Page 10 - Australian Pork Newspaper

Industry leads the way on innovation investments
AN ambitious strategy is underway to broaden the scope of innovation at Australian Pork Limited.
It is one of the most im- portant steps in the pro- cess to determine what and how levy payer funds will be invested in re- search and development.
acting disinfectants to reduce pathogen load be- tween cleaning cycles.
agricultural waste and ag- ricultural by-products for use as safe consistent pig feed ingredients.
back about how rewarding the process has been.
fit your schedule, after hours included.
0436 655 015.
For more questions
The new innovation plan was designed to support the implementa- tion of APL’s strategic plan launched in 2020 by driving an approach that takes on challenges and opportunities in the pork supply chain.
To date, the highest- ranking opportunities for improving herd health and reducing feed costs that were deemed worthy of industry investment have been developed into re- quest for research pro- posals.
Innovative proposals were received from a wide variety of researchers from within and outside the pig industry.
Projects will commence in late 2021.
Presentation of the con- cepts are clear and simple to understand, with a max- imum of five participants in focus groups from sim- ilar production systems, there is ample opportunity to contribute.
If you would like to be involved in the upcoming focus groups on increasing the number of pigs weaned per sow in late October or early November, now is your chance.
about the overall research and development invest- ment process and innova- tion plan, please contact APL general manager re- search and innovation Dr Rob Smits at rob.smits@ australianpork.com.au or on 0418 648 293.
Several proposals have sufficiently addressed the targeted priority areas and are being contracted to commence as research projects from October 2021.
A similar process will be applied to the third area of investment – number of pigs weaned per sow.
Consultation takes slightly over an hour via video conference and can be conducted at times to
Please contact APL manager production inno- vation Dr Rebecca Athorn at rebecca.athorn@aus tralianpork.com.au or on
As part of the innovation process, A PL has engaged with a group called Meth- odry to help facilitate con- sultation with the wider pork industry on three key areas of investment.
At the time of writing, over 40 APL members had participated with over- whelmingly positive feed-
Dr Rebecca Athorn, Production Innovation Manager, APL
These include improved animal health, lower feed costs and higher weaned per sow areas, which sit under the strategic theme of reducing the cost of pro- duction and processing.
Three specific priori- ties were identified for improving herd health, forming the basis of the request for research pro- posals, including:
The top four priorities for reducing feed costs in- cluded:
Solutions to reducing COPP were developed during consultation.
• Develop and commer- cially demonstrate smart health monitoring systems which act as early warning alerts
• Innovative solutions to address the ‘transition’ period immediately after weaning
The best opportunities were then presented to industry stakeholders for feedback via focus groups.
• Human food waste as pig feed
These included pro- ducers from a variety of production systems and sizes, industry consult- ants such as veterinarians and nutritionists, supply chain representatives and researchers.
• Develop industry re- source material and com- mercial demonstration of the latest technology in pen cleaning, pen de- contamination and long-
A request for research proposals around the first two priorities will be re- leased this month.
Decisions were guided by key principals, in- cluding is it innovative and new, is it a game changer, will it make a difference and, is it realistic?
These projects will be highlighted in future ar- ticles.
• Develop and demon- strate improved efficacy of single dose vaccines for producer confidence
• Agricultural waste or by-products as an alterna- tive feed source for pigs.
• Accelerated genetic gain in biological feed ef- ficiency
APL will continue to network for cross collabo- rative and wider funding opportunities for solutions in the human food waste,
An online industry review group with consultant Melissa Gilson (top left) discussing the future innovation needed to reduce feed costs long term for the pork industry.
Piglets pay the price of mum’s heat stress
PIGLETS born to heat- stressed sows may carry the burden of their mom’s discomfort later in life in the form of health complications and diminished perfor- mance.
To learn more, Dr Johnson teamed with his ARS laboratory colleagues and scien- tists from the Purdue University in West Lafayette Indiana, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Edu- cation in Oak Ridge Tennessee and the Uni- versity of Missouri in Columbia Missouri.
esterified fatty acids, cortisol (a stress hor- mone) and cytokines (markers of inflamma- tion).
failure and other com- plications in such pig- lets under real-world production systems.
