Page 2 - Australian Pork Newspaper

Strategic intent and impactful outcomes
General Manager – Research & Innovation
AS the year draws to a close, the winds of change seem to be in the air.
wide range of platforms for managing and pre- dicting risk, to the threat of disease, and not only exotic disease.
In collaboration with the University of Melbourne, APL’s Dr Vaibhav Gole now has a large commer- cial data set that we want to expand on – to show the strength of relationships between season, farming system, transport and processing risk factors in order to address and re- duce negative risks in a supply chain loop.
Pork Industry Calendar of Events
2021
FEB 26 – SA Pig Industry Day, Barossa Weintal, SA www.porksa.com.au
MAY 4-5 (POSTPONED) – Pan Paci c Pork Expo (PPPE), Gold Coast E: pppe@australianpork.com.au
AUG tbc – Kingaroy Baconfest www. kingaroybaconfest.com.au
NOV 15-18 – Australasian Pig Science Association (APSA) Conference www. apsa.asn.au/
How to supply event details: Send all details to Australian Pork Newspaper, PO Box 162, Wynnum, Qld 4178, call 07 3286 1833 or email: ben@collins.media
porknews.com.au
07 3286 1833
APN would like to thank all advertisers, producers and contributors
for their support in 2020.
We also wish everyone
a safe and merry Christmas and happy new year.
Hopefully we’ll be able to take our masks off to breath it all in.
In our version, African swine fever is the root cause of evil and the se- ries plots will cover im- port entry, overseas travel- lers, vehicle movements, piggeries and more.
Border restrictions have eased and with it my of- fice outlook, as I make the move to Australian Pork Limited’s Canberra office.
The next phases of these projects are currently being reviewed by Dr Lechelle van Breda with the relevant researchers.
by ROB SMITS
Retail and food sector activity is increasing with Christmas approaching, and APL was abuzz pre- paring for the November Board, delegate and pro- ducer meetings.
Within the biosecurity strategic focus, I previ- ously reported on the im- portance of reviews into the three D’s – destruc- tion, disposal and de- contamination – and the risk of ASF transmission through vehicle move- ment, including real world case studies.
practical farm issues as part of ASF preparedness by the industry.
Meanwhile, the strategic intent into improving eating quality is gathering momentum.
Through this focus on pork eating quality, we aim to improve con- sumer satisfaction with our product and increase demand for Australian- grown pork.
A number of research projects are underway, and several are progressing to critical phases.
A third project within the biosecurity strategic intent is looking into the potential of data analytics for next-generation risk- managed biosecurity.
APL and several key processing facilities have recently completed a benchmarking exercise to measure carcass pH as one measurable indicator of pork quality.
The engagement of our processors is crucial for a supply chain approach to improving pork eating quality and added value throughout the supply chain.
Earlier in the year, the APL Board identified three key strategic intents or focus areas for the de- velopment of the research and innovation program – biosecurity, cost of pro- duction and eating quality.
The reviews have pro- vided crucial answers and direction for addressing
In the world of data col- lection and algorithm de- velopment, there is great potential to use data cap- tured every day – from a
In addition to these, there are areas of sci- ence and technology that have ongoing projects and technical input, such as carcass grading tech- nology, environmental re- search and antimicrobial resistance projects.
A PL has focused on impactful outcomes from its research, and the ap- proach being taken has been guided by the ex- ternal review into APL’s research and development model, which was com- pleted last year.
Strategic plan to support industry priorities and vision
* from P1 energy generation.
By both desire and cir- cumstance, APL seeks to be progressive in all aspects of its work.
have formed part of the discussions recorded for APL’s future-focused podcast Next on the Menu.
The podcast conversa- tions have confirmed the importance of driving development and com- mercial uptake of new technologies and inno- vations to unlock short- term supply chain solu- tions and longer-term transformative change.
APL is emboldened by our experiences in 2020 because our industry has grown stronger over the course of the past 12 months.
Building on this is APL’s Sustainability Framework.
Whether it is in terms of consumer trends, public policy responses or biotechnology’s role in combatting the threats of emerging diseases, we can take a number of pertinent lessons for the future from the COVID-19 pandemic oc- currence.
The initiative has en- gaged leading interna- tional thinkers from across the food industry spectrum, and elicited many thought-provoking and often confronting insights into the trends revolutionising the mar- ketplace in which Aus- tralian pork competes.
A key part of the stra- tegic plan, the frame- work will guide APL’s strategy in communi- cating the proud story of Australian pork in a way that creates positive en- gagement with our cus- tomers, government and the broader community.
Accordingly, we look to 2021 with confidence and optimism.
Many of these themes
For forward-thinking Australian pork pro- ducers, I consider Next on the Menu a must- listen podcast over summer.
To view the strategic plan in full, go to aus tralianpork.com.au/wp- content/uploads/2020/07/ APL-Strategic-Plan- 2020-2025-electronic. pdf
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Page 2 – Australian Pork Newspaper, December 2020 www.porknews.com.au