January/February 2016

porkjournalwww.primarymedia.com.au

Volume 38 Issue 1

PrintPost Approved PP10003090 ISSN 1032 3759

Pork CRC pushing Australian pork producers onto world stage

Festschrift honouring Professor John L Black

Tender Gourmet Butchery adapts traditional approach to internet age

1. Ferrel, J.E. et al (2014). 2. Hsiao, H.-Y. et al (2006). 3. Daskiran, M., et al (2004). 4. Lee, J. et al (2003). Elanco®, Hemicell® and the diagonal bar are all trademarks owned or licensed by Eli Lilly and Company, its subsidiaries or affiliates. ©2015 Elanco Animal Health. All rights reserved. EAH15257 AUSWIHEM00032

Up to 3% of total metabolisable energy in grains and oilseeds can be lost by pigs mounting

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Page 8: Tender Gourmet Butchery adpats traditional approach to internet age By Peter Bedwell

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Professor John L Black.

January/February 2016Volume 38 Issue 1

NEW PRODUCTS

Page 4: Festschrift honouring Professor John L Black

Page12: Australian Steelers set to host international butchers’ challenge in Queensland.

Page 16: Pork CRC pushing Australian pork producers onto world stage

Page17: Pork CRC productively enhancing pig welfare

Page 18: Guest speakers announced for ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference

Page 20: APL supports butchers and their businesses

Page 21: Alarming antibiotic resistance discovery in China

Page 22: Roxell expands its feed transport system with the Flex-Auger High Capacity and High Run Time1. Ferrel, J.E. et al (2014). 2. Hsiao, H.-Y. et al (2006). 3. Daskiran, M., et al (2004). 4. Lee, J. et al (2003). Elanco®, Hemicell® and the diagonal bar are all

trademarks owned or licensed by Eli Lilly and Company, its subsidiaries or affiliates. ©2015 Elanco Animal Health. All rights reserved. EAH15257 AUSWIHEM00032

Up to 3% of total metabolisable energy in grains and oilseeds can be lost by pigs mounting

a feed-induced immune response caused by beta-mannans found in all feedstuffs.1-3 Hemicell

HT is a natural ‘energy sparing’ enzyme that breaks down beta-mannans, preventing the

feed-induced immune response and making more energy available for growth.4 Contact

Elanco and find out how Hemicell HT can help your business to produce more full value pigs

by improving feed efficiency, weight gain and carcase quality, naturally.

Same grain, more gain

Hemicell HT

www.elanco.com.au1800 226 324

NEWS

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Festschrift honouring Prof John L Black AM

Roger Campbell and Professor Ian Williams, ‘Nutritional principles, modeling and research management – an overview of John Black’s contribution to animal science’.

Dr Campbell mentioned initiatives such as, ‘energy and protein metabolism’, and that John Black had made nutrition of monogastrics simple and modeled performance and economics.

“He combined the basic biology with the environment and market to highlight research needs and economics of production systems with his AUSPIG initiative.

“He combined grain science with Near Infrared Spectroscomy (NIRS) and demonstrated that ‘grains aint grains’.

“He helped to develop a rapid method for determining their nutritive values for different species,” Dr Campbell said.

“Identifying key concepts and their implications, John triggered debate and some levels of disbelief which lead to studies on the reasons things happen, and away from traditional requirement work for many species.

“An example being that the ‘genotype is a dud’, and why.

“His research spurned some classic science when metabolism modifiers became available and finally, his research work is now inherent in the methodology of diet formulation and how animals are fed.

Speaking about basic nutrition and feed formulation, Dr Campbell mentioned, “the expression of amino acid requirement per unit of dietary energy for younger pigs.

“The senselessness of increasing dietary amino acid levels to improve performance when feed intake is reduced during the summer period for younger pigs, and being able to understand why pigs differ and to

A Festschrift to honour the work and life of Professor John L Black AM, one of Australia’s foremost scientists and animal nutritionists was held at the Camden Campus of Sydney University on February17-18 2016.

Friends, colleagues and family members from around the world gathered to celebrate the 45 year commitment that John Black has dedicated to animal science and its application.

