Page 2 - Australian Pork Newspaper

Piglet survival month
Producer Relations
Pork Industry Calendar of Events
2021
MAY 25-27 – Alltech ONE Ideas Conference (Virtual Event) www.one.alltech.com
AUG tbc – Kingaroy Baconfest www.kingaroybaconfest.com.au
SEP 7-10 – International Animal ProductionShow www.feriazaragoza. com/ gan-2021
NOV 15-18 – Australasian Pig Science Association (APSA) Conference www.apsa.asn.au
NOV 21-23 – AVAMS21, Gold Coast www.avams2020.com.au
How to supply event details: Send all details to Australian Pork Newspaper, PO Box 162, Wynnum, Qld 4178, call 07 3286 1833 or email: ben@collins.media
porknews.com.au
07 3286 1833
PRE-WEANING mor- tality is a major cause of production loss on farm and reduces both the ef- ficiency and profitability of the industry.
• Including CLA in gilt diets as a top dress can de- crease pre-weaning mor- tality by up to 1.1 percent
day for five days prior to farrowing can decrease pre-foster mortality in gilt litters, resulting in an in- creased suckled litter size 24 hours post-birth
In recent years, Aus- tralian Pork Limited has supported research into reducing pre-weaning mortality, and each week during April, we used the APL Update e-newsletter to promote three different opportunities.
• Additionally, CLA can improve piglet average dailygainbyupto7ga day per piglet, or by 6.8kg for the entire litter by day 19
• Adding 3g per day of caffeine to gilt and sow diets each day for three days prior to farrowing can decrease total mor- tality between birth and day 21, and increase the weight of gilt litters on day 21
Page 2 – Australian Pork Newspaper, May 2021
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Best practice fostering
thus decreasing their co- lostrum intake
as many piglets as they have teat capacity for.
• Feeding CLA throughout lactation does not further improve repro- ductive performance or pre-weaning performance of progeny – it is not rec- ommended to feed CLA more than 0.2-0.8 percent of the daily ration or for longer than one week prior to farrowing.
• Combining both sup- plements is not beneficial and may even have nega- tive effects
A round 80 percent of piglet losses occur in the first 72 hours after far- rowing and are often due to a lack of colostrum.
Using CL A in
to improve piglet sur- vival
Mortality rises with in- creasing litter size and as such piglets will often need to be fostered to en- sure they survive.
Gilt progeny are born lighter and may have compromised protective immunity compared to progeny born to multipa- rous sows.
Improving piglet sur- vival and growth with creatine and caffeine
• Given the relationship between piglet viability and sow crushing be- haviours in low confine- ment farrowing housing, creatine supplementation may be applicable to those systems.
Guidelines for Fostering Getting the ‘One per centers’ right is a manual that can assist farrowing- house staff in the everyday tasks, which impact the successful fostering of piglets.
• Fostering works best when carried out in the first 24 hours during lac- tation and care should be taken when selecting nurse or foster sows, they should be parity one to three, have at least 12 well-formed and functional teats, be well-natured, in good body condition and have looked after their own pigs well – if gilts must be se- lected, they should receive
Previous research has shown feeding conjugated linoleic acid to gilts in lac- tation may improve pre- weaning survival rates.
Adding creatine to gilt diets can improve piglet vitality and reduce pre- foster mortality.
For technical infor- mation on any of these topics, contact Dr Re- becca Athorn at rebecca. athorn@australianpork. com.au
Several key recommen- dations are:
• The ideal feeding strategy for a CL A-based top dress in gilt diets is 0.2 percent total CLA iso- mers, fed one week prior to farrowing – this costs about $0.30 per litter
For a copy of the final reports, manuals or related factsheets, contact Rachael Bryant at rachael.bryant@ australianpork.com.au
• Keep the piglets warm – if they’re cold, they will be less likely to reach a teat and attach properly,
It was found that:
The theme for May will be feeding weaners.
The report made 13 rec- ommendations, including priority be given to the development of standards and guidelines to replace the Model Code, last up- dated in 2000.
“When issues are raised and investigations insti- gated, such as following the release of undercover footage of animal cruelty or poor practices, in most jurisdictions there is no public reporting of the outcomes of investiga- tions.
AMIC chief executive officer Patrick Hutch- inson said animal welfare is fundamental to the op- eration of meat processing plants and that AMIC is committed to proper, stringent and accountable animal welfare practices
The Model Code covers all livestock processing plants, however is not mandatory in most areas.
It is in urgent need of replacing with contem-
“These problems exist at a time of increasing
* continued P4
by RACHAEL BRYANT
• In large litters, it may be necessary to foster pig- lets to ensure there is not too much competition for teats and therefore colos- trum – this is the only time fostering should occur, it should not happen to create litter uniformity
gilt diets
In the research trial, it was found that:
This project is aimed to determine whether caf- feine and creatine supple- mentation in the lead up to farrowing would reduce stillbirths, increase piglet viability at birth and im- prove pre-weaning growth and survival.
• Adding 75g of cre- atine to gilt diets each
Meat processors support RSPCA welfare standards
RSPCA Australia chief scientist Dr Bidda Jones said the report and scorecard shone a spotlight on sig- nificant gaps in animal welfare regulation across the processing industry.
THE RSPCA has rec- ommended the develop- ment of national animal welfare standards and guidelines for Austral- ia’s livestock processing plants.
porary animal welfare standards in abattoirs, poultry processors and knackeries – applicable to poultry, pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, horses, deer, buf- falo, camels, alpaca and donkeys.
public concern about live- stock production, trans- port and slaughter, and the regular publication of footage of poor practice at Australian abattoirs, poultry processors and knackeries.”
A detailed report and map released by the RSPCA highlights the existing animal welfare regulation for Australian meat processors and the need for greater transpar- ency.
“There is little to no transparency around an- imal welfare standards or auditing of slaughtering establishments, especially in domestic abattoirs and knackeries,” the report said.
The Australian Meat In- dustry Council supplied the RSPCA report with technical feedback and supports the RSPCA’s recommendation for the Federal Government to develop as a priority, national animal welfare standards.
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