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Ag comes together to explore trust, workforce perceptions and emerging rural issues
Research and Innovation
Pork Industry Calendar of Events
2022
OCT 18-19 – Animal Health Innovation Asia 2022 - Bangkok, Thailand. https:// animalhealthasia.com/events/animal- health-innovation-asia
OCT 20-22 – Leman China Conference & World Swine Industry Expo - Changsha, China. http://en.lemanchina.com/
NOV 10-12 – Norco Primex Field Day - Northern Rivers, NSW, Australia. https:// www.primex.net.au/
2023
JAN 10-12 – Banff Pork Seminar - Banff, Canada. https://www.banffpork.ca/
JUN 4-7 – International Symposium on Emerging and Re-emerging Pig Diseases – IMPACT Forum - Bangkok, Thailand. https:// iserpd2023bangkok.com/
JUN 7-9 – World Pork Expo - Iowa State Fairgrounds, US. https://worldpork.org/
NOV 13-16 – Australasian Pig Science Association (APSA) Conference - Brisbane, Australia. 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
REPRESENTATIVES from across the agricul- tural landscape came to- gether on August 23 at Old Parliament House to discuss the findings from two critical projects led by AgriFutures Aus- tralia.
retention was procedural fairness – or the under- standing that workers are treated fairly and feel their employer listens to their concerns.
the Emerging National Rural Issues forum, where the research and develop- ment corporations came together to discuss the fu- ture state of their indus- tries and identify oppor- tunities for collaborative action.
Both pieces of research were undertaken by Vo- coniq and led by Dr Ki- eren Moffat.
People also nominated their reasons for leaving rural industries, with the main reasons being associated with career change, advancement or retirement, unfavourable working conditions and workplace culture.
It was a good day, with 12 RDCs presenting, to- gether with the National Farmers’ Federation, the Department of Agricul- ture, Forestry and Fish- eries, Agricultural Inno- vation Australia and Ag- riFutures.
The first was the Com- munity Trust in Rural Industries project, which presented its third and final year of results, looking at what drives trust and acceptance of rural industries.
This is valuable, as with a solid level of trust, it al- lows leeway during times of crisis.
with a grant by the Fed- eral Government.
Insufficient income to meet their needs was also a reason.
This project is supported by 11 research and de- velopment corporations, including Australian Pork Limited, as well as the National Farmers’ Federa- tion and NSW Department of Primary Industries.
Without trust, if a crisis occurs, there is a high chance the relationship between the community and industries can be ir- revocably damaged.
Still to be formally de- livered and scheduled for release in October, the study surveyed the Aus- tralian community who were currently or had previously worked in the rural industries, including pork workers.
Of those surveyed, 70 percent thought that while there were meaningful ca- reers to be had in rural in- dustries, very few knew of the career paths available.
After consideration, four themes were identified – sustainability and climate, biosecurity, community and workforce, and supply chains and inputs.
This landmark project championed a collabora- tive approach to a shared problem, in that agricul- tural industries are not un- derstood or trusted by the community.
Over the years, a model was developed to show the drivers of trust and ac- ceptance, with trust being the main driver of accept- ance.
The survey looked at the attractiveness of rural work and used a similar modelling technique to the trust project to iden- tify key drivers.
This highlighted the im- portance of career profiles continually being devel- oped by Australian Pork Limited, to give people a better understanding of the potential progression in a career in pork.
These themes were de- veloped throughout the afternoon, resulting in 16 problem statements and potential projects for short to medium-term invest- ment by the RDCs.
The industry, until this project, had no under- standing if this narrative truly reflected community sentiment.
There are a group of other drivers that have less impact, including fa- miliarity with industry products, animal welfare, confidence in regulation and knowledge of rural industry challenges.
It was revealed that this connection is not only about the industries them- selves but how engaged you are on issues of in- terest to people, such as environmental steward- ship and supporting the local community.
This exercise was valu- able in showing how the findings could assist in challenging situations, it was also discussed how representative organisa- tions could take advantage of the findings from the trust project.
It was a fantastic two- day event, and a fitting example of how agricul- ture, forestry and fisheries can take on complex chal- lenges and benefit from working together.
Since the project work began over 19,000 Aus- tralians have been sur- veyed.
Unsurprisingly, young people are more cynical and critical of rural indus- tries than older citizens and hold rural industries to a higher standard, such as in the case of environ- mental responsibility.
It is an exciting time for agriculture, and I look for- ward to further develop- ments in this space.
The project comprised of three annual surveys – 2019, late 2020 and early 2022 – a ‘covid pulse’ taken in May 2020, four focal studies with specific industries and a signifi- cant amount of commu- nication and extension resources.
The research showed that a key driver of worker
The following day was
by GEMMA WYBURN
Results show that if an issue arises, a non- response by industry is more damaging of com- munity trust.
It was noted that a will- ingness to work in rural industries is highly driven by connection to land and heritage.
The afternoon explored the model in greater detail and applied learnings in how to respond to a hy- pothetical inflammatory media article.
The statements and projects were taken back to each organisation for consideration of leader- ship, involvement and in- vestment.
The study sought to understand how people think, whether it changes over time and why.
This area represents a big risk in this model if handled incorrectly but also offers opportunity for the industries to work together to make a dif- ference.
The good news is that Aussies trust rural indus- tries more than expected, with trust remaining stable at about 3.5 out of 5 across the years.
The model also showed that communities seek to address power imbalances that affect their lives with the industries near them.
Interestingly, accept- ance of rural industries has seen a bump due to COVID-19, which appears to have been sustained with the year three results, with an average score of 3.8 out of 5.
For the pork industry, this may manifest as com- plaints against industry activities, such as odour, dust and noise.
The forum then moved on to discuss the results of the Workforce Percep- tions Project – developed
Representatives from research and development corporations and industry groups came together to discuss the findings from two critical projects.
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