Page 18 - APN September 2017

Page 18 – Australian Pork Newspaper, September 2017
www.porknews.com.au
Cautious optimism at 2017 WAPPA industry day
☛ from P1
“There has been a strong growth in sow numbers in the west for a few years and we must be allowed to grow our industry or it will contract under the ever-increasing costs and regulations,” he said.
On a positive note, grain prices were starting to fall and he hoped this trend would continue as produc- tion forecasts increased.
WAPPA executive of- ficer Jan Cooper, in her report, said while WA’s pork industry was fac- ing significant cost pres- sures at the market price level and cost of produc- tion, WA PPA could help mitigate this pressure by working with government and NGOs to ensure poli- cies affecting pork pro- ducers were sympathetic to the industry’s some- times unique needs and demands.
“On the face of it, the obvious policies WA PPA would try to influence would be in the areas of environment, animal welfare, transport and employment, but we also must engage in red tape reduction, which has be-
come a policy area in it- self,” she said.
“WAPPA is investing resources in being well informed of the full extent of policy developments across a range of areas so it can represent members’ interests.”
Ms Cooper also ad- dressed biosecurity; en- vironment and planning; the APL Delegates’ Fo- rum; animal welfare; communication; building networks; R&D; and gov- ernance.
Roger Campbell focused his Pork CRC update on Pork CRC’s transition to APRIL; eating quality; sow behaviour; welfare; antibiotic resistance; and cost of production.
Lechelle van Breda, who recently completed her Pork CRC-supported PhD on E-coli, covered a number of APL’s ac- tivities, including a big focus on antibiotic resist- ance.
Bunge Australia WA re- gional manager Christo- pher Tyson, in his presen- tation titled ‘An insider’s view of the grain market’, predicted local grain pric- es would be driven by Au- gust/September rainfall
and the Australian dollar. He further predicted a national wheat harvest of
23.5 million tonnes.
Pork Innovation WA chairman Rob Wilson, in his report, advised that while PIWA was still ac- cessing the Medina Re- search Station, PIWA’s long-term future relied on finding alternative re- search facilities and fund- ing security to continue research on behalf of
WA’s pork industry. “Strong producer senti-
ment is critical for PIWA, because without a real need, PIWA will finalise the transition away from state-funded R&D before being dissolved and let- ting R&D fall back to in- terested commercial play- ers,” Dr Wilson said.
Addressing the some- what-sensitive issue of pork price, Craig Mostyn Group GM Meat & Livestock Ron Penn surprised some in the au- dience by revealing that with the drop in price for pork, Australian pork was beginning to replace imported pork in manu- facturing.
Current scenarios he highlighted included:
• Eastern states pork flooding WA and Singa- pore markets;
• Oversupply and in- creased imports depress- ing prices;
• Export pork price reduced from ES and Sarawak supply into Sin- gapore;
• Economic conditions reducing the shopping dollar; and
• Free range demand de- creased, adding 500 pigs per week to sow stall free.
Predictions for the fu- ture included:
• Surplus to remain – 5.3 million pigs by March 2018 (APL);
• Price pressure to re- main;
• To his knowledge no producers were reducing production; and
• Free range uncertainty.
About 130 people at- tended WAPPA’s industry dinner in the evening, at which 14 graduates from Gingin, Esperance, Mount Barker, Narrogin and Cu- balling were presented with their Certificate 111 in Agriculture (Pork Pro- duction) by the chair of Pork Industry Training WA Dr Bruce Mullan.
Pork CRC CEO Roger Campbell addressed attendees at WAPPA’s 2017 industry day.
Producers Paul Ridgewell of Westpork, Stuart Coole of Boyup Brook and John Bunn of Albany.
Darryl Meaney of Biomin, David Reu of Vaucluse & APS and Fabian Barcelo of CCD Animal Health.
Catching up were Lui Rinaldi of Linley Valley Pork, Rob Wilson of PIWA and Ron Penn of Linley Valley Pork.
Producers Steve Lyneham of Popanyinning and Graeme Dent of Cuballing.
Enjoying a catch-up were James Opoku of Stirling Free Range Pork and Roger Campbell of Pork CRC.
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