Page 12 - Australian Pork Newspaper

Feral pig fitted with a Ceres Tag. Photo: Bob Peever
GPS tracking collars are also being used to better understand feral pig movements when using aerial culling to reduce feral pig populations, such as in the Riverina region of NSW.
Page 12 – Australian Pork Newspaper, December 2021
For the pork industry, there is a lot of interest in using GPS collars to better understand po- tential risks of disease transmission between do-
Feral pig fitted with a GPS collar. Photo: DPI NSW
Working together by using GPS monitoring
collected by the tag.
It is being used on feral pigs by Barron Catch- ment Care in Far North Queensland as part of their Smart Farms Small Grants Round 3 project funded by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment as an al- ternate method to using
Barron Catchment Care, local landholders, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Table- lands Regional Council and GPS Trapping, as well as a local veteri- narian who sedates and fits the Ceres Tag to se- lected pigs.
EFFECTIVE manage- ment of feral pigs re- quires a coordinated ap- proach across public and private lands due to the ability of feral pigs to move across the land- scape.
It’s essential, but it is often easier said than done.
Engaging people to work together in com- munity-led groups can be challenging.
GPS collars.
This project involves
Distrust, different im- pacts experienced and different preferences as to when, how and where control programs are con- ducted are common be- tween land managers.
public land managers – for damage caused by feral pigs to their assets.
mestic and feral pigs. Typically, adult sows familiar with the area are collared and used as ‘Judas’ pigs to locate rem- nant individuals or groups of pigs in low density
New approaches to technology use may help bridge these gaps.
This stems from not knowing the home range of feral pigs in their local region.
populations.
These animals inform
Different types of tech- nology are being applied to provide local knowl- edge of feral pig move- ments, when and why they move and the hab- itats they prefer at dif- ferent times of the year.
Fitting a GPS collar to a pig’s neck or alternate device, such as the Ceres Tag – cerestag.com – that was launched in May, can capture movement data to show the true extent of damage by feral pigs and where they are moving.
management programs of real-time location infor- mation and identifying areas where pigs are con- gregating.
The solar-powered ear tags are guaranteed to re- main active for 10 years and work in conjunction with low earth orbit sat- ellites to transmit loca- tional data every four to six hours.
Field cameras are the most common method of determining where feral pigs are.
These are fantastic tools to communicate and en- gage with landholders and assist them in managing the feral pig problem in their areas.
More information about Judas pigs can be found at pestsmart.org.au/toolkit- resource/use-of-judas- pigs/
As part of this commu- nity engagement project, 10 feral pigs are being trapped, tagged and monitored for a 12 to 24- month period.
Updated pork production biosecurity manual released
THE National Farm Biosecurity Manual for Pork Production has been released fol- lowing a review of minimum biosecurity standards and recom- mended practices.
to disease events. Animal Health Aus-
copy on file.”
Industry welcomes the
The manual is a major reference point for the industry representing a nationally agreed ap- proach to biosecurity on-farm, developed in consultation between industry and govern- ment.
tralia’s head of biose- curity Dr Rob Barwell said the updated stand- ards and recommenda- tions increase focus on preparedness against disease incursion as a key priority.
release of the manual which aligns with the quality assurance system APIQ that was also recently enhanced with stronger biosecu- rity standards.
The manual is a re- source for all property managers and personnel involved in day-to-day pig health and manage- ment.
In consultation with industry, the manual clearly defines ‘stand- ards’ and ‘recom- mended practices’.
It provides minimum biosecurity standards to prepare for and respond
Download the new manual at farmbiosecu rity.com.au/porkbios ecuritymanual
“This manual sets up the industry for where we’d like them to be with regards to biosecu- rity and being prepared for diseases right on our doorstep such as Af- rican swine fever,” Dr Barwell said.
This means both APIQ certified producers and other producers are sup- ported with biosecurity management resources.
“We recommend at a minimum that all property managers and senior staff of piggeries familiarise themselves with the 2021 version and ensure they have a
It also includes check- lists and record keeping as a guide.
However, this relies on the feral pig moving in front of the camera to set it off – they might walk behind the camera or out of view and therefore not set off the camera.
It’s important to note that animal ethics ap- proval may be needed prior to any fitting of col- lars or tags to feral pigs.
A small number of feral pigs have been collared and their movements during aerial culling op- erations are being moni- tored.
Unlike collars, trans- mission can be inter- rupted by very dense canopy cover or extended lack of sunshine.