The scientific papers from presentations delivered at the event will be published in ‘Animal Production Science’ later in 2016 but Pork Journal was privileged to be able to attend the presentations from scientists and friends who have worked with and benefitted from the long career and dedication of John Black.

Professor Rob van Barneveld and members of his company’s staff were a driving force behind the event and Rob briefly explained the long tradition of the Festschrift.

“It is,” Rob said, “A volume compiled as a tribute, especially to a scholar, consisting of articles or essays relating to the honouree’s work or interests”.

A little research conducted by Pork Journal reveals that the Festschrift, in more recent times, has been a largely German tradition, but its origins may go back to the days of the Roman Empire.

“The two day Festschrift for John Black had only been possible through the generous support of many sponsors,” Rob said.

They were Australian Pork Limited, The Pork CRC, Jefo, SunPork Farms, the Poultry CRC, Elanco, Zoetis, Kemin, AB Vista, Dairy Australia, Rivalea Australia, Adisseo, DSM, Lallemand, Alltech, EW Nutrition, Biomin, Feedworks, RIRDC, Zinpro and John McLeish.

One of the noticeable features of the large audience that filled the Veterinary Conference Centre at the University of Sydney Campus, was the number of young scientists present, all born long after John Black started his long career.

Graham Faichney, a leading Australian researcher who was for many years a senior member of the CSIRO, mentioned some of John Black’s early research career.

The first revelation of the event was that John Black’s career started by developing a nutritional model for sheep and that he quickly adapted this model for pigs, the result being the Auspig program that laid one of the key foundation principles of modern pig nutrition in Australia.

All this and more were a feature of the first paper of the event delivered by Dr

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1: Professor Black is presented with a bottle of single malt by his friend Professor Ian Williams. 2. Professor Tim Prettigrew. 3. Professor Wayne Bryden.

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NEWS1

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1: Veterans from the PRDC days. LtoR: Rob Wilson, DR Roger Campbell, Prof John Black, Tony Peacock, Wayne Bradshaw and Mike Taverner. 2. Pierre Cronje. 3. John Pluske. 4. Mike Gidley.

troubleshoot performance problems.”In concluding Dr Campbell stated that,

“John Black’s contributions to the pork industry have resulted in the development of people and technologies that all positively affect the innovativeness and competitiveness of the industry.

“Better still is the fact that John is still working with other researchers on further enhancing animal performers in the areas of feed intake, feed utilisation and immunity.

“The pork industry is indebted to him,” Dr Campbell concluded.

Long time friend and fellow researcher Ian Williams, Professor at the University of Western Australia, spoke about their early days as students and subsequent research projects and adventures exploring Western Australia.

He mentioned early research on nitrogen balance and the digestible protein energy in lambs and the partition of energy within the animal fed a protein sufficient diet.

This path of research later extended to other species including pigs.

Eugeni Roura from the Queensland Alliance for Agricultural and Food Innovation based at The University of Queensland, spoke next on the topic of ‘Physiological and metabolic control of diet selection’.

Professor Frank Dunshea from the Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences at The University of Melbourne explained the ‘Role of the gut, melanocortin system and malonyl-CoA in control of food intake’.

He related this paper to, “a key interest of John Black’s which has been the ‘ileal brake’, which occurs in response to sensing of undigested nutrients at the terminal ileum resulting in the secretion of anorexigenic factors and an inhibition of feed intake.

“In this review, we will discuss the interaction between the gut and the hypothalamus in the regulation of feed intake and present some opportunities for exploiting this knowledge in farm animals,” he said.

Mike Gidley from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, University of Queensland, spoke about the ‘Protection of alpha-amylase from the proteolysis by adsorption to feed components in vitro and in vivo’.

Benefits from this research could include, “maximising ileal DE and minimising FCR in pigs, generate factors affecting starch digestion in grains, and influence of non-substrate binding of enzymes,” Mike suggested.

In the next session chairman Professor Wayne Bryden from the University of Queensland introduced a speaker who shed light on aspects of John Black other than animal nutrition.

