Page 11 - APN July 2017

APSA 2017 to reveal the pig science of tomorrow, today
THOUGH much has changed in the science behind pig production in the past 30 years, many of the topics researched and analysed remain much the same, includ- ing seasonal pig infertil- ity and welfare.
First held in 1987 in Al- bury, NSW, the biennial Australasian Pig Science Association Conference, this year to be held at the Grand Hyatt, Melbourne from November 19-22, will hear the latest science behind seasonal fertility courtesy of Dr Ray King, while Prof Alan Tilbrook will review advances in animal welfare.
Interestingly, at the inau- gural APSA Conference, Dr David Hennessy re- viewed seasonal infertil- ity and Dr John Barnett reviewed welfare.
APSA president Dr Pat Mitchell of Australian Pork Limited said the 16th APSA Conference would present cutting-edge sci- ence, with speakers at the forefront of the global race to back pig production with meaningful science that not only raises questions but also answers them.
“All stakeholders in- vested in the business of producing pigs and pork, including scientists, pro- ducers, suppliers, regula- tors and associates, will be motivated, inspired and encouraged by what they will take home from APSA 2017,” Dr Mitchell said.
“Of course, the best take-home messages will be enjoyed by those who register, attend and net- work with colleagues, but for those who can’t, there is the opportunity to ac- cess the delivered science by buying the proceed- ings: ‘Manipulating Pig Production XVI’.
“By reflecting on what science has done, look- ing at what it’s now doing and, importantly, where it’s now heading, APSA effectively holds up a mir- ror to the future of pig science.”
New Zealanders Dr Lu- cy Waldron and Dr Shay Hill will edit the 2017 proceedings, which will later be published in full as a special issue of ‘Ani- mal Production Science’.
After student and in- dustry workshops on the first day of APSA 2017, Dr Ray King will deliver the AC Dunkin Memo- rial Lecture on seasonal infertility, providing col- lated information from international and Aus- tralian projects, including those commissioned by the Pig Research and De- velopment Corporation, APL and Co-operative Research Centre for High Integrity Australian Pork.
He will highlight the projects and their out- comes that have been pre- sented at APSA to assist industry to alleviate the problem of seasonal in- fertility and he will then identify potential know- ledge gaps and make rec- ommendations for future research.
“Australia’s pig indus- try has spent considerable resources addressing the issues affecting pig pro- duction during summer, yet seasonal infertility re- mains a significant issue here and in many overseas countries,” Dr King said.
“Seasonal infertility was
one of the first major pro- duction syndromes that had research outcomes presented at APSA and it is a perfect example of how even with the best intentions and substantial robust research, some is- sues continue to cause production losses.”
With Australia’s pork industry now recognised as a world leader in tran- sitioning to higher welfare and the industry’s com- mitment to cease using sow stalls from this year, the timing of Prof Alan Tilbrook’s review of ani- mal welfare underlines APSA’s commitment to providing a platform to promoting the science impacting contemporary challenges.
According to the Uni- versity of Queensland’s Prof Tilbrook, while great strides have been made in animal welfare assess- ment and attitudes to- wards facilitating positive affective states, advanced assessment methods are being developed to meet these changing demands.
His review will be a ‘where to from here’ ref- erence piece, focusing on advanced assessment con- cepts and methods as the industry strives for objec- tive assessment of animal welfare.
Other reviews at APSA 2017 include:
• Prof John O’Doherty, Professor of Monogas- tric Nutrition, University College Dublin and 2016 British Society of Animal Science Hammond award winner: ‘Current and nov- el feed additives – how they influence pig produc- tion’;
• Prof Darren Trott, Professor of Veterinary Microbiology at the Uni- versity of Adelaide: ‘The use of antimicrobials in agriculture – is agricul- ture really to blame for antimicrobial resistance?’; and
• Heather Channon, Acting Research and In- novation General Man- ager, Australian Pork Limited: ‘Eating qual- ity assurance for the pork industry. What has been achieved in 16 years?’.
A symposium on con- sumer wants will feature University of Adelaide Senior Research Associ- ate Dr Heather Bray, Sun- Pork Solutions CEO Dr Darryl D’Souza and Pork CRC PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne Evan Bittner.
Another symposium, on genetic improvement in a closed herd, will be ad- dressed by Dr Kim Bunter of the University of New
England, NSW, Prof Do- rian Garrick, Chief Sci- entific Officer, Institute of Veterinary, Animal & Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, New Zealand and Dr Matt Cul- bertson, Global Director for Product Development and Technical Services, PIC, US.
According to Dr Mitch- ell, the fact that APSA 2017 has attracted world- leading scientists in hot button issues such as pig genetics, genomics, nutri- tion, antimicrobial resist- ance, pork eating qual- ity, consumer attitudes to pork and animal welfare reflects the high profile
APSA has in the global pig science community.
For detailed speaker biographies, visit apsa. asn.au/Conference2017/ Speakers.aspx
Early bird registrations for APSA 2017 are open until September 1 and fea- ture savings of up to $300.
To register, visit yrd. currinda.com/register/ event/1085
All queries regard- ing APSA should be di- rected to APSA secre- tary Dr Cameron Ralph (08 8313 7781; Cameron. Ralph@sa.gov.au)
Principal sponsors of APSA 2017 are APL and Pork CRC.
Dr Cherie Collins of Rivalea Australia opened APSA 2015. APSA 2017, again to be held at Grand Hyatt, Melbourne, will this year be opened by APSA presi- dent Dr Pat Mitchell of APL, who has promised that the 16th APSA Biennial Conference will present cutting-edge pig science and a look into the future.
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Australian Pork Newspaper, July 2017 – Page 11
After student and industry workshops on the first day of APSA 2017, Dr Ray King will deliver the AC Dunkin Memorial Lecture on seasonal infertility. Pictured are students who participated in the 2015 APSA/APL/Pork CRC workshop.