinary products and togauge their impact on their herd.

“We really targeted the respiratory diseases, APP and Enzootic Pneumonia,before the days vaccines were available andherds had taken-up all-in/all-out pigflows,” Andrew said.

“Dr Jack Reddin, Murray Bridge veterinarian and a long time user of thescheme said, “In my eyes, PHMS was theright scheme for the right client’s farm. Itallowed us to evaluate the effects of makingchanges within a herd, right down to thesize of that change and the number of pigsinvolved.

“It provided veterinarians with a third-person judgement over our decision making, to tell us if we were heading in theright direction and if our advice was working”.

“I believe PHMS has demonstrated tothe sheep industry the value of health mon-itoring animals at slaughter,” Jack added.“We’ve began monitoring sheep for the

By GRAEME POPE, Rural Solutions SA


NEWSCRC Walana: Super pea in the making

Left to right: Steve Moore, University of Sydney; Bernard Hart, WaratahSeed Company grower member of Junee, NSW; Adrian Russell, PlantResearch New Zealand and Dr Ray King, Pork CRC Program One Managerat a trial site of the new field CRC Walana, formerly known as PRL131.

A new high yielding, disease resistant fieldpea released by Australia’s Pork CooperativeResearch Centre (CRC) for commercialsowing next year offers pork producers areliable protein source.

Previously designated PRL131, the newvariety, CRC Walana, is named after anaboriginal weapon, continuing the namingtradition of Yarrum and Maki, field peavarieties already released for Australia’snorthern region.

The Pork CRC has applied for PlantBreeders Rights for CRC Walana inAustralia and has licensed Waratah SeedCompany Ltd to market the variety.

According to Pork CRC Program OneManager, Dr Ray King, CRC Walana isresistant to powdery mildew and pea seedborne mosaic virus, has useful tolerance tobean leaf roll virus and is specifically suitedto short season planting in northern NSWand southern Queensland.

“CRC Walana not only satisfies porkproducers, but its large, spherical, whiteseed can also be eligible for lucrativehuman consumption and splitting markets,” Dr King said.

In extensive field trials in northernNSW and south east Queensland, CRCWalana outyielded Yarrum and Maki, varieties recently released by The Universityof Sydney field pea breeding program andPlant Research New Zealand Ltd(PRNZL).

The original cross was by AdrianRussell of PRNZL and then selected forrelease by Steve Moore, University ofSydney, with funding from the Pork CRC,which supports the New Zealand andNarrabri, NSW based field pea programs aspart of its innovative and successful feedgrain breeding program.

The Pork CRC program successfullyreleased Maki in 2009 and recently releasedthe triticale, Berkshire and the barley,Shepherd, also for northern Australia.

Dr King said the program enhancedthe commercial production of cereals andpulses with high yield, cost-effective agronomy and acceptable nutritional attributes for pigs.

“The Pork CRC is committed to identifying high yielding field pea varietiesfor northern and southern regions andencourages farmers to grow them for theAustralian pork industry in these regions,”Dr King said.

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NEWS

Although the very successful 2010 FEIWorld Equestrian Games ended a couple ofmonths ago, title sponsor Alltech’s charismatic President, Dr Pearse Lyons, isstill very much in a ‘post-games honey-moon period’. He is in the process of measuring the consequences this hugely-mediatised global event has had, and willhave, on his company and on the agribusi-ness sector in general.

Unlike other industry peers, Alltechtraveled to the German town of Hannoverfor this year’s EuroTier with more than justthe intent to showcase its products. Duringthe trade show, Feedinfo News Servicespoke to Dr Lyons followed by Alltech’sVice-President of Corporate Accounts,Aidan Connolly, to find out what specialmessages the company wanted to commu-nicate.

“This has been a rather eventful yearfor Alltech. In addition to the WorldEquestrian Games, the company celebratesits 30 years in the business, and a fewmonths ago it made the acquisition of whatit believes to be the world’s largest algaeproduction facility from MartekBiosciences in Winchester, Kentucky,” saidDr Lyons.

“EuroTier 2010 fitted in quite nicelyafter the World Equestrian Games and theresulting global exposure that Alltech hadin September and October”.

Dr Lyons viewed the trade show as anopportunity for his company to ask itselfwhere it is going and what must be done tocapitalise on the rise of its brand on theinternational stage – a kind of “opportunityfor me to regroup my troops,” he said.

