Australian Pork Newapaper

Phone: 07 4697 3344 • Fax 07 4697 3532
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Vol 23. No. 11 November 2019 Australian Pork Newspaper PO Box 387 Cleveland 4163 Phone (07) 3286 1833 Fax (07) 3821 2637 Email ben@porknews.com.au
Boehringer Ingelheim Swine Academy
Stepping up the fight against swine fever
ON October 22 I had the valuable opportu- nity to represent our industry at Senate Es- timates by participat- ing in the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Commit- tee’s hearings.
The invitation was a timely chance to high- light to senators the action being taken, es- pecially by producers and Australian Pork Limited, to prevent African swine fever from reaching Austral- ia and decimating our industry.
Speaking on behalf of Australia’s 3700 pork producers, our sector’s 36,000 em- ployees and all the families deriving their livelihoods from our $5.3 billion industry, I painted a clear pic- ture for the Committee about what is at stake.
Australia’s pig in- dustry has been scru- tinised publicly for many years.
We’ve embraced that scrutiny and we’re proud of where the in- dustry stands today.
As I told the Com- mittee, producers must be commended for in- vesting in new produc- tion methods and mak- ing Australian pork an environmentally and ethically sustainable industry.
Collectively, we’ve reduced our carbon footprint by 70 per- cent, our water use by 80 percent and produc- ers are adopting tech- nology to make further sustainability progress, including on-farm waste management and electricity generation.
Point of View
by MARGO ANDRAE CEO
Our animal welfare standards and out- comes, namely the practical ways we manage the wellbeing of sows and piglets, is a journey we’re proud of and one we will con- tinue to advance.
Australian pork pro- ducers demonstrate the highest level of ani- mal biosecurity of any livestock industry in Australia.
So much depends on our disease-free status in terms of our pro- duction capacity, our market access and our consumer reputation.
I made it clear that all this progress and value is now at stake, re- minding the Commit- tee that the estimated economic cost of ASF reaching Australia is $2 billion.
In explaining just how devastating an ASF outbreak in Aus- tralia would be for producers and employ- ees, I asked senators to imagine the sort of lasting financial, so- cial and emotional toll we normally associate with the worst kind of natural disasters.
APL is grateful for the co-ordination tak- ing place between in-
dustry and government agencies such as the special Biosecurity Roundtable we attend- ed with PorkSA Chair Mark McLean in Can- berra in September, convened by Federal Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie.
The collaboration of agencies and indus- try groups has given us an opportunity to strengthen our broader biosecurity measures, beyond the immediate focus on ASF.
As I reminded sena- tors, if foot and mouth disease reached Aus- tralia, it would be cata- strophic for our entire livestock industry, with estimated eco- nomic costs of $50 bil- lion over 10 years.
Federal efforts to hold back African swine fever have sparked a 15 percent increase in biosecurity testing and we welcome the recent deportation of a Vietnamese woman who was caught carry- ing more than 4.5kg of pork product.
Such action sends a strong message to trav- ellers.
This co-ordination, including the impera- tives of overcoming
cross-jurisdictional overlap between states and agencies, means we are now better placed than we were just a month ago in terms of securing our national biosecurity.
APL is play- ing a leading role in strengthening national biosecurity measures because we’re at the frontline in this battle.
We’re determined to continue to play a lead- ingrole.
From an on-property perspective, producers know their front gate is the last line of defence in the fight against ASF.
With fragments of the virus detected in a large number of prod- ucts seized at the bor- der, farmers also know our nation’s first line of defence will never provide a fool-proof safety net.
On-farm biosecu- rity measures, which already represent best practice, are now at un- precedented levels.
It is no surprise pro- ducers are so deter- mined to secure their farms, their pig herds and their families’ livelihoods.
APL is determined to keep this devastat- ing disease away from Australia’s pig farms and, as I communi- cated to Coalition, Labor and crossbench representatives at the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee hearing, we’re grateful for the emphatic bipartisan support producers are receiving in this fight.
FOLLOWING the suc- cess of the Boehringer Ingelheim Swine Acad- emy Production Econom- ics program last year, Boehringer recently held the first BISA Lead pro- gram in Australia.
This global program spans over two days and is designed for swine pro- fessionals in leadership roles.
The course aims to pro- vide participants with val- uable insights and tools for people management they
can take back to their daily lives.
Joining the Australian Swine Team were 15 pro- ducers, two veterinarians, and Boehringer’s facilita- tor Dr Larry Firkins, an American swine veterinar- ian and Associate Dean of the University of Illinois.
During the program, Larry shared his story on people management, which helped to link ideas and management strategies with practical application.
He also led activities to
develop participants’ skills on how to transition em- ployees into team mem- bers, accelerating influ- ence and impact, as well as understanding motiva- tion to enhance employee training and retention.
Feedback for the hands- on training program has been very positive, and the two-day course has given customers the opportunity to network with others in the swine industry.
www.boehringer-ingel heim.com.au
Implementing our new R&D investment model
IN February 2019, the Australian Pork Limited Board endorsed the rec- ommendations from the Innovation and R&D Review to adopt a new R&D investment model that sets a new, fresh ap- proach in how we will invest, deliver and com- mercialise outcomes from our R&D invest- ments.
The ‘Industry Solu- tions and Horizons’ model, which I briefly described to you in my March 2019 APN arti- cle, will enable APL to
engage more closely and effectively with industry, modernise our processes and improve the return on investment to levy pay-
ers from funds invested in research, development and extension (RD&E) projects.
☛ continued P2
by HEATHER CHANNON Research and Innovation General Manager
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