Page 8 - Australian Pork Newspaper

Recap on June - grower and finisher performance
Producer Relations
Jail time and stronger fines for biosecurity breaches
THE Australian Gov- ernment is sending a clear message to those who put Aus- tralia’s biosecurity at risk, with legislation passing Parliament recently, giving courts access to higher pen- alties that reflect the true seriousness of non-compliance.
“Upscaling penalties brings urgently needed reform to ensure the punishment fits the crime for those who intentionally put Aus- tralia’s environment, animal, plant and human health at risk.
“In some cases, they are up to eight times the current penalty.
Minister for Agri- culture, Drought and Emergency Manage- ment David Littleproud said the proposed Bi- osecurity Amendment (Strengthening Penal- ties) Act 2021 will in- crease the penalties for 28 civil and criminal provisions under the Biosecurity Act 2015.
“If you intentionally contravene Australia’s biosecurity laws, you could now cop signifi- cant jail time and a bigger fine of up to $1.11 million.
“The amendments focus on individuals and businesses, such as commercial importers and biosecurity in- dustry participants, that have a particular responsibility to know and understand their obligations under the Act and take neces- sary steps to comply with the law.
“The Australian Gov- ernment is committed to a strong biosecurity system that protects Australian agriculture and jobs, grows our ex- ports and, importantly, maintains our envi- ronment and lifestyle from devastating pests and diseases, which we can insure against with the correct system in place,” Minister Little- proud said.
Pests such as brown marmorated stink bug have the potential to decimate crops and do untold damage to Australia’s natural en- vironment and pose a continual threat.
The new penalties build on the response to recommendations in the Inspector-General of Biosecurity’s 2017 review into the effec- tiveness of biosecurity controls for the import of uncooked prawn and prawn products.
“The new legislation sends a clear message to individuals and com- panies who put at risk Australia’s $66 billion agriculture industry and over $1 trillion in environmental assets by contravening the Bi- osecurity Act 2015.
“Highly contagious animal diseases such as foot and mouth disease would be dev- astating for Aussie farmers, agricultural industries, our trade, environment and economy if there were an outbreak,” Minister Littleproud said.
Find out more about Biosecurity Amend- ment (Strengthening Penalties) Act 2021 at aph.gov.au/Parlia mentary_Business/ Bills_Legislation/ Bills_Search_Results/ Result?bId=r6671
“These penalties are on top of those that came into effect in January and we have also sent 14 travellers packing at their own expense.”
“The message is clear – comply with Australia’s biosecurity requirements or feel the full force of the law.”
“The increased max- imum penalties reflect the seriousness impact contraventions may inflict on our biosecu- rity status, market ac- cess and economy.
Before importing into Australia, check what you need to do by visiting agriculture. gov.au/import
“They are no longer merely a cost of doing business.
GROWERS and fin- ishers consume a sig- nificant amount of a pig- gery’s feed.
that received the second vaccination six weeks be- fore slaughter, while still effectively controlling boar taint.
This makes the right nutrition and manage- ment vital to optimising growth, feed efficiency, and carcass quality to maximise profit for the producer.
Note, Improvac is a veterinary prescription product and should only be used in the way de- scribed with veterinary approval, because it does go against the manufac- turer’s instructions. Feeding female grower pigs betaine to reduce backfat
During June, we shared opportunities to improve the performance of your grower and finisher pigs. Dietary lysine for fin- isher pigs
that lysine requirements differ for male and female finishers, and also differ for different weights of pigs.
amino acid requirements should also be considered, including genetics and feed intake.
Betaine is used as a sup- plement in pig diets and is demonstrated to reduce the impact of heat stress when included in summer lactation diets.
Finisher pigs have an increased requirement for amino acids to allow for lean growth.
The growth performance of both females and im- munocastrated male pigs from 60-90kg does not ap- pear to be enhanced when lysine concentrations are higher than 0.64g of avail- able lysine/MJ of digest- ible energy.
Decreasing gain in P2 backfat with the second Improvac vaccination timing
Feeding below the rec- ommended levels of amino acids – especially lysine – can result in re- duced growth.
The Improvac vaccine is an effective way to manage boar taint in pigs, thereby improving pork eating quality.
However, recent re- search has found a benefit to including betaine in the diets of female grower pigs.
However, feeding above required levels can affect the cost of feed.
It also reduces the in- cidence of injuries, im- proving animal welfare and reducing the level of trimming needed at market.
Adding betaine to the female grower diets at 0.1 percent from 10-16 weeks of age is an economical strategy to reduce backfat thickness and so reduce penalties at processing.
Research has suggested
Other factors that affect
Growers and finishers consume a significant amount of a piggery’s feed.
Giving the Improvac vaccine two weeks be- fore slaughter results in an average P2 fat depth of 2.5mm lower than pigs
Next month’s theme will be reducing energy costs.
Page 8 – Australian Pork Newspaper, July 2021
www.porknews.com.au
by RACHAEL BRYANT
But while the second vaccination has been shown to increase feed intake and weight gain, it also causes an increase in P2 backfat depth.
For technical infor- mation on any of these topics, contact Dr Re- becca Athorn at rebecca. athorn@australianpork. com.au
Adjusting the timing of this second vaccine how- ever, can reduce a gain in P2 backfat.
For a copy of the final reports or factsheets as- sociated with any of these, contact Rowena Davis at rowena.davis@australian pork.com.au