John has developed an interest in the aboriginal rock art located on the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia.

This unique art form is possibly one of the oldest forms of human record on the planet and some of the artwork could be more than 50,000 years old.

Despite the promises of the Barnett WA government to protect this site, that government has, according to John Black, not only allowed numerous developments including the construction of an ammonium nitrate explosives plant just a few kilometers away, it has been less than forthcoming with the results of research conducted to demonstrate that emission from that plant and other developments won’t affect the rock art.

Dr Lyndy Scott, who is very much involved with the Burrup Peninsula and its truly unique ancient treasure trove, has been helped by the sharp researcher’s skills of John Black to better access the real risk to the survival of the rock art.

John believes that the corrosive nature of emissions from the ammonium nitrate plant could destroy these millennia old artifacts in just a few years.

One suspects that any government official who is less than helpful with what should be publicly available information is going to find that John Black doesn’t accept a negative response where research close to his heart is concerned.

Pierre Cronje, an industry consultant from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, is always an exciting presenter of any research that intrigues him, and his paper, ‘The essential role of methyl donors in animal productivity’ opened up questions on a major problem for livestock producers.

“A deficiency of methyl donors may promote an inflammatory state, which is significant for livestock industries because chronic low grade inflammation is widespread among livestock under commercial conditions,” he said.

John Pluske from the School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch

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CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 w

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Tender Gourmet Butchery adapts traditional approach to internet age

A dam Stratton’s Tender Gourmet

Butchery located in the busy Westfield Shopping Centre in Hornsby, looks like any traditional best butchers shop, but owner Adam Stratton has adapted his business for a computer savvy clientele.

On reflection, visiting Adam’s shop on a Friday mid-morning at the bustling Westfield Mall might not have been the best timing.

Five blokes in traditional butchers’ garb were flat out wrapping, packing and stacking yet the foot traffic, though constant, didn’t seem to match the frenetic level of activity.

However, while a couple of busy guys were looking after customers on the premises the others were working with Adam who was glued to his IPhone.

“We send text messages to our loyal customer base on a Thursday, detailing specials, new products and other incentives and they just text back their orders. It’s simple but it sure works,” Adam explained in a brief lull.

An inspection of the comprehensive range of meats and meat products reveals an array of not only the

traditional meat cuts but many pre-prepared products that just require oven heating or pan or griddle cooking.

“The pulled pork meat pies are a hot item at the moment and customers see them as good value at four for $20,” Adam said. “We make sure that with each tray sold we place a sticky pad message with precise cooking instructions – brush with milk then 35 minutes at 180 degrees in the oven.

“While the product is seen as a winner by the customers, it’s good for our business too.

“We use pork neck as the meat base and add other ingredients to produce a tasty, easy to prepare meal – a 21st century approach to an Aussie favourite – the meat pie,” Adam explained.

“You have to recognise that all basic meats and particularly lamb and beef, have become very expensive, so

By PETER BEDWELL

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FEATURE

Top left: Traditional meat cuts as well as pre-prepared meals. Top right: Taking orders over the phone pays off. Above: The delicious pulled pork pie.

if we can use cuts that may not be so popular when sold just as a basic meat meal in our pies and other pre-prepared products, then we keep consumers happy while maintaining a profitable business.”

Not to be thought of as prejudiced, Pork Journal sampled the filling created for a lamb based pie using lamb shanks as the basis. It is, not surprisingly, a top seller.

“Our competition is not just the big retailers with their pre-packaged meat but also fast food and takeaway outlets.

“If we can generate the basis of a gourmet meal for $5, we can take on our competition and build our business,” Adam said.

He and his growing team are certainly building the business. There are now three busy shops, all in or near major shopping centres at Warringah Mall and Bondi Junction.

“Convenience is critical and the combination of pre-prepared dishes and home delivery has become the basis for our success as a business.

“We have become involved in a lot of outside catering activity and our name and capacity to service all tastes and budgets is certainly driving growth.

“In Hornsby we have a multicultural client base and have benefitted from offering a Sang Choy Bow spicy sausage style filling – just add your own fresh lettuce.

