Australian Pork Newspaper

Phone: 07 4697 3344 • Fax 07 4697 3532
www.stockyardindustries.com
Vol 24. No. 1 January 2020 Australian Pork Newspaper PO Box 387 Cleveland 4163 Phone (07) 3286 1833 Fax (07) 3821 2637 Email ben@porknews.com.au
WA AMIC Apprentice of the Year finalists Liam Maclennan, Trey Flower, Shannon Telfer and Jesse Rausch.
Training time all the time at Western Meat Packers Group
AUSTRALIAN pig producers are proud contributors to the social and economic fabric of rural and re- gional communities across the country.
As such, our indus- try stands shoulder- to-shoulder with other farmers and commu- nity members who have been impacted by the extraordinary bushfire crisis that has gripped so much of the country this summer.
In regional communi- ties, nothing happens in isolation and the efforts of pig producers and our industry’s work- force who are volunteer firefighters or provid- ing emergency assis- tance in other ways is something we should be very proud of.
Natural disasters are a reminder about the need for producers to plan for emergency situations to protect the health of their animals and offset biosecurity risks.
Despite some very close calls, to date the pig industry has been spared from the worst of the impact of the fires, but we mustn’t be complacent in coming months.
Just as our entire sup- ply chain has redoubled its efforts in the past 12 months to combat the threat of African swine fever, we must remain proactive in safeguard- ing our producers, animals, infrastructure and biosecurity from natural disasters such as bushfires.
Piggeries in disaster- prone areas will al- ready have disaster management plans in place, which should
Point of View
by MARGO ANDRAE CEO
align with their bio- security plan.
There may be other factors to consider in a natural disaster, such as whether feral animals and wildlife may have sought shelter on the property, whether there may be carcases and weed seeds left behind, or whether the condi- tions on the property have created a breed- ing ground for insects, which may carry dis- eases.
As such, it is impor- tant producers continue to monitor animals and their farm for new biosecurity threats be- cause the last thing any producer wants is for a disaster recovery to be followed by a disease outbreak.
Leading up to Christ- mas, among the news coverage of the fires ravaging so much of the country was anoth- er prominent theme in the media: supporting Australian producers during the festive sea- son by choosing home- grown pork products.
Favourable news in- terest, including televi- sion, radio, print and online, gave Australian Pork Limited a wonder- ful opportunity to get our compelling mes-
sage about Australian pork out to consumers.
In particular, the way major supermarkets pro- moted Australian ham and pork in their Christ- mas advertising cam- paigns has been incred- ibly valuable and testa- ment to the partnerships APL maintains with the retail sector.
These positive mes- sages are complement- ed by APL’s ongoing campaigns promoting Australian pork prod- ucts such as the pork. com.au website and via social media (‘Austral- ian Pork’ on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as ‘PorkStars’ on Instagram).
As we commence the new calendar year, the latest production sur- vey report provides us with some context for what 2020 may bring our industry.
The national herd size is forecast to in- crease from 272,578 sows in October 2019 to 279,899 sows in June 2020; to 283,591 sows in October 2020 and rising to 284,861 sows in February 2021.
Sow slaughter rates continue to remain sta- ble at about 2.5 percent of total slaughters for the current calendar year.
The forecast moving annual total slaughter number for all pigs to June 2020 is 5.1 mil- lion head, while the long-term estimated M A T slaughter number for all pigs to Octo- ber 2021 is 5.4 million pigs, an increase of 3.8 percent.
The average weekly forecast for progeny slaughters from Octo- ber 2019 to February 2020 is 96,068 head, compared to the aver- age weekly progeny slaughters for July to October 2019 of 94,477.
The average progeny slaughters from July to October 2019 were 1.8 percent above the June 2019 forecast, while the meat produced over the same period was 1 percent above forecast volumes.
Based on current trends, the forecast MAT to June 2020 for total pig meat produc- tion is 394,906 tonnes, compared to the lat- est MAT number of 401,925 tonnes to Oc- tober 2019.
The new year prom- ises to present the in- dustry with significant opportunities, as well as a number of chal- lenges.
Producers can be con- fident APL will contin- ue to support the indus- try to achieve positive outcomes across the supply chain and play a leading role in fight- ing any threats to our productivity and profit- ability.
On behalf of every- one at APL, I wish all producers and mem- bers of our industry the best for the coming 12 months.
WESTERN Meat Pack- ers Group has supported and initiated training at all levels for all staff since it was started in 1983 by qualified butch- er Rod Russell.
In 2019, Mr Russell is a director of the business he co-owns with wife Shana, while CEO Andrew Fuda, also a qualified butcher, runs the $150 million an- nual turnover business that employs 450 people at its Osborne Park process- ing and packing facility, Margaret River abattoir and Bibra Lake value- adding unit.
The company’s com- mitment to upskilling, on-the-job training, pro- fessional development and broader industry support was recently underlined when it hosted the 2019 Australian Meat Industry Council Apprentice of the Year competition in its dedicated staff training boning room at Osborne Park.
The Apprentice of the Year, which has been running for more than 50 years, encourages ap- prentices to strive to be the best tradespeople they possibly can within the
meat industry, according to AMIC Member Rela- tions Officer SA and WA Chris Kelly.
“It also allows them to network with other ap- prentices while giving them an idea as to where their personal skills levels are at compared to other apprentices,” Mr Kelly said.
WMPG CEO Andrew Fuda attended the Satur- day morning judging and was happy to pass on bon- ing and primal cut hints and techniques he has ac- quired over 25 years in the
☛ continued P15
WMPG CEO Andrew Fuda gave apprentice Jesse Rausch a few boning tips.
STOCKYARD INDUSTRIES 2020
A COMPANY WITH A VISION!
Happy New Year!
From the Stockyard Industries team. Wishing all our customers a successful 2020!
Stockyard Industries 54 King Street,
Clifton QLD 4361 07 4697 3344
Steven Clohesy
Cameron Ross
Joe Oliveira
www.stockyardindustries.com
Preparedness pays off for pig producers
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