The monitoring of feral pigs using field cameras will be discussed at the next virtual National Feral Pig Action Plan Stake- holder Forum on Monday December 13 from 1pm to 2.30pm Australian eastern daylight time.
Trained and experienced operators need to be in- volved to ensure animal welfare is not compro- mised and that the collar or tag is correctly fitted.
While aerial culling can remove large numbers of feral pigs, many evade aerial culling operations, reflecting their intelli- gence and mobility.
Data collected will be converted into a map, which will then be pre- sented to local land man- agers to strengthen local engagement in manage- ment activities, inform control strategies and in- crease their knowledge of feral pig movement and behaviour in the area.
To join, register your interest by emailing con tact@feralpigs.com.au
This approach is being used by Darren Marshall, from Southern Queens- land Landscapes based in Toowoomba, as part of his PhD-I being con- ducted through the Uni- versity of New England and Pennsylvania State University.
Feral pigs utilise dense canopy cover, crops and terrain to hide, so it can be difficult to locate every individual feral pig in a region.
These technologies pro- vide objective data that can enable management groups to plan more tar- geted and efficient man- agement programs in their region, maintain in- volvement of individual land managers and en- hance communication be- tween neighbours.
GPS technology is the most used method of tracking individual ani- mals in the landscape, in- cluding feral pigs.
Darren is also a member of the NFPAP Implemen- tation Committee.
It has been shown that only 50 percent of the population is reduced by aerial culling.
The information that this provides includes the distance and route pigs travel daily, seasonal movements, food sources, bedding sites and where and when they wallow.
Darren is working with management groups across NSW and Queens- land and using GPS col- lars to track feral pig movements over time.
Therefore, it is ideal for aerial culling operations to be underpinned by co- ordinated ground control actions, such as baiting and trapping, by land managers.
New technologies do have a place in tackling feral pig populations to reduce their many im- pacts and will be explored in future articles.
It’s not uncommon for land managers to blame others – particularly
The outcomes from these studies are then pre- sented to land managers.
by HEATHER CHANNON National Feral Pig Management Co-ordinator
Data captured from the collars is being used to show the benefits of land managers working more closely together at a local or regional level to manage their feral pig problem.
As mentioned, a new smart ear tag that has direct-to-satellite GPS capacity, known as the Ceres Tag, is now avail- able.
Wishing you all a safe and happy Christmas.
Vietnam looks at risk of ASF transmission via boar studs
ARTIFICIAL insemi- nation has been linked to the spread of several pig disease outbreaks.
Specifically, the study will examine potential introduction of ASF to a sow farm as a result of semen movement from apparently healthy boar studs located in an ASF disease control area.
well as implement sci- ence-based prevention protocols.
farm with multiple sows simultaneously exposed to ASF via the AI pro- cess.
In pork production, ar- tificial insemination in- volves the use of outside equipment, specialised crews and off-site boar studs.
This research will ex- amine pathways of ASF introduction into boar studs and semen move- ment into sow farms.
The results will help experts determine what surveillance is needed, and how long semen should be held to in- crease the likelihood of ASF detection.
A report by the Swine Health Information Centre said the use of artificial insemination has been linked to the spread of several pig dis- ease outbreaks.
Conducted by a team from the University of Minnesota with aca- demic partners from the Vietnam National Uni- versity of Agriculture, the study will include a pro-active risk assess- ment that systematically evaluates the potential risk of semen move- ments during an out- break.
Researchers will also look at the simulated spread of ASF in a sow
The SHIC is using US Department of Ag- riculture Foreign Agri- cultural Service grant funds to sponsor re- search in Vietnam on the risk of introducing African swine fever via this route.
The resulting informa- tion will help the US swine industry continue to prepare for foreign animal disease issues, as
The study will include a risk assessment that evaluates the potential risk of semen movements during an African swine fever outbreak.
As the battery life can extend for a couple of years depending on set- tings used, long-term data can be collected and used to build knowledge of where and when manage- ment activities should be conducted.
Movement and animal health monitoring data as well as animal specific geospatial location data is
Please feel free to contact me on heather. channon@feralpigs.com. au or call 0423 056 045 to discuss your feral pig management issues and any information pre- sented in this article.
It can also assist man- wagement groups with managing costs, and en- gaging land managers to participate.
A webinar presented by Darren explaining his work is available at feral pigs.com.au/resources
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