“Our gourmet sausage range which includes our award winning pork, truffle and provolone cheese is a good seller, as is our basic Pommy pork banger.”

Along with use of text messages, Adam has invested in a good website that is well designed and easy to use (tendergourmetbutchery.com.au).

“I was also a member of the team that competed in the Tri-Nations Competition for butchers from Australia, New Zealand and the UK and activities like that help me sharpen our business approach,” Adam explained.

“There has been quite a bit of comment in the press recently about how smaller businesses like ours can survive when competing with ‘big retail’.

“The simple fact of the matter is that our shops are all located near major supermarkets and let’s face it, a large proportion of shoppers visit the big malls because the supermarkets are located there.

“We just have to offer a product that attracts them and by offering innovation and better service, keep our clients coming back either on foot or on-line,” Adam said.

Pork Journal leaves Adam and his

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staff to an increasingly busy morning and for lunch we sample the pulled pork pie cooked as instructed – sensational!

The simple initiative of offering precise cooking/preparation instructions at the point of sale, ensures that his customers get the best experience out of his innovative product range.

There has been much said in recent times about on-line versus in-store shopping.

Some major retailers have either failed to offer an on-line presence that suits consumers or just resisted changing a retailing method that probably pre-dates the ancient Romans.

Adam has used a traditional ‘high street’ location to attract customers who are known to shop with their eyes before opening their purses or wallets, with high levels of in-store service and product innovation.

On top of this customer base, he has truly exploited the advantages of the digital age offering quality, convenience and value.

Our new Prime Minister exhorts Australian businesses to be more agile.

While Mr Turnbull might be finding it harder to achieve the levels of agility he would prefer for his government, the Tender Gourmet Butchery seems to have hit the nail on the head with its operational strategies.

Adam Stratton has created a business with the ability to quickly develop new products that suit an ever changing market and then efficiently deliver them to their client base when and where they want them.

Rather than Adam worrying about ‘big retail’ maybe they should be more worried about him and his thriving butchers shops.

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Top: Last year’s team which included (LtoR) Matthew Papandrea, Adam Stratton, Tom Bouchier, Ben Barrow, Paul Brady and Michael James. This year’s line-up has two new members, Necta Papanicolaou and Colin Garrett and four from last year. Below: Members of the Australian team competing at last year’s event in New Zealand, which the Kiwis won.

NEWSAustralian Steelers set to host international butchers’ challenge in QueenslandQueensland will host the World Butchers’ Challenge this September and the Australian team has just been named.

Formerly the TriNations international butchery competition between Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain, the contest has grown with France joining this year.

Teams of six butchers will go head to head in a three-hour test of skills, innovation and presentation.

Team selection took place late last month with some of Australia’s top butchers vying for roles on the 2016 team.

Representing Australia this year will be:• Michael James, Carina North Quality Meats, QLD (Captain)• Tom Bouchier, Peter Bouchier Butchers of Distinction, VIC• Adam Stratton, Tender Gourmet Butchery Hornsby, NSW• Colin Garrett, Colin’s Butchery, NSW• Necta Papanicolaou, Dulwich Hill Gourmet Meats, NSW• Paul Brady, Tender Gourmet Butchery Macquarie, NSW

Michael James is captain for the fourth year and is in his fifth year of competition.

“I’m proud to be an Australian Steeler and look forward to working

with the team as we step up our skills, our products and our presentation in the lead up to this year’s competition,” Mr James said.

“We have a couple of new members on this team as well as some experienced competitors and I think that mix will work well for us.

“With the World Butchers’ Challenge being held in Queensland this September, we hope members of the public will come out to support us as we compete. It would be wonderful to topple the Kiwi team, the Sharp Blacks, and claim victory.”

Australian Pork Limited General Manager of Marketing, Peter Haydon, congratulated the team members on their selection.

“Australian Pork is pleased to be sponsoring this team for the second year,” he said.

“Last year we saw a high calibre of products being created by the team, including some wonderful pork, and I have no doubt the bar will rise again in 2016. We wish the Australian Steelers all the best as they prepare for the competition.”