“In many respects, the Alltech beforethe Games and the Alltech after the Gamesare two totally different companies.

“Alltech estimates its financial involve-ment in the Games at approximately USD35 million, about 3.5 times more than initially expected.”

However, Dr Lyons stressed that hewould not hesitate to invest as much again,as the exposure and the recognition byprestigious people and bodies of Alltech asa leading animal health and agriculturalbusiness was certainly worth it. He evenhinted that Alltech should be involvedagain in the 2014 edition, which will beheld in France.

Although, he did acknowledge that itwill be difficult for Alltech to measure the

financial return of the sponsorship in sales,and that it is hard to quantify his company’s grown exposure to the agricul-tural world, he, nonetheless, feels confidentthat the Games could bring up to USD110 to 120 million for Alltech.

On a side note, Dr Lyons also pointedout that the World Equestrian Gameshelped double the sales of Alltech’sLifeforce, an equine feed supplement.

“I view the games as more than anequine event, perhaps the biggest agricul-ture event in the world. The event has andwill continuously catapult Alltech on to theglobal agricultural stage.”

Asked why Alltech took on the role oftitle sponsor, and why the company carriedout such significant marketing investmentsto organise educational exhibitions, whichare not often associated with companies inthe animal nutrition business, Dr Lyonssimply replied by saying that Alltech aboveall wanted to promote a healthy and attrac-tive image of agriculture.

He argued that the feed industry needsa good image, therefore a good message.

“Unfortunately,” he said, “the bodies incharge of promoting the industry are notdoing the right job.”

Looking forward, the Alltech Presidenthighlighted the importance of making theindustry attractive to the outside world andmaking it appealing to those who might berunning it in the future: the children. DrLyons then shared his excitement about his‘Give Kids a Chance’ initiative, whichbrought in 62,707 children.

“I am not suggesting that the industrytakes Alltech as a model, but I am sayingthat it needs to invest to tell its story effec-tively and in an appealing way. Let’s leaveour competitive nature aside and sit downto promote this industry,” he said.

Joining in the conversation, AidanConnolly shared his views on how Alltechwill build on its continuous success andwill grow in the upcoming years.

Mr Connolly firstly re-confirmed thecompany’s ambitions to grow annual revenues from USD 500 million to morethan USD 1 billion in less than five years.He said the target will be met by Alltech bytaking into account the company’s annualorganic growth, which has been at 20% onaverage since 1980.

“Alltech’s entrepreneurial nature for thepast 30 years and its expertise in seizing the

right opportunities have been fundamentalfor the company’s expansion,” he said.

“One challenge ahead, however, will beto make sure that the right people get intothe company. People development and talent management will be critical to maintain the pace of growth,” said MrConnolly.

The Alltech Vice-President argued thatAlltech’s expansion in the future will bemainly driven by its research efforts andprogress in delivering new technologies tothe market. He said that the company hashigh hopes especially for its Nutrigenomicswork, which is already well-advanced, andfor its more recent “diamond in the rough”that is algae.

He claimed that Nutrigenomics hasdelivered new technologies and will continueto do so and said that he has high expecta-tions for EconomasE and Actigen, whichare Nutrigenomic-derived products devel-oped in the past two years.

“Nutrigenomics will allow us to fine-tune the existing technology and perhapslaunch some revolutionary concepts andthat is where our product pipeline growthwill come from,” he said.

“Nutrigenomics is increasingly deliver-ing on its promise. We have two productsthat have been launched (EconomasE and

Top: Dr Pearse Lyons, President ofAlltech and (above) AidanConnollly, Vice President ofAlltech.

Alltech to capitalise on new technologiesand Equestrian Games aura


NEWS


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Actigen) and a third in the pipeline, whichare based primarily on the research weundertook at gene level. And we are look-ing at a range of other solutions that willeither come through via existing technolo-gies or new technologies to meet animalrequirements.”

Commenting on algae, Mr Connollysaid: “Algae also has the potential to be astransformative a technology as yeast hasbeen in the past. And the same way that wehave cracked yeast into several bioactivecomponents, I see us cracking algae intodifferent bioactive components and deliver-ing a whole new pipeline of technologies”.

“According to basic calculations,Alltech’s USD 1 billion + goal could beachieved by 2014. However, it may well bemet earlier,” said Mr Connolly, if the com-pany manages to introduce new products asquickly as possible on to the market andmake them contribute substantially to over-all revenues.

