Page 10 - Pork Newspaper - February 2018

It’s official: Australian pork industry’s contribution to the economy exceeds $5 billion and 36,000 jobs
Time is up – travelling pigs need a PigPass
WORKING in the pork industry, we all know how important it is.
After all, pork is the second-most consumed meat in Australia (behind chicken), with 100 percent of fresh pork being sup- plied by Australian pro- ducers.
In this respect, the pork industry plays a vital role in assuring Australia’s food security and stand- ard of living.
Unfortunately, our in- dustry doesn’t always oc- cupy the same space in the national psyche as Aus- tralia’s iconic beef and sheepmeat industries.
Despite the successful efforts of our marketing team to lift consumption of Australian pork, not all consumers are aware of the economic importance of the Australian pork in- dustry.
That is why Australian Pork Limited commis- sioned an updated eco- nomic analysis of our in- dustry to better illustrate its sizeable economic con- tribution.
The information con- tained in the report not only helps to educate pol- icy-makers and regulators of our significance, it re- minds all of us in the pork industry that we are part of a sector that every day brings a range of benefits to ordinary Australians.
The report, completed by economic consultancy group ACIL Allen, de- scribes the shape of the Australian pig industry in 2015-2016.
Policy Points
by DEB KERR General Manager Policy
It covers the national and state-level contribu- tions of the pork industry in terms of revenue, em- ployment and household income.
It also shows the im- pact of pork imports and explores opportunities for exports.
We encourage anyone with an interest in the Aus- tralian pork industry to read the full report online at australianpork.com.au
The key findings in- clude:
• The pork industry con- tributed more than $5.2 billion in added value to the Australian economy for 2015-16;
• The industry sup- ports more than 36,000 full-time equivalent jobs across Australia;
• The industry contrib- uted $2.6 billion in di- rect household income in 2015-16;
• Revenue from pig pro- duction was highest in Victoria at $480 million; and
• In proportion to the overall state economy,
pig production had the biggest impact in South Australia with revenues of $385 million representing 0.4 percent of gross state product.
The report also models the contribution of new or expanded pig produc- tion businesses to regional communities.
This is particularly im- portant as producers and processors seek to justify their development plans to local councils.
APL hopes the find- ings will provide robust economic data to back up development applications for new and expanded fa- cilities.
The report shows that in a ‘typical’ regional com- munity (defined as an area comprising one ma- jor town of 8000-15,000 inhabitants and its sur- rounding 60km radius) pig production makes an economic contribution of $3406 per sow.
This amount includes the direct contribution of the piggery and also supply chain workers
spending their after-tax incomes on other local goods or services (such as local hairdressers, res- taurants, retail traders and so on).
If the regional commu- nity also contains a pri- mary processing facility, then the economic contri- bution made per sow rises to $5416 for each animal.
For every 1000 sows, 21.4 jobs are created, and this number rises to 37 jobs per 1000 sows in ar- eas that also have a pri- mary processing facility.
These are meaningful benefits, and should make planners think twice be- fore they reject develop- ment applications out-of- hand.
It’s important to note the report does not encompass the impact of the severe price drops experienced over the past year or so.
This is because at the time of commissioning the report, APL did not have access to full eco- nomic data for that period and was only able to cover 2015-16.
Since launching the re- port in mid-January, APL has been promoting the results through national media outlets, reaching an estimated audience of more than 2.7 million people and including flag- ship radio and print cover- age across the country.
There has been a good level of community inter- est in these findings, and we hope all parts of the Australian pork supply chain will proudly help us spread the good news.
AS of February 1, 2018, all states and territories are introducing the mandatory reporting of all pig movements via PigPass.
Australian Pork Limited general manager Policy Deb Kerr said pigs require a PigPass whenever they are transported.
“A pig may have a number of dif- ferent types of journeys and several parts to that journey,” she said.
“Movements to and from other farms, saleyards, abattoirs and knack- eries, schools, shows and events must all be reported via PigPass.”
PigPass links pigs to a property of origin using a Property Identifica- tion Code, registered pig identifica- tion (ear tags or tattoos) and PigPass movement documentation.
PigPass is a traceability system that can be used to try to reduce the im- pact of a disease outbreak or food safety issue.
Failure to comply with the reporting requirements may result in a penalty notice.
“PigPass is a legal declaration and includes critical information to en- sure food safety and traceability,” Ms Kerr said.
“Processing any pigs that do not have a completed PigPass is in breach of Australian state and territory laws and could result in a penalty notice.”
When transporting pigs off the prop- erty, owners must complete a PigPass National Vendor Declaration that will accompany the pigs on their journey.
The new owner of the pigs must re- port the movement via PigPass within two days, ensuring all information has been completed in full, including the destination PIC.
The receiver must also ‘close the loop’ online using the originating sender’s serial number from the Pig- Pass NVD.
If the receiver is an abattoir, they must ‘close the loop’ by the close of business the day after the pigs are slaughtered.
For meat processors, this means ensuring all pigs received have a completed PigPass and traceability is maintained by entering the originat- ing sender’s serial number from the PigPass NVD in the online portal along with all other necessary infor- mation.
PigPass was designed in consulta- tion with the industry to give a clear picture of all pig movements, which enables authorities to quickly deter- mine the source of a disease outbreak and notify pig owners in the affected area to protect the animals and stop the spread of disease.
If you have any questions about PigPass, your reporting obligations or how to use the system, visit pigpass. com.au or call the PigPass Helpdesk on 1800 001 458.
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Page 10 – Australian Pork Newspaper, February 2018
www.porknews.com.au