Page 1 - Australian Pork Newspapaper

Vol 25. No. 6 June 2021 Australian Pork Newspaper PO Box 162 Wynnum 4178 Phone (07) 3286 1833 Email ben@collins.media
Tom Harrison, Jarad Smith, Hugo Dunlop, Rick O’Reilly, Amanda Vardanega, Caleb Smith, Adelle Smith and Ava Richards celebrate the Apium Rrace Day.
Australian pork a winner at the Apiam Race Day
Federal Budget: annual economic plan
Point of View
by MARGO ANDRAE CEO
IN recent weeks, we’ve celebrated biosecurity as a key priority in the Fed- eral Budget, further forti- fying Australia’s defenses against diseases like African swine fever and Foot and Mouth Disease.
munity to manage threats offshore
This $58.6m invest- ment is extremely wel- comed.
• New funding for farmers to preserve and manage Australia’s re- source base, soils and climate, including $67m to divert food waste for healthy soils funding
However, the other Budget items flying under the radar hint to agriculture and food production as a sector is primed for growth by policy makers.
The Budget invests in the capacity of our farmers and their ability as environmental stew- ards.
We see many positives for the pork industry, particularly in areas that align with our Strategic Plan.
to drive Australian workers to modern ag- riculture, particularly school leavers and young people
port the diversification of Australia’s resource markets
The feral pig invest- ment supports substan- tial changes for the en- vironment and the waste initiative is a potential game changer for our sector (pending the defi- nition of compost and waste), as we continue to explore how we can turn waste into pig power.
This Budget invests in market diversification and access, focused on the future of data and technology utilisation.
• $8.4m for increased analysis to better fore- cast agriculture’s labour needs
• $37m over three years modernising Australia’s trade system, reviewing the regulatory processes and IT systems that im- pact cross-border trade
Importantly, it sets the foundations for thriving industries and regions by investing in capability and capacity of our people.
• $4.6m to build work- force management and planning skills for agri- cultural employers
• $15m to represent and promote Australia’s interests in international standard-setting bodies
Not only are these potential new revenues streams, but avenues to cultivate social licence. Consumer demand and a shared vision
And as pressure for so- cial licence and environ- mental credentials rise within our society, this Budget is doing things on the ground to help producers be part of that conversation.
Any increased support to explore trade oppor- tunities and manage dis- ruptions is welcome.
From market access, technological adoption and workforce capacity to environmental action and social licence, our industry is full of op- portunity.
Let’s take a closer look at what these in- vestments mean for the trajectory of industry priorities as outlined in the APL Strategic Plan 2020-2025.
Investing in young people to seek out agri- cultural career opportu- nities and resources to better understand where shortfalls are, means we can design solutions that result in more workers for people’s businesses. Market and product differentiation
Highlights – biosecu- rity, feral pigs, environ- ment, and more pig power
What’s required now is a united focus and a commitment to tackle challenges head on.
Manage volatility for viable farms
• Biosecurity (aside from the frontline bios- ecurity funding for ASF and other diseases)
This is why our APL Delegates Forum on June 7-8 comes at a crit- ical time.
Highlights – Innova- tion, workforce, data uti- lisation
• $29m for a strength- ened and coordinated approach to feral pig control, tackling pests that damage natural re- source and reduce agri- cultural productivity
With our industry leaders, we will discuss actions taken to protect our core business from ASF and exotic animal diseases and review the state of the industry to determine options on prosperity.
Workforce: $30m for the agricultural sector to modernise its prac- tices and attract a skilled workforce with initia- tives proposed in the Na- tional Agriculture Work- force Strategy.
Highlights – Global ac- cess and differentiation
Employment:
• $198.2m to assist ex- port diversification and growth include funding for World Trade Organi- sation reform and $20.1m to deliver a Global Re- sources Strategy to sup-
• Strengthening over- seas partnerships with importers, companies, producers and the com-
We’ll also review and refresh how we address workforce capacity and capability and set a course for the future, alongside you.
• $25.2m to establish the AgAttract body
• Department of Edu- cation, Skills and Em- ployment will ensure agriculture’s priorities are featured in the work- force training skills lists and will work with De- partment of Human Af- fairs to support migrant workers into the sector.
• This Budget will help to open trade doors, re- duce red tape and give Australia a bigger voice on global trading plat- forms.
This Budget invariably is about consumer de- mand.
It’s positive to see Aus- tralian agriculture well supported through data utilisation and best prac- tice labor and workforce planning.
While the pork in- dustry only exports around 10 percent of production, we welcome opportunities to grow. Leading community social licence
This Budget shows that.
THE Apiam Swine Sem- inar and Race Day was held in Bendigo recently on a perfect sunny au- tumn afternoon.
date on the recent health and nutrition research undertaken by Apiam in conjunction with Kansas State University and Iowa State University over the past 12 months.
diformate) with zinc oxide in nursery diets.
One of the first pork in- dustry social events this year, the event enabled Victorian pig farmers and industry participants to get together and exchange ideas and socialise face- to-face.
Dr Hugo Dunlop pro- vided an overview of the KSU work being led by renown pig nutritionist Dr Mike Tokach, who recently published trials looking at the comparative and synergistic effects of using Formi NDF (sodium
Data was also presented on a second research paper, where Formi 3G – a new product that con- tains both sodium difor- mate and medium chain fatty acid monolaurin – was compared to using formic acid and similar medium chain fatty acid.
The day kicked off with an informative seminar program, providing an up-
Dr Dunlop also pre- sented on Australian trials that have seen Formi 3G reduce streptococcus suis and clostridium sp levels in the microbiome of sows and reduce clinical dis- ease in weaners – pro- viding a potential solution to enhance antimicrobial stewardship program.
Eli Kingma and Tim Kingma.
This project assessed
An overview of research – performed under the supervision of Dr Derald Holtkamp from Iowa State University – was also pre- sented, examining the du- ration of efficacy of the Zoono Microbe Shield on a common surface used in farrowing pens and nurs- eries.
* continued P2
Phone: 07 4697 3344 • Fax 07 4697 3532
www.stockyardindustries.com
HOG HEARTH HEAT MATS AND CONTROLLERS
Get the right amount of heat to your pigs at the right time!
• Energy ef cient electric heat pad
• Low maintenance easy installation
• Even and consistent heat with automatic temperature-based control
• Medical grade plastic shell
www.stockyardindustries.com
www.porknews.com.au