“I would even say that the USD 1 bil-lion estimation is somewhat conservative.We hope to build the platform for a severalbillion dollar company,” he said.

When asked if Alltech would seekexternal partnerships or acquisition oppor-tunities to help boost its future develop-ment, Mr Connolly stressed that his company is constantly reviewing options.

“If somebody out there has a greattechnology we could acquire and bring tomarket, we are interested. We are lookingfor opportunities that would contribute,not only to our turnover, but to the animalhealth sector in general,” he said.

Another eight years funding for Pork CRC

Australia’s pork industry, which has anannual farm-gate value of $1 billion, contributes $3 billion annually to thenational economy and generates 8000 jobs,has welcomed the announcement byFederal Innovation Minister, Senator KimCarr, that the Pork CRC has been fundedfor a further eight years.

After thanking the Federal Governmentfor its $20 million commitment, PorkCRC Chairman, Dr John Keniry, congrat-ulated his rebid team, headed by Dr RobVan Barneveld, with support from CEODr Roger Campbell, Dr Darryl D’Souza ofAPL, Mr Rod Hamann of Australian PorkFarms and Dr Brian Luxford of Rivalea.

“We are also very grateful to the PorkCRC’s 40 participants, all of whom I thankfor their enthusiasm and support, and theircommitment of $18 million in cash and$94 million in-kind over the eight years,starting in July 1, 2011,” Dr Keniry said.

“In particular, I welcome the involve-ment of the RSPCA and retailers in thenew Pork CRC, as this will help us focuson meeting the needs of consumers.”

The rebid, titled ‘High IntegrityAustralian Pork’, comprised four researchprograms including: Confinement free sowand piglet management; New generationhealth management and antibiotic reduction; Healthy pork consumption andCarbon-conscious inputs and outputs.

Dr Keniry said the pork industry had

to maintain local production of high quali-ty food at a reasonable price and an accept-able return on production capital invested,while improving pig welfare, the environ-ment and consumer health.

With innovative, collaborative, wholevalue chain research, development and education programs, the Pork CRC wouldmeet the challenge by facilitating produc-tion that:• is efficient and ethical without needingsow confinement in stalls or crates, orwidespread use of medications • delivers key nutrients safely, enhancingthe health and well-being of consumers • utilises revolutionary feed sources andeffluent management systems resulting inemissions of less than 1 kg of CO2 per kgof pork produced • contributes significantly to Australia’s economic growth and food security with-out drawing on the ecological capital ofother parts of the world.

“Delivering these outcomes will differ-entiate Australian pork as a ‘high integrity’meat that is welfare-optimal, premiumquality, safe and nutritious.

“The Pork CRC will help ensureAustralian pork is produced conservingenergy and water resources, minimisinggreenhouse gas emissions and maintainingefficiency and cost of production at a levelthat promotes investment, growth and sustainability,” said Dr Keniry.



NEWSTesting times for stockfeed

Mycotoxins 2011 at VIV Asia

Dr Brett Thomson, General Manager,Milling and Technology with AusScanlicensed service provider Milne AgriGroup,said AusScan’s software allowed Milne toachieve a better assessment of the energycontent of cereal grains.

“It’s traditionally quite time consumingto measure, but the AusScan softwareallows us to gather the information quicklyand reliably.

“We can then feed it into our least-costformulation software in a timely manner

and receive the best value from our grains,”Dr Thomson said.

Mr Spragg said AusScan was now turning its attention to protein meal quality, with NIR calibrations being developed to assess the quality of canolaand soybean meals.

“While we acknowledge that adoptingany new grain pricing system will be challenging, the stockfeed industry is bigbusiness and optimising the energy contentof feeds offers huge gains,” he said.

Technology commercialised as AusScan byAustralia’s Pork Cooperative ResearchCentre (CRC) is successfully using newNear Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR) tests toimprove the transparency of grain qualitybetween buyers and sellers.

With energy grains such as wheat andbarley so critical to livestock feeding systems and producers experiencing narrowing margins, such an innovation willimprove returns and reduce cost of produc-tion.

AusScan Program Manager, JohnSpragg, said with the new NIR calibrationsbeing commercialised, instruments couldnow determine the energy content of grainfor particular animal types.

