Australian Pork Newspaper

Phone: 07 4697 3344 • Fax 07 4697 3532
www.stockyardindustries.com
Vol 24. No. 8 August 2020 Australian Pork Newspaper PO Box 162 Wynnum 4178 Phone (07) 3286 1833 Email ben@collins.media
Belinda, a WOHO member and Co Head Chef at Bar Rochford, loves the support- ive and fun atmosphere of her job, and this shows that prospective young women can have a great job at a great restaurant.
One year on: ASF, a global pandemic and an ambitious new plan
Point of View
by MARGO ANDRAE CEO
AUGUST marks the anniversary of my start as Chief Execu- tive Officer at Aus- tralian Pork Limited.
late 2019, we did things differently.
I thought a move out of the cattle industry into pigs would be a re- freshing change, which it has been.
Our conversations with our producers and industry stakeholders outlined the impor- tance of a thriving Aus- tralian pork industry.
Australia was only just becoming aware of what African swine fever was, we didn’t know a whole lot about feral pigs and of course had no inkling a global pandemic would be upon us by early 2020.
has continued its spread, with detection in India and floods in China causing a resur- gence there.
focus was on the food- service trade, exports and shifts in our mar- keting campaigns, more recently out- breaks in processing plants and border clo- sures have caused ad- ditional challenges for our producers.
The new Strategic Plan recognises the in- dustry’s achievements, such as 35 percent fresh pork consump- tion growth in the past 10 years, impressive gains in productivity, industry value growth, improved animal wel- fare and piggeries using 60 percent less carbon.
The ACIL Allen re- port of late 2019 esti- mated an ASF outbreak in Australia would cost more than $2.03 bil- lion.
It’s a reminder that while COVID-19 has the world’s attention, the threat of ASF re- mains.
The new plan builds on this success with priorities including making pork Austral- ia’s preferred protein, increasing productivity and market diversifica- tion.
This, teamed with ASF detections in nearby countries to ours, put biosecurity at the fore in late 2019.
After a horrific summer of bushfires, climate change was top of mind in early 2020 as we began to finalise our Strategic Plan for the next five years.
I have been proud of the work APL has done to advocate on behalf of industry, supply chain and foodservice to navigate the diffi- culties and address the significant anxiety around the risks of fur- ther restrictions being implemented.
The industry’s cli- mate-friendly farming practices are a focus as we strive to be zero waste by 2025.
While we had begun preparedness work, what the disease would mean for our industry and global protein supply made headlines.
Come February, our focus quickly shifted to a human disease in China and what that might mean for our exports, and incoming tourist and food service industries.
Amid all this, last month reports of a new swine flu being detected in China re- ceived significant at- tention.
The goals are sup- ported by our APL team, which has now realigned to be more producer-focused and proactive.
Additional federal government funds were announced, including $66 million for bios- ecurity initiatives.
Little did we realise that within a month, the country would be in lockdown and a global pandemic declared.
This is what we need to deliver on with our new Strategic Plan, but the new structure has also enabled us to navigate the chal- lenges 2020 continues to throw at us.
This included ex- panding our remit to address the problem of Australia’s 25 million feral pigs – a real threat to our industry.
Over the past five months, since COVID-19 has been in Australia, the pork industry and its supply chain have worked harder than ever to nav- igate the challenges the pandemic and its re- strictions have thrown at us.
We continue to liaise with the Department of Agriculture and An- imal Health Australia about the research referenced in news re- ports, but we need to make it clear that in- fluenza viruses are not transmitted through the consumption of pig products.
More recently, col- laboration with the federal government has supported two new in- dustry liaison officers to help us better sup- port producers’ mitiga- tion efforts.
When we undertook consultation on the new APL Strategic Plan in
It’s been a chal- lenging first year to say the least, but one that has demonstrated the true strength, agility and innovation of the Australian pork in- dustry.
This comes as ASF
While initially our
Second round of Women in Hospitality Mentor Program
FOLLOWING the suc- Proudly sponsored by
(Abby Roennfeldt), the first female-owned spirits distribution company in Australia, and the first dis- tributor ever to represent 100 percent Australian- made and Australian- owned craft spirits.
cess of the Women in Hospitality Mentor Pro- gram launch in February 2020, the program is back!
JRM Hospitality Recruit- ment, this is a national launch event and par- ticipants can meet the newest mentor and mentee matches for another round of the 6-12 month program.
This August, WOHO cel- ebrate the second round of the program with a virtual event to bring to- gether mentors, mentees and members across the country in one place!
WOHO are delighted to announce that the event will be hosted by National Brand Ambassador for Nip of Courage JustAbby
The aim of the program is to provide WOHO mem- bers with an opportunity to be inspired and gain hands-on experience and guidance from industry in- fluencers and leaders.
WOHO member Cassie started her career as an apprentice in some of Sydney’s best fine dining res- taurants.
For more information visit events.humantix.com/ woho-mentor-program-au gust-intake
They have cast the net wide in their search for mentors to ensure a di- verse cross section of the industry is represented and the calibre is exceptionally high.
Welcomed by WOHO Directors Lisa Hobbs and Claire Van Vuuren, the event brings together likeminded individuals at every level – back of house, front of house or those in administration roles.
Applications for both mentors and mentees are open, and all are encour- aged to apply.
THE STOCKYARD FARROWING CRATE SYSTEM
• Made to proven European standards
• Crate is hot-dipped galvanised
• Rear entry, front exit. Crate side is easily removed
• SS feeder, either crystal spring or SS bucket feeder
• Width adjustable at the front and rear without tools • Comes with SS water pipe as standard
• Plastic front corner creep cover
• Various ooring options available including cast iron
Stockyard Industries 54 King Street,
Clifton QLD 4361
07 4697 3344
www.stockyardindustries.com
www.porknews.com.au