Page 8 - Australian Pork Newspaper

Opportunities in smallgoods market for Australian pork producers
APRIL digests Pork CRC human nutrition research
THE Cooperative Research Centre for High Integrity Aus- tralian Pork operated from 2005 to 2019 and funded 16 projects under the Healthy Pork Consumption program, with the aim to explore potential health bene- fits of pork, and drivers and barriers to pork consumption.
• Examined
of pork in improving muscle mass, body strength and cogni- tive function in elderly people, and a study ex- ploring the health bene- fits of pork consumption in diets of Australian children
a number of positive at- tributes for fresh pork that could be used to the benefit of the industry, and contribute further to the increase in fresh pork consumption expe- rienced recently.
A compilation of this work – titled ‘Develop- ment of a healthy pork resource for use by con- sumers, health profes- sionals and regulatory bodies: summary and dissemination of Pork CRC human nutrition research’ – was com- pleted recently through the Australasian Pork Research Institute Ltd by University of South
APRIL chief scien- tist and chief executive officer Professor John Pluske said the main purposes of the project were to first assimilate the scientifically sub- stantiated information on the nutritional prop- erties and health ben- efits of including fresh lean pork in a diet, for consideration in regard to dietary guidelines, diet and health-related messages.
The report is wide- ranging, covering the breadth and depth of projects that were con- ducted during the Pork CRC, and summarised studies that:
• Studied the effect of a Mediterranean diet with fresh lean Australian pork on a number of health-related param- eters in high risk indi- viduals.
“Including fresh lean pork in a healthy die- tary pattern, in modera- tion, fits with latest di- etary guidelines for good health”.
Australia senior lec- turer and dietitian Dr Karen Murphy.
research to educate dieti- tians and health profes- sionals on the benefits and lack of adverse ef- fects of consuming fresh lean pork as part of a healthy dietary pattern.
the role
“This research showed that there were no ad- verse effects of fresh pork consumption, but it may help with car- diometabolic health and blood pressure manage- ment of Type 2 diabetes, weight loss and preser- vation of cognition as part of a healthy dietary pattern,” Dr Murphy said.
Second, to apply the
• Examined commonly consumed pork cuts to determine if there had been any changes in their key nutritional composi- tion compared to 2006
In summarising the research conducted, Dr Murphy said there were
WITH higher beef prices and dedicated pork promotional cam- paigns, demand for pork in Australia has been increasing.
in pigs and boar taint in pork product will be im- portant.
And while this may be a win for Australian pig producers, it may be an even bigger win for producers overseas – be- cause Australians are consuming more pro- cessed pork than fresh, and most of these prod- ucts are made using im- ported pork.
Surgical castration re- sults in significant pain and distress for piglets, meaning more humane alternatives must be used, such as immunocastra- tion.
So, how can Australian producers tap into this market and fill the de- mand?
Currently a large per- centage of the industry doesn’t process heavier finishers.
Over the past decade, Australian consumers have become more inter- ested in the provenance of their food.
Therefore, abattoirs may not currently be de- signed to handle these animals appropriately and humanely.
Meat processors need to be set up to process larger animals humanely.
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Now more than ever, they want to see assur- ances on how their food is produced, and this includes assurances for animal welfare.
These are issues that will need to be addressed. Legislation does need to catch up with the indus- try’s voluntary changes to improve pig welfare, such as the move towards group housing of preg-
Consumers are encour- aged to check the per- centage of ingredients originating from Aus- tralia, to ensure they are buying an authentic Aus- tralian product.
nant sows.
To ensure better welfare
However, when the vast majority of smallgoods are made using imported pork, the likelihood of a consumer finding 100 percent Australian small- goods is slim.
for pigs, it is important for legislation to recog- nise and be consistent with these voluntarily changes.
Accessibility to higher welfare bacon and ham is even slimmer.
Until our country leg- islates the changes its producers have already made, Australian pro- ducers will continue to be undercut by imports.
This means that being both Australian and having an independent assurance of welfare will be a valuable point of dif- ference for brands.
Gaining independent assurance is a little more straightforward for wel- fare-focused brands.
Producers need to grow pigs to heavier weights.
Currently, most pro- ducers don’t grow their pigs to the heavier ‘ba- coner’ weight – which has animal welfare ben- efits, as there is no need to castrate.
With demand for animal welfare assurance on the rise, having RSPCA ap- proval is the best way you can show animal welfare matters to you too.
However, if producers are going to grow heavier and older animals, strate- gies to reduce the risks of aggressive behaviour
Visit the RSPCA Ap- proved Farming Scheme website at rspca.org.au to find out more.
Unlike Australia, other countries are able to stop imports of products that don’t meet legislation re- quirements.
For forward-looking Australian pig producers accessing this market, there are a few challenges that need to be addressed.
The RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme has been working closely with producers, brands and retailers for more than 20 years to make higher welfare products readily available.
Page 8 – Australian Pork Newspaper, October 2020
Photo: Benjamin Ashton.
www.porknews.com.au