Page 13 - Australian Pork Newspapaper

Black soldier fly at the Future Green Facility in Western Australia.
Soldier flies contribute to a circular economy
SUSTAINABILITY has taken centre stage for Australian Pork Limited’s Research and Innovation team this past year.
and cutlery made from corn starch, a circular economy aims to reduce the burden of waste on our environment.
tralian Meat Processor Corporation, AgriFu- tures, Australian Eggs, Dairy Australia and the Fisheries Research De- velopment Corporation. Funding the project is a $2.5 million grant from the Department of Agri- culture, Water and Envi- ronment Rural R&D for Profitprogram.
It’s an exciting time to see more businesses in- vest in innovations that enable sustainable pro- duction methods.
But a circular economy is not just about plastic, it is about seeing value in what may be tradi- tionally considered as ‘waste’, particularly in environment regenera- tion.
And it’s an oppor- tunity for intensive farming practices in the pork industry to shine.
Enter the black soldier fly.
The project has al- ready discovered that combining different industry waste streams provide different nutri- ents for the larvae.
One of the move- ments behind this is the concept of a ‘circular economy’ where waste is used as part of the supply chain.
The cost of waste man- agement is currently es- timated to be over $100 million a year, however preliminary findings indicate that the larvae produced by black sol- dier flies can turn ef- fluent, spent bedding and carcases into valu- able fertilisers or soil improvers.
For example, pork waste contains high levels of boron, copper, cobalt, sodium and zinc.
It’s a big step away from the linear ‘take – make – waste’ trajectory our food systems have been on for decades.
The combination of nutrients provided to the larvae are reflected.
Just like the keep- cup for our coffee, the bamboo recyclable toothbrush, plastic wrap made from potatoes
To help prove this technology, APL is leading a project in col- laboration with the Aus-
Other potential ben- efits such as greenhouse gas emissions reduction and feedstock for bi- ogas generation are also being explored.
Pork Storks’ Victorian-based boar stud has received approval from the Victorian chief veterinary officer to move semen in the event of an African swine fever outbreak.
Pork Storks certified for semen movement during ASF outbreak
IN a first for Australia, Pork Storks’ Victorian- based boar stud has re- ceived approval from the Victorian chief vet- erinary officer to move semen in the event of an African swine fever outbreak.
Welsh.
Mr Welsh was pleased
continuity of supply to farms in the event of an ASF event in the region.”
batch of consumables that have contact with semen for semen toxicity, which is a quality control pro- gram that was imple- mented a few years ago following plastic toxicity issues that affected some international boar studs.”
The highly secure boar stud was audited earlier this year in March and has met the conditions of approval including biosecurity standards, quarantine requirements, health monitoring and disease investigation sys- tems, and traceability of semen to farms.
with the outcome and said, “We were extremely confident that we would be certified under these high level requirements, with the current design of the boar stud and biosecu- rity systems having been in place since 2006, which were based on US designs to keep out endemic and exotic diseases.”
In recent years, Pork Storks has also invested in new technologies to improve semen quality including using computer- assisted semen analysis systems to analyse every boar collection for mor- phology in addition to motility.
Improving traceability is a critical part of any semen supply company and Pork Storks is also investing heavily in this area.
The quality systems at Pork Storks are overseen by Apiam veterinarian Dr Sarah Jenkin and Pork Storks Australia op- erations manager Shaun
“This certification pro- vides further assurance for our customers that we will be able to maintain
“This has ensured that the semen that is supplied has every chance of ferti- lising an egg, rather than just being motile and alive but not being able to make its way to the egg,” Mr Welsh said.
Drought-proofing funding for farmers welcomed by QFF
“We also have boars come in from a single source into our quaran- tine, so the risk is dramat- ically reduced compared to having boars come in from multiple source farms.
Bacteriology assessment of boars, semen and con- tact points is also under- taken on collection days.
In addition to semen being delivered in tem- perature-controlled de- livery vehicles – where movements are currently tracked in real-time – Pork Storks is about to introduce track-and- trace technology so that all semen packs will be scanned through all parts of the logistics process, including at the delivery point at the farm.
“We also test every new
Pork Storks have invested in new technologies to improve semen analysis.
The Pork Storks boar stud in Queensland, which operates under identical quality systems, is also expected to undergo as- sessment for accreditation in the future.
Queensland Farmers’ Federation chief execu- tive officer Dr Georgina Davis said the on-farm emergency water infra- structure rebate scheme
“We also commend the government for listening to industry and fulfilling previous applications
“This practical drought recovery investment would enable the Queensland ag- riculture sector to better prepare, recover and re- main more resilient as we contend with climate vari- ability.”
“This system will en- sure that when our drivers deliver to the farm, all specific batches and doses delivered will be trace- able from the boar to the semen fridge, with other information such as fridge or delivery point tem- perature also able to be logged,” Mr Welsh said.
QUEENSLAND farmers are encouraged to apply for funding for drought- proofing works after the state and federal govern- ments partnered to ex- tend the on-farm emer- gency water infrastruc- ture rebate scheme.
by farmers who made on-farm improvements but missed out when the scheme was suspended.”
“This will assist the farm with it’s own quality control and inventory management.”
The popular rebate scheme was previously oversubscribed and has now been extended to June 30, 2022 – allowing more farmers to improve water storage through the instal- lation of tanks, troughs, pipes, pumps and drilling new bores.
“With almost 70 per- cent of the state drought declared, QFF is pleased the Queensland Govern- ment has stepped up and matched Australian Gov- ernment funding to assist impacted farmers and in- vest in the future of agri- culture,” Dr Davis said.
“Many other farmers are experiencing the impacts of drought on their proper- ties and QFF is advocating that the scheme be made more equitable across the state’s various agricultural commodities.
provided farmers with the support they needed to future-proof their sustain- ability and profitability in the face of drought.
“However, the current rebate scheme is only available for livestock pro- ducers and select horticul- ture growers.
FF
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Australian Pork Newspaper, June 2021 – Page 13