“Many livestock producers and theirnutritionists currently assume certain bookvalues for the energy content of cerealgrains and when these grains are added toother ingredients in a ration, the feed isoften deficient or excessive in the requiredenergy target,” he said.

Dr John Black, nutritionist and PorkCRC supported researcher with theAusScan project, said the variability ofavailable energy of cereal grains differed inruminants, such as cattle, goats and sheepand monogastric animals, such as pigs andpoultry.

“When wheat and barley is fed to pigsand poultry, available energy can vary threemegajoules per kilogram of dry matter, or20 to 30 percent,” he said.

“However, when wheat and barley arefed to dairy and beef cattle, the energy content varies only one megajoule, or sevento eight percent.

“Quality indicators currently used bygrain buyers include test weight, screeningsand the degree of sprouting and the resultsare a very weak indication of the energycontent animals ultimately derive from thegrains,” Dr Black said.

Mr Spragg said the NIR technology,commercialised by the Pork CRC asAusScan, had already been adopted bygrain marketers, feed mills and livestockend users.

“Also, there are now seven commercialanalytical laboratories providing grain testing services using the technology.

“Likely longer term benefits willemerge when AusScan is used in grainbreeding programs, providing a tool toselect plant breeding lines that providehigher available energy grains,” Mr Spraggsaid.

Technology commercialised as AusScan by Australia’s Pork CooperativeResearch Centre (CRC) is successfully using new Near InfraredSpectroscopy (NIR) tests to improve the transparency of grain qualitybetween buyers and sellers.

Following the very successful Mycotoxins2009, this conference will run again asMycotoxins 2011 on March 8, 2011 (theday before VIV Asia) in Bangkok Thailand.

With more than a dozen internationalexperts from 10 different countries, thisconference has a varied, stimulating andinformative program for anyone involvedin livestock or animal feed production.

Among the speakers will be CarlosMallmann from the Universidade Federalde Santa Maria in Brazil who will speak onBrazilian experiences with mycotoxins andDr Arpad Bata from Hungary who willspeak on the biotechnological detoxifica-tion of mycotoxins.

Mycotoxins 2011 is divided into twohalves – in the morning the focus is onmonitoring, testing and defining problemsand in the afternoon technical people fromOlmix, Ayurvet, Trouw, Impextraco,Invivo, Biomin, Special Nutrients, Alltechand Kemin will give short, fact filled presentations on interfacing, science, products and solutions.

Demand for places is expected to behigh and attendees are recommended tobook early to secure their places (specialearly bird rates for bookings made and paidfor by 1st February 2011). For full programand booking details go to conferences section of www.positiveaction.co.uk



NEWSResearchers, producers discuss pig industry innovation

Food labelling laws must be stronger

Increasing the iron content of pork andimproving the survival rate of piglets werejust two of the topics discussed during aninternational Pig Genetics Workshop at theUniversity of New England recently.

The Pig Genetics Workshop is a biennial event organised for the Australianpig industry, with the support of AustralianPork Limited, through the UNE-basedAnimal Genetics and Breeding Unit(AGBU) – a joint venture between theUniversity and Industry & InvestmentNSW. Among the participants were representatives of the Australian pig breeding companies supplying breedingstock to more than 95% of the industry.

One of the overseas speakers at theworkshop, Dr Rex Walters from the UK,who has been a regular participant in theAGBU workshop over the years, said it wasone of the best forums in the world for theexchange of ideas and information on piggenetics. “I always find it very stimulating,”he said.

Dr Walters, a geneticist with theresearch and development company UPBGenetic World, said that the workshop regularly brought together academics, consultants and producers at AGBU, whichhe regarded as “a world-leading centre”. Hesaid that two themes underlying much ofthe discussion at the 2010 workshop weresustainability and animal welfare.

Dr Walters was one of four eminentoverseas speakers at the workshop onWednesday 27 and Thursday 28 October;the others included two who travelled fromthe United States and one who spoke viaWebinar from Norway.

One of the American speakers,Professor Max Rothschild from Iowa State

University, presented a paper aimed athelping breeders understand the new genetic technologies that are being introduced into an already-sophisticatedindustry.

“Such genetic improvement willimprove production characteristics andprovide healthier food products world-wide,” he said, emphasising the importanceto industry – particularly from a commer-cial perspective – of the early adoption ofsuch innovations.