The World Butchers’ Challenge will be held in Queensland at the Gold Coast Convention Centre on Saturday, 10 September, after a five-day study tour.

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NEWS

University, WA spoke about ‘Manipulating the immune system and particularly to the production of PGE9’.

There followed a Festschrift dinner held at the Sydney University Grandstand Sports Bar and Function Centre.

Friends and family members, including his daughters, recorded family life and the often hilarious ups and downs of living with a driven genius!

It had been revealed that a further interest of John Black was for the ‘water of life’, i.e single malt whiskey.

At the dinner he was presented with a Talisker Single malt by his long time friend Ian Williams.

The following day Professor Rob van Barneveld presented a paper prepared by himself and Hadden Graham from AB Vista, ‘Predicting the nutritional quality of grains for pigs using NIR S and chemical analysis’.

“The potential to utilise NIRS to predict the in-vivo digestible energy in cereal grains for pigs was first published in the late 1990s and stimulated significant investment from the Australian livestock and grains sectors in further development of assays.

“Under the auspices of John Black, through what became the ‘Premium Grains for Livestock Program’, work commenced on an extensive series of reviews to establish what was already understood about variation in available energy for various livestock species.

“For pigs, DE in cereals was shown to vary by more than 4MJ/kg as fed, highlighting the economic significance for a rapid assay,” Rob explained.

The next paper, prepared by Rob Manning of the WA Department of Agriculture and Food, Plant Biosecurity and delivered by John Black, ‘Artificial feeding of honey bees based on an understanding of nutritional principles’ once again highlighted John Black’s wide ranging enthusiasms for a range of species critical to Australian agricultural production.

Professor Jim Pettigrew from the University of Illinois, USA travelled with his wife Cinda to Australia to be present at John Black’s Festschrift.

A globally recognised scientist involved in pig production, Prof Pettigrew emphasized ‘The essential role for simulation models in pig production’.

“Simulation models have been used productively to aid understanding of animal biology and production systems,” he said.

“Emphasis here is on pig growth models, but the principles apply also to other species and other outcomes.

Main applications for such models are direct use within a production system, indirect use across production systems and guidance for research.

“Most useful models are dynamic and mechanistic: most are deterministic but some gain added utility from stochasticity.

“Several pig growth models have predicted growth rate, feed efficiency and body carcass composition from inputs including protein accretion capacity, diet composition and intake.

“They have been so successful that now attention can be applied elsewhere,” he stated.

“Pigs in commercial production fail to achieve their potential growth, presumably because of various stressors including disease, and the gap between actual and potential growth is a rich target for future simulation models.

“Models should address activation of the innate immune system separately from clinical disease.

“They can provide special benefits from prediction of the impacts from several health-promoting technologies, including those in feed,” Professor Pettigrew concluded.

Dr Tony Peacock, a past Chief Scientist and an individual with long involvement in the pig industry and now heading up the CRC Association in Canberra, spoke next on ‘What collaborators want: planning, monitoring and evaluating research collaborations’.

“Criitical during the phase of formulating the collaborative arrangements, the process can bring clarity to the initial expectations of each partner and so possibly avoid prospective difficulties from the outset,” he said in introducing his topic.

The last paper of the event was appropriately delivered by John Black himself.

‘Perspectives on animal research and its application’ was his topic.

“Return on investment from animal research in Australia appears to be about half that from investment in crop research,” he pointed out.

“Three areas are identified where return on investment in animal research and application could be improved.

“They are, selection of areas for research, then application of existing knowledge, followed by adherence to the scientific method.

“The flat response curve in outputs to changing inputs around the optimum for most agricultural systems means that research investments must be directed towards new technologies rather than refining existing technologies.

“New technologies have been responsible for advances in all human endeavours.

“Many new technologies are derived from curiosity-based research, but method targeted at identifying industry related

1. Tony Edwards. 2. Graham Faichney. 3. Eugeni Rouri. 4. Professor Frank Dunshea. 5. Dr Rob van Barneveld.

w CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

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NEWSresearch priorities are also important, including analysis of historical data, ‘think tank’ analysis and the application of simulation models,” he said.

