APSAlutely awesome conference in Adelaide

THE 2019 Australasian Pig Science Association Conference was held at the Hilton Adelaide from November 17-20 and saw more than 280 attendees treated to a diverse range of topics presented by invited speakers both from Australia and around the world. In this Chinese Year of the Pig and despite the horrors of African swine fever…

Farmers call for feral pig cull

THE National Farmers’ Federation has called on governments to act immediately to control Australia’s 24 million-strong feral pig population. NFF chief executive Tony Mahar said, “Feral pigs destroy crops, degrade soil and water and spread weeds.” “Alarmingly, they also have the potential to spread endemic and exotic diseases such as African swine fever. “Specifically, we’re…

Protect your business from animal activists

AUSTRALIAN Pork Limited has been busy advocating for the safety and privacy of producers in recent months. The Aussie Farms Inc website, which identified the location and addresses of hundreds of producers, was released and promoted earlier this year accompanied by edited pictures and videos. Some of this footage is of family homes. APL made…

Boehringer Ingelheim Swine Academy

FOLLOWING the success of the Boehringer Ingelheim Swine Academy Production Economics program last year, Boehringer recently held the first BISA Lead program in Australia. This global program spans over two days and is designed for swine professionals in leadership roles. The course aims to provide participants with valuable insights and tools for people management they…

Summer of the zombie sperm

Heat stress-induced DNA damage and its mitigation in boar spermatozoa DR Damien Paris gave quite a memorable presentation at this year’s Australian Pig Veterinarians Annual Conference. ‘Pork is the most consumed meat in the world and summer infertility equals reduced reproductive performance, costing the industry $300 million annually in the US.’ The thermal comfort zone…

What’s in a name when it comes to fair trade

SPENDING a few weeks in Portugal and Italy over September and October meant I’d have missed the editorial deadline for October’s APN, hence writing this pre-trip while contemplating the trip two days out from departure. One expectation I have is enjoying some quality pork and processed meats, especially in Italy, where I have done exactly…

D’Orsogna warmly welcomed in Victoria

Iconic Western Australian company, D’Orsogna Limited, has commenced production at its $66 million state-of-the-art 11,000 square metre food manufacturing facility in Victoria. Officially opened last week at Merrifield Business Park, 30km north of Melbourne, by Victorian Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Trade, Martin Pakula, it will soon employ 200 people and firmly establish D’Orsogna as…

Great turn out at 2019 APV Conference

CAIRNS proved to be an excellent venue for the meeting of the Australian Pig Veterinarians. One hundred delegates comprising veterinarians in practice, industry and government, around 30 speakers and many other industry representatives met from July 31 to August 2. Veterinarians ranged from those retired but still with a very active interest in the industry…

Australia’s best bacon announced

IN what could be deemed Australia’s tastiest competition, Princi Smallgoods in Perth have been named as producing the best bacon in the nation, just in time for International Bacon Day on August 31. The nationally available full rasher bacon, made from 100 percent Australian pork, was the star of the Australian PorkMark Bacon Awards and…

African swine fever workshop prepares Queensland producers

BIOSECURITY Queensland recently hosted a workshop focused on African swine fever preparedness to ensure Queensland is well equipped to respond in the event of ASF reaching our shores. Australia is in the favourable position of being free from ASF, however recent incidents in Eastern Europe and Asia are a reminder it can spread quickly. Around…

batterham

Calling for nominations for the 2019 Batterham Memorial Award

THE Batterham Memorial Award is a prestigious award conferred and supported by the Australasian Pig Science Association in memory of the late Dr Ted Batterham, an internationally respected researcher who made major contributions to pig science in Australia and around the world. Ted was a world-leading and respected scientist in the area of amino acid…