Page 10 - Australian Pork Newspaper

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AUSTRALIAN Pork Limited recently an- nounced Mr Andrew Baxter has been ap- pointed Chair of the company, after being elected to the position at the Board’s Novem- ber meeting in Mel- bourne.
Mr Baxter brings a rich depth of expertise to the role, having led major professional ser- vices firms for more than a decade, working with some of Australia’s largest companies and brands, along with state and federal govern- ments.
He was formerly Chairman of Publicis Communications, one of Australia’s largest communications agency groups, and is recog- nised as one Australia’s preeminent leaders in marketing.
Mr Baxter has more than 30 years of com- bined non-executive ex- perience.
He is currently Chair of Tjapukai, and until recently was Chair of both the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation and Deakin School of Business.
Mr Baxter also sits on the Board of the Sydney
Page 10 – Australian Pork Newspaper, December 2019
Mr Andrew Baxter
Symphony Orchestra and is a Board member of the NBL.
APL CEO Margo An- drae said Mr Baxter’s diverse expertise will be critical in leading the organisation in the years to come.
“We need people of Andrew’s expertise and calibre to drive the new strategic direction, cur- rently under develop-
ment, for the Australian pork industry over the next five to 10 years,” she said.
Mr Baxter said he looks forward to repre- senting the best inter- ests of Australian pork producers, overcom- ing current biosecurity challenges and produc- ing quality pork that meets Australians’ val- ues and preferences.
“Australia’s pig farm- ers produce a fantas- tic, premium product, whilst maintaining me- ticulous biosecurity and high-quality standards”, Mr Baxter said.
“We must position our industry for the fu- ture by helping to make Australia’s pork indus- try more resilient to the changing domestic and global landscapes in which our farmers and supply chains operate.”
Mr Baxter has served on the APL Board for two years, was elected acting Chair in Septem- ber 2019 and will main- tain his role on APL’s Market Development Committee and Quality Assurance and Animal Welfare Committee.
CONTROL of trim- ming losses at slaughter caused by bacterial in- fection of joints but with no observable symptoms on farm was achieved following lab tests on joint tissues and fluids, repairing damaged pen floors, using short-term medication and vacci- nating against erysipelas.
The problem finishing site took 400 pigs per week from 10 weeks of age to sale.
All pigs were raised on bedding over dirt floors.
The pigs were free of mycoplasma pneumonia pleuropneumonia, swine dysentery and internal and external parasites.
Feedback from the ab- attoir about the trimmed carcasses revealed an in- crease in trimming for swollen joints.
Up to 2 percent of pigs had some skin trimmed each week.
Leg and joint trim- ming rose to about 25 percent of slaughtered pigs, accounting for a loss of more than 1 per- cent in carcass weight
across sold batches.
The farm sheds were in- spected for anything that might be causing an inju- ry to the pigs’ legs or feet. The steps to the feed pad were in disrepair, so some groups of pigs had fur- ther than normal to step for feed and water, which could potentially cause a trip or fall leading to an
injury.
Other than injury, the
most likely cause of joint swelling is erysipelas.
The most obvious signs of this disease are diamond-shaped raised lumps on the skin.
The affected pigs have high temperatures, go off feed and can be a bit dopey but none of these symptoms were seen on farm.
Treatment records indi- cated there had been no recent change in the num- ber or type of treatments for any group of pigs.
There had been no signs of lameness on farm ei- ther.
The guts of pigs inspect- ed at slaughter looked nor- mal but when the swollen joints were cut open a lot of fluid was found and the cartilage around the joints was much thicker than normal.
Samples from the af- fected joints were sent to the laboratory for testing.
At first no bacteria were found, but with further very sensitive tests that detect bacterial genes, erysipelas was identified.
By looking closely at the cells from the samples un- der a microscope, it was seen there were minute changes in the cells that would only occur if there had been an infection.
It was clear there was an erysipelas infection oc- curring at the farm, even though none of the nor- mal symptoms had been observed.
It was decided to vac- cinate against erysipelas.
The first dose was given at eight weeks of age (be- fore the pigs were deliv- ered to the grow-out site) and the second dose at 12 weeks of age to coincide with the movement of the pigs between sheds.
The finisher feed was medicated with tylosin (100ppm, with no with- holding period) for the time until vaccinated pigs came through to sale.
The steps to the feed pads were repaired, allow- ing easy access to feed and water for all pigs. Outcomes
Slaughter trimming for joint and skin conditions returned to normal levels as soon as the vaccinated pigs came through.
The farm continues to vaccinate against erysip- elas.
No medications have been used for erysipelas control since vaccination commenced.
This case study is taken from the Antimicrobial Prescribing guidelines for Pigs.
Ross Cutler www.porknews.com.au
New Chair for Australian Pork Limited
Case study: reducing
trim loss without long
term antimicrobial use
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