“These methods identify changes in industry practice that could have a marked effect on productivity.

“A thorough review of the literature is needed to determine whether the change could be achieved through the adoption of existing knowledge or whether new research is required.

“Adoption of existing knowledge is frequently poor because of the way it is presented to enterprise managers and the perceived risks from changing practices.

“A knowledge-adoption, risk-controlled method is described.

“The method targets the correct and consistent application of a small number of farm processes, which if not undertaken precisely, would have major impact on farm productivity or sustainability.

“Application of the method has been successful for improving enterprise productivity and profitability, but these improvements tend to wane over time because of the rigour and monotony of the actions needed.

“Sustained improvements in productivity should come in the future as more electronic based technologies are employed to take essential measurements, interpret the information collected and automatically make the identified changes to the system through real time processing.

“One reason for a poorer return on research investment is suggested to be a lack of strict adherence to the scientific method and poor design and analysis of experiments,” Professor Black concluded.

John Black’s research work has helped to generated major efficiences in the Australian pig industry and further afield.

When Pork Journal was first attending seminars featuring papers not only produced by John Black, but those he taught and otherwise assisted, it was often noticeable that complex research delivered what seemed to be marginal gains or other advantages.

The graphs and their explanation that baffled Pork Journal 15 years ago still have that capability to do the same today.

However, what is clear is that these incremental improvements combined, have resulted in greatly improved production efficiencies over the longer term.

For much of John Black’s long career the Australian pig industry benefitted from plentiful and relatively cheap feed, protection from imports, a growing population, low disease impact and a (relatively) supportive retail sector.

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of that year, the industry was achieving record exports driven by rising productivity, a low AS, some good seasons and thus reasonable returns – a prime minister even acquired a piggery!

In 2016, those growers who have survived growing levels of imports, drought and rising feed costs, an A$ above parity with the US$, a fiercely competitive retail climate and unrealistic consumer expectations, are now emerging as competitive producers with the real prospect of a return to long term profitability.

It is arguable that the painstaking work of John Black and those who he has guided and influenced are in no small part responsible for the survival of an industry that a few short years ago was on its knees.

Sure it’s still not perfect, but our challenges now may become, can we grow enough pork to satisfy the growing market that is opening up before us both at home and potentially, overseas?

We are sure that John Black has more than a few ideas to meet that particular problem should it develop further.

Above: John Black with his wife Clare (left) and his daughter Kristina. Right:John’s daughter Sandiellen who spoke about family life.

16

CRC NEWS

Australian pork producers are competitive with most of the European Union on cost and with Canada and USA on reproduction and feed efficiency, according to global benchmarking results for calendar year 2014.

This is the encouraging message that Roger Campbell, CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre for High Integrity Australian Pork (Pork CRC) will deliver in his opening address, ‘Where we sit internationally and how the best in Australia do it; some good news and opportunities’, at the South Australian Pig Industry Day on February 26.

“Indeed, our own Pork CRC benchmarking results also suggest the best Australian producers are a force to be reckoned with and are willing to share their recipes for success to the industry in general,” Dr Campbell added.

While admitting it was difficult to match USA and Canada on cost, due to their relatively low cost grain and heavier carcasses, which resulted in low feed and overhead costs per unit of pork produced, he said Australia’s pork industry was in a good position and had the capacity to further improve its financial and physical business indicators.

“Although, the Danes and Dutch lead the world in the number of pigs weaned per sow per year (29-30) due to the large numbers of pigs born per litter, several Pork CRC benchmarking participants are matching or getting close to these figures without the extreme litter sizes reported by the Danes and Dutch.

“Our producers are demonstrating there are many ways to enhance the number of pigs weaned per sow per year and are certainly making the most from the sows they have.

“I congratulate them for their on-farm ingenuity and for adopting much of the world class R&D that’s emerged

from Pork CRC via our research partners,” Dr Campbell said.

One such innovator, leading Victorian pork producer Tom Smith, will outline the practical changes he and his sons have made to optimise breeding herd performance.