Now, this so-called ‘in utero heat stress’ may also hypersensitise the piglet’s immune system, potentially doing more harm than good to the young animals, a team of Agricultural Research Service and university scientists has learned.
These, along with white blood cell counts, were compared to a li- popolysaccharide-free group of piglets used as controls.
Dr Johnson said their research dovetails with increasing concern over the potential impacts of global climate change on swine welfare and management – espe- cially in regions of the world prone to frequent or prolonged drought and heat waves.
Pigs are more suscep- tible to heat stress due to an inability to sweat.
The first group con- sisted of 16 piglets born to mothers exposed to stressful temperature cycles ranging from 26-36C during the first half of pregnancy.
The core body tem- peratures of the in utero heat-stressed and non-stressed piglets given the lipopolysac- charide were about the same.
This places them at greater risk of health and production prob- lems that can add up to millions of dollars annu- ally in revenue losses to swine producers.
The second group of 16 were born to mums exposed to a ‘comfort- able’ 17C.
However, in utero heat-stressed piglets had higher levels of the stress hormone cor- tisol.
Of particular in- terest is using genomic markers to flag traits for improved heat toler- ance in sows used for breeding.
Research has shown that pigs experiencing heat stress during preg- nancy can predispose their offspring to com- plications later in life that can lead to dimin- ished performance, in- cluding efficient feed use, growth rate and ultimately, pork produc- tion.
The researchers then simulated a pathogen attack on the piglets using lipopolysaccha- ride, a molecule found in the cell walls of some bacteria.
These same piglets also had greater cy- tokine (markers of in- flammation) levels in response to the lipopol- ysaccharide challenge, which provided evi- dence of a hypersensi- tive immune response.
“To achieve this goal, we are partnering with two major swine breeding companies,” Dr Johnson said.
However, based in In- diana in the US, ARS Livestock Behaviour Research Unit animal scientist Dr Jay S Johnson noted that less is known about how this heat stress affects their offspring’s innate immunity, or first-line defence against disease- causing bacteria and other pathogens.
Blood samples were drawn to monitor cer- tain markers of the piglets’ innate immune response, including glucose, insulin, non-
The researchers worry this could trans- late to greater risk of pain, infection, organ
“Our hope is that completion of this project will provide swine producers with a cost-effective strategy to reduce the negative impact of in utero heat stress on swine.”
Following established animal care and wel- fare guidelines, the team evaluated two groups of piglets.
Among their find- ings, reported in the December 2020 issue of the Journal of An- imal Science, the re- searchers observed:
With support from USDA's National Insti- tute of Food and Agri- culture, the team is also taking a genomic ap- proach to pre-empting the effects of in utero heat stress on piglets.
Pigs that experience heat stress while preg- nant can predispose their offspring to health complications and di- minished performance later in life.
Research has shown that pigs experiencing heat stress during pregnancy can predispose their offspring to complications later in life. Photo: Christina Abken
Pig Farm Manager
WESTPORK is Western Australia’s largest pork producer with over 150 employees spread across 13 sites. Due to the retirement of one of our farm managers and the expansion of a new facility, two exciting opportunities have arisen for experienced Farm Managers.
Westpork is currently seeking self-motivated candidates to join our management team. The successful candidates will be reliable, enthusiastic individuals with strong written and verbal communication skills.
To be successful in this role, the candidates will need to:
• have a sound knowledge of livestock breeding and production;
• be able to meet and exceed company production targets and KPIs;
• have exceptional stockperson skills and the ability to apply the highest of animal welfare standards expected by the business;
• demonstrate the ability to work in a team- based environment and manage and direct staff accordingly;
• the ability to be proactive and hard-working and to develop a strong team around them; and
• the ability to apply mandatory OHS and QA standards required by the business.
If this seems like you, expressions of interest should be emailed with attached résumé to Richard Evison at jobs@westpork.com.au
Page 10 – Australian Pork Newspaper, October 2021
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