The coordinator of the workshop,AGBU’s Dr Susanne Hermesch, said the

real significance of the event lay in the vitalinteraction it allowed between researchersand industry. This year’s workshop, shesaid, had seen a special emphasis on thegenetic improvement of the lifetime perfor-mance of sows.

In a paper addressing this complexissue, AGBU’s Dr Kim Bunter and DrCraig Lewis pointed out that “selection toimprove production traits has consequencesfor the ongoing body development of sows,their longevity, and the pre-natal develop-ment and pre-weaning performance oftheir progeny”.

The Food Regulation Ministerial Councilwill receive the Blewett report on nationalFood Labelling Law and Policy in Adelaidetoday but will not release it. Gene Ethicscalls for immediate publication and says adelay of many months is unacceptable.

“The Council of AustralianGovernments (COAG) has no right tokeep citizens waiting any longer forstronger food labelling laws,” said BobPhelps, Gene Ethics’ Director.

“Governments must release theBlewett report to the community now soits findings are subject to further publicdiscussion and comment before COAGpresents us with a done deal.

“We suspect that shoppers will still bedenied the information on food labels thatis needed for real choice.

“The review was promised at the 2007election and begun in October 2009 sothere is no justice in keeping shoppers ill-informed any longer. Thousands submitted

written comments to the review panel andhundreds attended public hearings.

“The interested public demands thefull labelling of foods made using geneticmanipulation (GM) techniques, as well asother new food processes and materials thathave little history in our food supply andmay be unsafe to eat,” he says.

“Since 1994 more than 90% ofAustralians have backed full GM labellingbut most GM foods remain exempt on thespurious grounds that they are refined sopose no hazard.

“Country of Origin labelling was alsooverwhelmingly supported, as an antidoteto the global trade in food commoditieswhich cheats our domestic producers out ofthe local support that they deserve.

“If GM and cheap imported foodsoffered real benefits then food processingand retail industries should willingly backopen and honest labelling of all theirprocessed foods,” Mr Phelps concluded.



NEWSCSIRO well prepared for foot-and-mouth CSIRO is enhancing Australia’s biosecuritypreparedness and capabilities to mount aneffective response to a potential outbreak offoot-and-mouth disease (FMD) through afive-year FMD risk management program.

Australia’s livestock industries, throughMeat and Livestock Australia, and theAustralian Government are investing A$5million into the research program, whichwill be undertaken by CSIRO scientistsworking at the Australian Animal HealthLaboratory (AAHL).

FMD is the most important trans-boundary infectious animal disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals. A poten-tial FMD outbreak in Australia is predictedto cost between A$8-16 billion.

According to AAHL Director DrMartyn Jeggo, markets around the worldhave strict and unwavering laws on theirfood imports.

“In the event of Australia facing anFMD incursion, the country would belocked out of all livestock-related tradingagreements,” he said.

To further manage the risks FMDposes to Australia, the five-year researchprogram is focusing on:• improving the diagnosis of FMD• ensuring the best possible tests are available to Australia• investigating issues around the potentialuse of vaccination in the face of an outbreak.

“Australia is free of FMD and as AAHLis not permitted to work with the livevirus, we are undertaking much of ourwork overseas in countries where the disease is endemic or a constant threat,such as South Africa, Argentina andVietnam,” Dr Jeggo said.

The work includes studies on FMDoutbreaks in south-east Asia, involvingsample collection and viruscharacterisation to better inform Australiaon the FMD virus types in the region thatpose the biggest threat to Australia.

Research Team Leader Dr WilnaVosloo said vaccines, animal traceability,improved modelling and the use of sophis-ticated diagnostics underpin an effectiveand efficient response to FMD.

“We are contributing to Australianbiosecurity preparedness and pre-borderregional disease surveillance and responseto exotic animal diseases,” she said.

CSIRO researcher, Mr Chris Morrissy(centre), training overseas scientists.

“Working overseas not only reduces thedisease risks to the countries themselves butalso enhances Australia’s biosecuritythrough better assessment and managementof threats.

“It also gives our scientists an opportu-nity to gain new skills and experience inworking with exotic animal diseases such asFMD.”

New code of welfare for pigsreleased in NZ

The Animal Welfare (Pigs) Code of Welfare2010, released by the Minister ofAgriculture, encourages all those responsiblefor pigs to adopt the highest standards ofhusbandry, care and handling.

