Page 14 - Australian Pork Newapaper

Fire and drought throughout Australia
AS if regional Austral- ians haven’t had it tough enough with the worst drought in 100 years, they are now gearing up for a fire season from hell.
The concept of city peo- ple “there’s nothing to burn” couldn’t be further from the truth.
National parks, wood- lands, scrub and what’s left of grasslands are tin- der dry and ready to go up in flames.
Aussie Pumps knows this and is geared to dou- ble production of petrol and diesel-drive pumps to help farmers and home- owners combat the poten- tial ‘fire storm’.
The company’s flagship product, the Aussie Fire Chief, is regarded as the world’s finest lightweight portable fire pump.
It is the only pump that comes with a five-year
warranty and is powered by a top-quality Honda engine with an interna- tional guarantee.
Aussie Pumps opera- tions manager Hamish Lorenz said, “We choose Honda to drive our pumps because of their reliabil- ity, power and torque.”
“They start first time, every time.”
The Fire Chief delivers more water and pressure than other pumps because of its huge 7.5” diameter impeller.
The impeller runs in a superbly matched and designed volute that ena- bles the pump to not only prime from a depth of 7.6m vertical lift but also provides a tremendous combination of pressure and flow designed for fighting fire or transfer- ring water.
The pumps offer a unique bolt-on flanged in-
let and outle, which ena- bles them to be modified into different configura- tions.
For example, the stand- ard Fire Chief product comes with a big 2” suc- tion port and a three-way outlet.
It can be modified by changing the outlet to a 2” setup, reducing fric- tion loss.
The three-way outlet en- ables the operation of two 1” hoses with nozzles or alternatively a 1.5” outlet that enables huge amounts of water to be thrown at the fire.
“Running an Aussie fire pump with a 1.5” hose and good-quality firefighting nozzle impresses,” Lorenz said.
“We’ve operated along- side other brands and it astonished Rural Fire Services volunteers how the spots we extin-
guished stayed out.
“It’s all about how much water and pressure you
can apply.”
All Aussie Fire Chief
pumps are fitted with steel skids and anti-vibration mounts to prevent the pumps toppling over dur- ing operation.
The Honda engines come with a unique Oil Alert feature that will turn the pump off in the event of it being run at an extreme angle (toppling over, for example).
Aussie Pumps is also predicating increased de- mand for Aussie Mr T twin-impeller pumps, re- flecting a growing need for more capability.
Lorenz, who under- stands what it’s like to be in the middle of a bushfire, saved his own property on the outskirts of Sydney in Arcadia by battling fires alongside the RFS.
“We admire the firies tremendously,” he said.
“Those men and women, young and old, give up their free time to train and support homeowners.
“Then they put their lives on the line during bushfires, often for very little thanks.”
Aussie Pumps produces a free comprehensive Fire Survival Guide.
The guide is a great document that shows how to protect crops, livestock, houses and workshops from an impending bush- fire.
The Survival Guide is a summation of everything Aussie Pumps has learnt about firefighting over the past 25 years.
“It’s a great starting point for anyone prepar- ing their home or property for a tough bushfire sea- son,” Lorenz said.
Further information, in- cluding the guide is read- ily available from Aus- sie Pumps distributors around Australia as well as CRT, Landmark and Elders.
Farmers call for feral pig cull
Stuart Marshman has protected his farm with an Aussie Fire Chief for over a decade.
THE National Farm- ers’ Federation has called on governments to act immediately to control Australia’s 24 million-strong feral pig population.
NFF chief executive Tony Mahar said, “Fe- ral pigs destroy crops, degrade soil and water and spread weeds.”
“Alarmingly, they also have the potential to spread endemic and exotic diseases such as African swine fever.
“Specifically, we’re asking all levels of government to com- mit to investing in and working with industry towards the more ef- fective control of feral pigs.”
The call comes fol- lowing the confirma- tion of ASF in Timor Leste, barely 600km from Australia’s shores.
While the Govern- ment has implemented a number of measures to reduce the risk of ASF entering Australia, the threat remains very real.
“The spread of ASF to Australia has the po-
tential to decimate our commercial pork indus- try and the livelihoods of farming families and the communities they contribute to,” Mr Ma- har said.
Since the disease took hold just over 13 months ago, more than 50 percent of China’s commercial pig popula- tion has been wiped out.
Analysts estimate the world’s pig numbers have already been cut by 25 percent.
At a meeting in Can- berra recently, NFF members unanimously agreed to request the Government invest in and strengthen Austral- ia’s biosecurity systems to protect primary pro- duction, the communi- ty, the environment and the economy.
“It is vital that as a nation, we direct the resourcing required to deliver and continually improve the systems that safeguard agricul- ture from devastating pests and diseases.
“As the risk of major biosecurity threats to Australia continues to
grow, the systems that keep Australia free of the world’s worst pests and diseases must be absolute.”
Mr Mahar said ASF was a frightening re- minder of what could happen without rigor- ous safeguards and more needed to be done now to bolster biosecu- rity.
“If we don’t step up our biosecurity sys- tems, ASF and other pests and diseases could destroy our agri- cultural industries and compromise our access to key international markets that value the clean, safe status of our produce,” he said.
“Our unique natural environment and way of life are also at risk if unwanted pests and diseases are allowed to enter and establish in Australia.
“Biosecurity is every- one’s responsibility and a united call from in- dustry for further gov- ernment investment and action sends a message on the gravity of the issue.”
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Ph (02) 6644 6065
Mobile 0437 431 901 | Email sales@vereyken.com.au
2 Clark Rd, Junction Hill • PO Box 421, Grafton NSW 2460
Head Office:
Victoria: Freecall:
Vereyken Bros. Pty Ltd ABN 11 003 543 548
Ben Slots 1800 999 245
Anytime or (02) 6644 6065 Mobile: 0437 431 901
Phone: (03) 9462 4266 Mobile: 0418 388 842
Page 14 – Australian Pork Newspaper, November 2019
www.porknews.com.au
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