Page 5 - Australian Pork Newspaper

Industry salutes departing Smith
AUSTRALIAN Pork “It’s not often we get He also oversaw all prior to joining APL in
Limited has recently farewelled widely re- spected team member Peter Smith, after 16 years with the organisa- tion.
to celebrate the contribu- tion of a person who has served Australia’s pig pro- ducers for more than 16 years,” Mr Haydon said.
channel marketing and then took responsibility for international mar- keting, before success- fully establishing APL’s producer relations team earlier this year.
2004, and that affinity for producers and industry businesses was always evident.
Following his partner Chris Sturrock to Geneva for her commencement with the World Health Or- ganisation, Mr Smith was due to leave for Europe earlier in the year, but COVID-19 travel restric- tions meant he remained in Australia and with APL for longer than initially planned.
“Peter has always encap- sulated APL’s desire to have a human approach to producer relations, and in fact to all relationships across the industry.
At the time of his de- parture from APL, he was producer relations director.
“He was a huge asset for APL and the industry more broadly, and leaves a wonderful legacy.”
APL executive general manager operations Peter Haydon said Mr Smith had earned a reputation as a dedicated and con- sultative team member, who was generous with his time and interactions with APL colleagues and producers.
In his time with APL, Mr Smith held a number of roles and responsibili- ties.
“Just this year when COVID-19 grounded in- ternational airfreight, Peter was instrumental in keeping exports of Aus- tralian pork flying out to Singapore and other important overseas mar- kets.”
“The last 16 years have been full of amazing experiences, and even from Switzerland I will be keeping a keen eye on how the industry is going in the future,” Mr Smith said.
MORE than 2.5 bil- lion layer hens, meat chickens, pigs, turkeys and farmed Atlantic salmon have now ben- efitted from higher wel- fare farming conditions through the continued efforts of the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme.
of our favourite restau- rants.”
Announced to coincide with World Farm Animal Day on October 2, the latest statistics highlight the positive impact of the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme, which is Australia’s leading an- imal welfare certification program.
The RSPCA has an- imal welfare standards for laying hens, meat chickens, turkeys, pigs and farmed Atlantic salmon, and they focus on providing good housing conditions specific for these animals.
“The scale of Australian animals farmed to the RSPCA’s higher welfare standards clearly illus- trates the sheer number of lives positively impacted by the scheme,” Mr Mus- sell said.
“The rigorous assess- ment process behind the scenes is a critical aspect of the scheme.”
“We know consumers care about farm animal welfare and want greater assurance about how the food on their plate is farmed.
The COVID-19 pan- demic had heightened focus on supply chains and interest in farming practices from consumers seeking assurance.
“Independent certifica- tion is the best way of guaranteeing welfare and, with the RSPCA Ap- proved Farming Scheme, Australians are fortunate to have a logo they can trust, to find eggs, meat and fish that have come from a farm with a focus on animal welfare.
“Through the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme, we are proud to work with dedicated farmers and forward- thinking brands who have raised the bar for farm animal welfare in our country,” Mr Mussell said.
“RSPCA Approved products are now widely available in supermarkets, convenience stores and are on the menu at some
“It’s also now easier than ever for Austral- ians to choose humanely farmed products and that is having a big impact on how millions of animals are farmed every year.”
“We know his work in listening to feedback from producers and sharing market movements with stakeholders was highly valued by our levy payers.”
“In each of his varied roles, Peter was quick to help, particularly in times of crisis,” Mr Haydon said.
On his final day with APL, Mr Smith said he would always have very strong memories of his time working on behalf of Australia pork producers.
These included sup- porting state managers, overseeing retailer re- lationships with Wool- worths and managing APL’s market reporting.
“He has had a long in- volvement with Australian farmers, working in ag- ricultural supply chains
“It has been a great privilege to work with a terrific bunch of people, both at APL and across the industry, for such a long time.”
Farewell to Peter Smith.
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In 2019 alone, more than 174,000 layer hens, 509 million meat chickens, 116,000 pigs, 122,000 turkeys and 4.7 million farmed Atlantic salmon were raised to the RSP- CA’s detailed higher wel- fare standards.
“Importantly, RSPCA Australia works collabo- ratively with farmers and industry to ensure not only do the RSPCA’s standards improve welfare for farm animals, but they’re also attainable in Australia,” Mr Mussell said.
RSPCA Australia’s chief executive officer Richard Mussell said the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme is intended to im- prove the lives of as many farm animals as possible.
“All eligible farms are assessed against these standards by trained RSPCA assessors, who visit all participating farms two to four times a year.
www.porknews.com.au
Find out more by vis- iting rspcaapproved.org. au
Australian Pork Newspaper, November 2020 – Page 5