The National Animal Welfare AdvisoryCommittee (NAWAC) has completed itsreview of the 2005 code which was programmed so issues surrounding theuseof confinement systems – such as farrowing crates and dry sow stalls – in pigproduction could be re-examined.

While the code does not immediatelyban the use of crates and stalls, it doesintroduce a five year phase out of dry sowstalls and set new limits for the amount oftime they can be used for pregnant sowsafter mating, and for farrowing and lactation.

Accordingly, The Animal Welfare(Pigs) Code of Welfare 2010 contains standards that limit the use of dry sowstalls to four weeks after mating fromDecember 2012 and prohibit the use ofdry sow stalls after mating from December2015.

NAWAC Chair Dr John Hellstromsays the code signals the direction theCommittee and Government wants theindustry to take and strongly encouragesthe identification and adoption of systemsthat improve overall animal welfare as soonas possible.

“We have set a clear end point for sowstall use after mating to improve pig welfare and sent a clear signal that highlyintensive, indoor pork production is notacceptable to many New Zealanders. Thisis a strong message to intensive producersthat they need to make changes.”

Dr Hellstrom adds that the codereduces the maximum time sows can beconfined to half that of current standardsby the end of 2012, and the maximumtime is further reduced by the end of 2015ensuring all sows have freedom of move-ment for the majority of their life.

“The code contains minimum stan-dards and best practices that aim toencourage the highest standards of hus-bandry, care and handling. These standardsput New Zealand one step ahead of manyother countries and help strengthen ourreputation in animal welfare.”

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NEWS


Queensland pork processor and PorkMark join forces

New welfare regulations for Western Australian pig industry

The Brisbane Smallgoods Company (BSC)will have its brand of bacon ‘AussieFarmer’s Choice’ rindless middle baconrashers, sporting the Australian PorkMarklogo, in almost a thousand additional retailoutlets across Australia.

BSC Director, Adam Purcell said, “thebacon packaging will display the hot pinkAustralian PorkMark logo incorporatedwith the slogan ‘No imported pork…100% Australian Pork’.

“With major smallgoods processorsusing mainly overseas pork, I’m proud tobe a small Australian owned company whosupports solely Australian pork producers. Ionly hope the Australian public can support my company and the Australianfarmers who have worked so very hard toproduce this product.

“For some time now, Australian porkproducers and consumers have been battling ambiguous labeling laws. The hotpink Australian PorkMark logo is a guarantee to consumers that what is in thepacket is 100% Australian home grownand manufactured pork,” Mr Purcell said.

BSC have been using the PorkMarksince 2009 and were the first QLD company to join the program.

Every week, more than $10 millionworth of pork imports totalling over 2.6million kilograms of frozen pork, arrives byboat in Australia. This amount of subsidised imported pork equates toaround 70% Australia’s ham, bacon andsmallgoods consumption.

Australian Pork Limited CEO AndrewSpencer said “consumer research has shown

that 96% of Australians would prefer tobuy Australian grown food if they couldidentify it. Consumers do this in order tosupport Australian farmers (97%) withmore than 92% of Australians believingthat Australian meat is fresher, safer andbetter quality. Current country of originlabelling regulations makes it difficult forconsumers to identify Australian pork.

“Commonly used terms such as ‘Madein Australia’ can be used on products thatcan contain imported meat and this canbecome very confusing for consumers. Thepink Australian PorkMark is your guaran-tee of Australian origin.”

To-date there are 265 butchers andsmallgoods manufacturers Australia widethat are licensed to display the PorkMarklogo on their products.

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The State Government today urged porkproducers to familiarise themselves with anew set of animal welfare regulations forthe Western Australian pig industry.

The Animal Welfare (Pig Industry)Regulations 2010 provide for the welfare ofcommercially-kept pigs.

Key regulations include: • new minimum space requirements for pigenclosures • six-week limit on the time a sow can bekept in a farrowing crate • from 2017, a six-week limit on the time apregnant sow can be confined in a sow stall.

The new regulations are derived fromthe Australian Model Code of Practice forthe Welfare of Animals - Pigs 3rd Edition2008.

Key elements of the code are beingapplied across Australia through the intro-duction of regulations in each jurisdiction.

Acting Local Government Minister BillMarmion said this reflected all States andTerritories’ desire to have a nationally consistent approach to the implementationand enforcement of animal welfare stan-dards.

