Page 8 - Australian Pork Newspapaper

Innovation Plan gears up
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JUNE is a pretty special month for me.
the (virtual) room, lots of ideas can be generated and developed into inno- vation concepts.
fied several concepts including muscle fibre importance on eating quality; intramuscular fat- ness as a factor in eating quality and flavour and industry recommended use of Improvac based on economics and boar taint control.
It signifies the official start of winter, which usu- ally includes the end of any seasonal infertility with matings easy to achieve, the commence- ment of a new financial year just around the corner, and pork roasts.
The evaluation of short- listed concepts by pro- ducers has been equally enlightening.
This year it heralds the fruition of the APL In- novation Plan.
I especially want to recognise and thank the producers and researchers who gave up their time to contribute.
And within the Climate Friendly Farming pro- gram we are identifying options for effluent mon- itoring of nutrients and feed waste for continual output reporting; pre- paring concepts into pro- jects that will provide in- formation on soil carbon levels, GHG emissions and utilisation of alterna- tive ingredients and waste streams.
by ROB SMITS
Having a gestation more along the lines of an el- ephant than a sow, the Innovation Plan will see the commencement of APL’s Horizon Programs into Animal Health and Reduced Feed Costs as part of our Strategic In- tent into Farm COP.
• Develop
mercially demonstrate smart monitoring sys- tems, which act as early warning alerts
It was a positive con- tribution to APL and the industry by you.
With the input of en- gaged producers from a range of herd sizes, we have taken the prioritised concepts on Better Pig Health into the research invitation stage.
• Develop industry re- source material and com- mercial demonstration of the latest technology in pen cleaning, pen de- contamination, and long- acting disinfectants to reduce pathogen load be- tween cleaning cycles.
As part of the Innova- tion Plan process, our aim is to bring the producer and wider industry en- gagement in early, rather than wait until the re- search is completed and available for adoption.
WeareinStage2ofthe Truck Wash and Move- ments project - practical solutions and require- ments as well as Data Driven Risk Management - development of mobile apps for visitation and truck movement trace- ability.
More details will be published in this tome in the months ahead. Goodbye and best of luck to Dr Lechelle van Breda
There will be four key areas of research and in- novation to deliver Pig Health impactful out- comes:
The Design Led Idea- tion workshop that was held into Reducing Feed Costs was the second arrow in the quiver to tackle farm costs.
The input and feedback from the new process is very encouraging.
Lechelle has finished her work as the Manager - Production Stewardship at APL after four years.
• Develop penside diag- nostic pathogen testing for early disease detection
The two Ideation Work- shops conducted so far, on Zoom and using on- line rooms and breakout sessions, have proved that with the right people in
For the Quality Pork Eating Experience pro- gram we have identi-
Lechelle commenced at APL in May 2017 taking on a short-term role to fill in for Ashley Norval.
• Develop and improve efficacy of single dose vaccines
APL is currently short- listing these to four or five for industry review and feedback.
In Biosecurity, we have moved onto projects in Stage 2 for the Destruc- tion, Disposal, Decon- tamination practical solu- tions and demonstration.
Out of over 300 ideas, 23 have been developed
Under the tutelage of Dr Pat Mitchell, Lech- elle rose to the occasion of full-time Production Stewardship Manager, and found her feet in of- fices of government regu- lators, experts in quality assurance, farmers, and industry veterinarians.
and com-
into possible Opportunity Concepts to develop inno- vative research programs and strategies.
Programs other than COP are now taking shape in the Innovation Plan and Research Pro- gram.
Unlike some of us, she was able to always main- tain her poise and dig- nity, and so was extremely valuable to the industry.
Launching from Pat’s passion of antimicrobial resistance and AM Stew- ardship, Lechelle devel- oped many research pro- jects in the area with a new crop of students and researchers.
After Pat left, Heather Channon and new CEO Margo Andrae guided her into the new role of ASF Manager and Biosecurity Leader for APL in 2019.
Lechelle is highly re- spected by the national CVO and Commonwealth heads of department and also right through to small pig keepers.
She is also very funny, private apart to a select few, easy to be stuck in an airport lounge with a glass of red wine, and hilariously hopeless in navigational skills.
Everyone at APL wishes Lechelle the very best in her new adventures, and I am sure the readers of APN and the pig industry do too.
APL will fill her posi- tion with the right ap- plicant, and in the mean- time, we have structured a Biosecurity Steering Committee.
This committee covers Research, Policy, Pro- ducer Relations and Com- munications.
Page 8 – Australian Pork Newspaper, June 2021
Between us, and with the help of producers, transporters, processors and researchers, our goal of being free of exotic dis- ease will be achieved.
APL will continue to support the wonderful work of the ASF Industry Technical Committee, chaired by Dr Ross Cutler.
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