Demo

At a state level, Rob is a member of the Victorian Farmers Federation Pig Group.
The plant generates 420MW per year, which powers the site and excess energy is sold back to the grid.
These experiences and access to large-scale in- ternational operations have helped Rob develop the size and diversity of his global industry net- works.
Through his Victorian networks, he provides input on emerging is- sues for the sector and is an authoritative and trusted channel of com- munication in mobilising responses on these key is- sues.
The pork industry has invested in the research of a number of these on- site initiatives and the University of Queensland has assisted in the project planning.
In turn, the networks provide Rob with insight into emerging issues and the opportunity to con- tinue to mobilise projects that achieve progressive outcomes for stakeholders across the sector.
At a national level Rob is a proactive member of the Australian Pork Young Leaders group, developing industry re-
Under Rob’s leadership, the Blackwood Piggery has become a key compo- nent and platform for this national project.
Vol 25. No. 1 January 2021 Australian Pork Newspaper PO Box 162 Wynnum 4178 Phone (07) 3286 1833 Email ben@collins.media
Australian pork’s appetite for innovation
Point of View
by MARGO ANDRAE CEO
PORK dishes have always been promi- nent around Chinese New Year festivities, whether at a Haymarket restaurant in Sydney or celebrations in Beijing.
innovation initiatives to improve productivity, supply chain transpar- ency, animal health and environmental sustain- ability.
While the Chinese zodiac animal for the coming 12 months is the ox, in many respects 2021 will be the year of the pig.
The commercial up- take of technology means the pork industry has an even more resil- ient defence against the challenges it continues to face – whether they be ASF, anti-farming activists and even rival proteins.
The breathtaking in- vestment China has made in rebuilding its pig herd is indicative of how seriously African swine fever impacted the food security of its 1.4 billion residents.
will no doubt experience market movements as a result of China’s in- creased pork production.
of our product and deci- sive industry efforts to ensure a wide range of cuts were appealing to consumers throughout COVID-19 lockdown measures.
Australian pork’s ap- petite for innovation, which helped the in- dustry throughout a tur- bulent 2020 in so many ways, will continue to be a tremendous asset as we embark on the exciting opportunities 2021 has to offer.
The recovery is being fast-tracked by the con- struction of multi-storey piggeries, housing tens of thousands of pigs at single sites, images of which corroborate es- timates that this year China’s herd could be back to 80 percent of its pre-ASF numbers of 440 million pigs.
In our domestic market we can expect a degree of renewed pressure from imported pork, as volumes of product from North America and Eu- rope are shifted away from China.
We start the new year encouraged by the agility of our response to the curveballs of 2020 and we’re deter- mined to build on that momentum, particularly with the hope of a re- covery to the foodser- vice industry and new direct-to-consumer market channels.
On a final note, APL encourages producers to be vigilant in managing the risks of mosquitos in regions experiencing a wet summer.
The supercharged pork production generated by the rebuilt Chinese pig herd is almost certain to be the biggest driver in the global animal protein market for the coming 12 months.
Producers can be as- sured that Australian Pork Limited and supply chain businesses will work to defend the in- creased market share Australian pork secured over the past 12 months, as well as the gains made in export markets in 2020.
Just as growth of e- commerce is making pork dishes even more accessible to our cus- tomers, technology for farms and supply chains presents us with exciting ways to reinforce the integrity of Australian pork.
Diseases spread by mosquitos such as Ross River virus pose a threat to our workforce, though they do not pose health risks to pigs.
As it returns to greater levels of pork self-suffi- ciency, China will enjoy more discretion in where it sources its imported pork and other meats.
Amid the various disruptions caused by COVID-19 in 2020, con- sumption of pork rose to an average of 10.4 kilograms per person in Australia – a result made all the more positive by the larger share of the pork market enjoyed by Australian-grown product due to lower im- port volumes.
Nevertheless, severe insect bites can result in downgraded carcass value.
Nonetheless, ASF is set to maintain influence over the global pork trade even if it doesn’t spread into new regions, with keen eyes on efforts to contain the disease in Europe – most promi- nently Germany – and southeast Asian coun- tries such as Vietnam and the Philippines.
Which is why pro- ducers emphatically support APL’s targeted
Producers should seek veterinary advice re- garding livestock treat- ment and take steps to minimise the presence of stagnant water wher-
Despite being rela- tively well shielded from the volatilities of the global meat trade, Aus- tralian pork producers
A further 30 per- cent rise in domestic consumption forecast in the coming months means the outlook for producers, in terms of farmgate profitability most importantly, is very encouraging.
This growth is well de- served and due reward for both the versatility
While the Chinese zodiac animal for the coming 12 months is the ox, in many respects 2021 will be the year of the pig. Photo: Markus Winkler
2020 Young Agribusiness Leader of the Year Rob Bayley.
Young Agribusiness Leader of the Year
HIGHLY respected leader at a local, state and national level, Rob Bayley is the 2020 Young Agribusiness Leader of the Year, a prestigious category sup- ported by the Australian Rural Leadership Foun- dation.
sponses to national issues such as animal welfare, biosecurity and interstate movement of stock during COVID-19 restrictions.
pioneered under Rob’s leadership include en- hanced biosecurity, auto- mated feeding systems, automatic climate control in the farrowing shed and heating systems in the nursery utilising ardent heat from the biogas gen- erator.
At a local level, Rob has encouraged piggeries to collate, analyse and share production and financial data to benchmark their operation.
Rob has been instru- mental in establishing a number of environmental and sustainability fo- cussed initiatives in his Blackwood Piggery op- eration.
Rob has recently com- pleted the Australian Pork Industry Leadership Program curated by Aus- tralian Pork Limited.
This initiative forms the objective evidence on which producers can build continuous improve- ment in their production systems.
Effluent from the 550- sow piggery is pumped to a 6mL dam and the dam is covered to capture methane, a generator then converts it to electricity.
The course included de- velopment of leadership skills, media training and an overseas visit to study piggeries in Denmark, with Rob taking the op- portunity to add five days of personal time to visit piggeries in Germany.
Seven years ago, Rob took over the management of the Blackwood Piggery, established in the 1980s.
Other key technologies
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