Page 8 - Australian Pork Newspaper

Strong focus on sustainability
Extension Officer
“Over the past few years, we have seen massive increases in the costs of fuel, fertilisers and electricity to name a few, with no requisite rise in farm gate prices or retail,” Jo Sheppard said.
Surety and security
n Farmers need input cost assurance
QUEENSLAND Farmers’ Federa- tion led a delegation of members to meet with federal Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud recently to discuss the sustain- ability of the agricul- ture sector in the face of spiralling input costs and concerns re- garding input supply security.
price increases, however this is not sustainable.
supply of fuel and other volatile inputs.
With diesel prices hit- ting record levels and farm input costs across the board rising sig- nificantly, QFF and its member organisations were pleased to take the opportunity to meet with Mr Littleproud to not only voice their con- cerns but to also initiate discussion on how in- dustry and government can work closely to- gether to find solutions.
“Over the past few years, we have seen massive increases in the costs of fuel, fertilisers and electricity to name a few, with no requisite rise in farm gate prices or retail,” Ms Sheppard said.
“We need the Fed- eral Government to work closely with in- dustry to help shore up the supply of fuel and other key inputs, so that farmers have a secure and stable environment to operate in, costs can be contained, and we can continue to do what our farming sector does best in producing high quality, food, fibre and foliage.
QFF chief execu- tive officer Jo Shep- pard said that member feedback clearly dem- onstrated the growing concern of farmers who cannot continue to bear the brunt of increasing input costs.
“If you accept that Australia runs on trucks, it’s easy to see how these fuel spikes are going to play out.
“Fuel, fertiliser, chem- icals and many other inputs are sourced from overseas,” Ms Sheppard said.
“On farm, the costs of operating machinery increases.
“Over the past two years, we have seen the costs of these increase by in some cases 150 percent.
“We are all being im- pacted by the increased cost of fuel.”
“Most consumers have not yet seen the impact of this as farmers have absorbed many of these
QFF is calling on the Federal Government to work with industry to find and progress ways to provide farmers with surety and security of
“This latest increase in fuel prices will have an impact on every aspect of production and is compounding the problem of already rising input costs.”
“There are many vari- ables in farming, but the sector has been inno- vating for many years to build its capacity to manage risk,” Ms Shep- pard said.
Farmers are con- cerned with not only the price hikes but with the future security of supply of many key farm inputs also.
“A reliable cost-ef- fective supply chain is critical to the future of agriculture.
“Our farmers have been absorbing the bulk of these costs.
“It’s simply not sus- tainable.
“QFF and its mem- bers appreciated the op- portunity to meet with Minister Littleproud to raise these concerns and discuss several ways forward.
“Every delivery of fer- tiliser, seed, stock and such will increase.
“And while it was heartening to hear the Federal Government believes that fuel supply is secure and prices will stabilise, QFF will be continuing discussions with the Minister’s of- fice to progress initia- tives that will support the development of input cost management issues and security of input supply security on other items such as fertiliser as a matter of urgency.”
“And, getting produce to retailers and con- sumer increases too.
THE Australian Pork Limited sustainability goals and the impor- tance of strong com- mitments mentioned last month enable us to demonstrate to the com- munity that the pork industry is listening to their concerns and is willing to act.
cialist for a rural ag-ser- vice provider.
Some of our biggest as- pirations and opportuni- ties are in the environ- mental space.
Tim’s roles to date mean he is well versed in the everyday challenges the agriculture industry can face, building rela- tionships and providing on-farm advice, while liaising with livestock buyers, driving sales and managing the care and welfare of livestock.
As an intensive industry, pork is starting from a better position on issues such as carbon emissions and water use than other red meats, but there is more we can do.
to producers – from un- derstanding the termi- nology, determining base- line emissions, under- standing potential reduc- tion strategies, and finally measuring and marketing achievements.
including using mixed feedstocks, carbon credit potential, physical and capital requirements, and benefit cost assessment.
His tertiary qualifica- tions coupled with his ex- perience communicating and working with a range of individuals will be an asset to our producers and the APL team.
To support our goals around reducing the foot- print of pork and sharing our story, we have de- veloped a suite of exten- sion resources that have started to roll out over the past month.
APL has also created new tools for producers in the energy space, ac- knowledging that energy is a large part of emis- sions and also one of the most accessible.
This new tool is still being finalised but will provide another way to assess whether biogas generation is a good fit for your business after you complete the energy self-assessment.
As the sustainability project officer, Tim will be working with sus- tainability specialists, making technical infor- mation more accessible to producers and providing boots on the ground sup- port across sustainability projects – by ensuring the uptake of initiatives such as covering effluent ponds, supporting design and installation of biogas systems, solar systems, energy storage devices, assisting with access to life-cycle assessments and project grants or funding.