The Department of Local Government,which administers and enforces the AnimalWelfare Act 2002, and the Department ofAgriculture and Food Western Australia,worked together in drafting the new regulations.

Agricultural and Food Minister Terry

Redman said the regulations followed froma national consultative process whichinvolved peak pig industry bodies, includ-ing the Western Australian Pork Producers’Association, and animal welfare groups.

“The national consultation processaims to ensure acceptable and agreed standards of livestock welfare are practised

in Australia,” Mr Redman said. “The regu-lations seek to find a balance between providing for the pigs’ health and welfareneeds and the challenges faced by managers

A $2,500 maximum penalty appliesunder the new regulations and come intoeffect immediately the regulations aregazetted.



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Widen your competitive advantage,by calling 1800 622 660

or 02 6956 2105 or contact your local PICrepresentative on 0418 575 101

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9

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PorkJournal

NEWSInspecting group-housed sows from the aisle a waste of time!This is the message from Ms Fiona Kelk, asenior veterinary student studying atCharles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga.

Fiona’s findings were the result of athree week research project, supported by astudent bursary from Australian PorkLimited and supervised by Dr TrishHolyoake (Industry and Investment NSW),and Dr Ross Cutler (Ross Cutler andAssociates).

The objective of Fiona’s project was toidentify the most sensitive detection methods for identifying sick or injuredpregnant sows housed in stalls and groupson a commercial farm.

A second objective was to record thetime taken to carry out the different observation techniques, as a guide as to thelabour requirements of each.

During her three week study, Fionaexamined more than 3000 sows.

For group-housed sows, she found thatthe highest proportion (22%) of abnormal-ities (mainly lameness and skin scratchesfrom fighting) was detected when sows

were inspected from within the pen andthey were encouraged to stand.

This compared to inspecting the sowsfrom the aisle at non-feeding times (2%).For stall-housed sows, it was best to inspectsows from the rear of the sow and at feeding time.

Fiona’s research is timely, with therecent announcement that the pig industrywill voluntarily phase out sow stalls from2017. Sows housed in groups have a tendency to fight – particularly when theyare mixed and at feeding time.

As the care of pigs is ultimately theresponsibility of the piggery stockpeople, itis important that they are aware of the bestway to inspect the animals in their care.Early detection and appropriate interven-tion of sick and/or injured sows will ensurethey are given the best opportunity to stayin the herd.

Further information on the researchproject findings can be obtained by callingDr Trish Holyoake on mobile number0419 231 534.

CSU Veterinary student Fiona Kelk

If you would like to advertise in Pork Journal

magazine call Peter Bedwellon 0419 235 288 or 02 9798 3078


Breeding better pigs for AustraliaThe world’s most advanced genetic resources to enhance our customers’ profits

PICBOAR 500 is ideal for:• Maximising weight gain in a fixed time

through excellent feed conversion ratio

• Heavier market weights

• Higher shed throughput – progeny reach target weights quicker

• Reduced weight variationin finished pigs

Improve feed conversion withthis high performance sire

PICBOAR500

PICBOAR 427 is ideal for:• Maximising saleable meat yield

• Producing a carcass with superiorconformation, highly acceptableto the Singapore market

• Low backfat, high leanpercentage and high muscle

• Reduced variation infinished pigs

Add muscle to your operationwith this top performing boar

PICBOAR427

Camborough 42 is the mostprolific pig available and offers:• Reproductive consistency and efficiency

• Good mothering withexceptional milking ability

• Docile temperament

• High conception ratesand efficient progeny

Take advantage of the world standardin female reproduction performance

CAMBOROUGH™ 42

Camborough 29’s hybrid vigourallows customers to focus onefficient production through:• More born alive and more pigs weaned

• Durability and longevity

• Reduced carcass variation

• Reduced multiplication costs

Add efficiency to your operationwith this new Camborough sow

CAMBOROUGH™ 29

PICBOAR 400 offers:• High yielding progeny with

excellent carcass characteristics

• Superior carcass conformation,highly acceptable to theSingapore market

• Suitability for a range ofintensive and extensivepiggery operations

Add value to your operationwith this high lean performer

PICBOAR400

Widen your competitive advantage,by calling 1800 622 660

or 02 6956 2105 or contact your local PICrepresentative on 0418 575 101

1250

027S

J24/

9

www.picaustralia.com.au


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Documents

Pork Journal November/December 2010