These resources aim to help producers under- stand and make changes to better meet the needs of customers and re- tailers, who are asking for more action with regards to the environment.
A very simple option could be to switch energy provider to a company of- fering green energy such as hydro or renewables.
Biogas generation is a great way to reduce both power bills and carbon footprint.
The suite includes in- formation on the sustain- ability framework, life- cycle assessments, under- standing pigs and carbon, industry road maps, a funding and grants access catalogue, solar calcula- tors and an energy audit checklist.
These tools include en- ergy self-audit checklists to help interpret energy bills and requirements to weigh up alternative op- tions.
To further enhance and support the area of sustainability, APL is pleased to welcome Tim- othy Morley-Sattler to the producer relations team.
The pork industry ‘Low Carbon Emissions Roadmap’ and ‘Closing the Loop on Waste Roadmap’ seek to pro- vide a stronger technical foundation for the actions of the industry as a whole, ultimately focussing on how to drive down carbon emissions and close the loop on waste.
We have also been supporting the Meath and Livestock Australia Waste to Profit project, which has been focussed on optimising anerobic digestion technology.
Tim holds a Bachelor of Animal Science from Charles Sturt University and comes to APL with a strong understanding of agricultural systems and knowledge of pig produc- tion.
Keep an eye on the APL Update for a further in- troduction to Tim and when the new tools and resources will become available.
They will provide a summary of the process
For more information, contact Rowena Davis at rowena.davis@australian pork.com.au
by ROWENA DAVIS
APL has commissioned All Energy to create two solar calculators – solar voltaic and solar thermal – to help identify if solar is the right solution for you.
Tim’s role as the new sustainability project officer was created to specifically support pro- ducers in implementing sustainable practices and infrastructure on farm.
Tim is genuinely ex- cited by the opportunity to support producers in achieving their sustain- ability goals and will be commencing his role in early April.
This project is currently beta-testing the new tool ADAdvisor, which is a detailed feasibility as- sessment for anerobic digestion technology,
His agriculture expe- rience spans a variety of roles as dairy hand, feedlot animal health foreperson, feedlot re- ceival and shipping forep- erson and most recently livestock production spe-
In the meantime, let us know how we can fur- ther support you in the journey of emissions and energy reduction.
Twenty-five years of pioneering pork
THIS month Australian Pork Limited celebrates a silver anniversary within the organisation.
ardson, Colin Fassnidge and ‘Fast’ Ed Halmagyi. PorkStar has helped lift
Adrian Richardson has worked with Kylie for many years and when re- flecting on this anniver- sary said, “When I think of pork, I think of Kylie.”
look forward to many years in future.”
Starting her journey in the late 1990s with what was then the Australian Pork Corporation, Kylie Roberts took a role in merchandising and butcher relations.
the desirability of pork to the most creative chefs and restaurateurs nation- wide and has helped pork gain prominence in leading food and life- style publications.
“She has been abso- lutely fantastic to deal with.
Celebrating her twenty- fifth year, Kylie shows no signs of slowing her enthusiasm for the Aussie protein.
While initially a fill-in job on her way to future prospects, exposure to the colourful characters of the industry soon had her enamoured with all things pork.
Kylie’s work has cre- ated a trickle-down effect that allows con- sumers to enjoy various pork innovations from restaurants and directly from their local super- market.
“In all my years of dealing with APL, Kylie has always been there with a laugh and a smile, and a great sense of hu- mour.
Looking at the year ahead, Kylie is working to seek out the next gen- eration of chefs and in- novators in the industry, connecting pork with the education of highly skilled indigenous chefs through the National Indigenous Culinary In- stitute and re-engaging with the industry through the return of PorkStar events nationwide.
Working through the retail and foodservice areas of the organisation, Kylie progressed to state then national manage- rial roles and eventually to the brand marketing team, where she leads bringing PorkStar to life.
Her work has been car- ried out with authenticity and a genuine passion for the product, alongside PorkStar ambassador Mitch Edwards.
“Not only is she won- derful at promoting the pork industry to chefs – who are hard most of the time – but she’s also able to deliver the goods.
Lylle Blackstock APL Public Relations Manager
“I have enjoyed working with her for these many years and
Launched in early 2000, the PorkStar pro- gram is the connector between new industry innovators and pork knowledge – elevating pork beyond the plate.
Kylie has been re- sponsible for recruiting some familiar household names to the versatility, taste and benefits of pork, including Manu Feildel, Adrian Rich-
With authenticity and a genuine passion for pork, Kylie Roberts celebrates 25 years at APL.
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Page 8 – Australian Pork Newspaper, April 2022
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