Pork CRC Manager, Commercialisation and Research Impact, Charles Rikard-Bell, will also deliver an address, titled ‘Making your feed grain work harder for you before you buy or use it, with AusScan’.

Pork CRC research developed AusScan the world’s first in-vivo energy values for cereal grains and reactive lysine values for ‘heat damaged’ canola and soybean meal using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).

Pork CRC has a business agreement with UK company Aunir, which now makes AusScan NIRS calibrations available on-line.

According to Dr Rikard-Bell, Australian pork producers, feedmills and laboratories are increasingly embracing the initiative and connecting to AusScan Online.

“Using near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) to scan grains and upload

Pork CRC pushing Australian pork producers onto world stage

spectra files to AusScan Online allows rapid determination of in vivo energy values of the grain and hence how pigs will perform – before producers buy the grain,” he said.

“Likewise, producers can access AusScan Online to determine the reactive lysine values for heat damaged canola and soybean meal,” Dr Rikard-Bell said.

“This breakthrough technology significantly improves the cost effectiveness of feed formulations and a workshop has been planned for February 2016 to help feed millers, producers and nutritionists optimise their use of AusScan technology.”

The AusScan NIR workshop was held on February 18 at the Camperdown campus of University of Sydney’s Veterinary Science Conference Centre.

Speakers and topics included Ivan Ward of Agri-Torque (‘Practical application of NIR and data management’), Tony Edwards of ACE Livestock Consulting (‘How best to utilise energy values in your operation’) and Chris Piotrowski of Aunir UK (‘The future of NIR spectroscopy – poultry and swine’).

Pork CRC CEO, Dr Roger Campbell, says Pork CRC benchmarking results suggest the best Australian pork producers are a force to be reckoned with.

By BRENDON CANT, BCA PR Pty Ltd

17

CRC NEWS

AusScan Online expands analysis for soyabean meal

Pork CRC productively enhancing pig welfare

AusScan Online, the revolutionary online platform giving access to unique near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) calibrations, has expanded its offering by adding eight new parameters to its Total and Standard ileal digestible (SID) amino acid product for soyabean meal analysis.

Thanks to extensive and ongoing research by the Cooperative Research Centre for High Integrity Australian Pork (Pork CRC) in Australia and Aunir in UK, standard ileal digestible values for methionine, cysteine, threonine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, tryptophan and histidine are now available through the website at no additional cost to the customer.

“We have responded to feedback from our customers around the world to expand our service, giving them the information they need to make the best decisions,” commented Aunir Director, Chris Piotrowski.

“Adding these eight new parameters to total and SID amino acids means we are delivering more value to customers analysing soyabean meal via AusScan Online than ever before,” he said.

The website was launched a year ago and there are customers from all over the world enjoying the flexibility of using the unique AusScan calibrations via the website, knowing that they only pay for what they use.

Pork CRC CEO, Dr Roger

Campbell, said that adding the eight new parameters was the first of many updates and expansions to AusScan Online’s offering which will benefit global customers.

“The soyabean meal calibrations have proved enlightening to nutritionists. We continue to welcome new customers to the website each month and the feedback has been very positive,” he said.

To create an AusScan Online account, visit www.aunir.com/products/ausscan-online and follow the links.

A full list of available calibrations can be found on the Aunir website www.aunir.com/products/ausscan-online

Appetite enhancers for weaners and enrichment blocks for gestating sows and weaners may soon be on the productivity improvement ‘menus’ for Australia’s pork producers.

According to Cooperative Research Centre for High Integrity Australian Pork (Pork CRC) Manager, Commercialisation and Research Impact, Charles Rikard-Bell, BEC Animal Nutrition will look to market the appetite enhancer in the first half of this year and commercialisation work for the enrichment blocks will continue throughout 2016.

A second commercialisation study on a novel appetite enhancer based on the ingredient preferences of weaned pigs was recently completed in January 2016.

Pork CRC, in conjunction with BEC Animal Nutrition and University of Queensland, has focused on producing commercial quantities of the appetite enhancer which would mix, transport and store easily.

With these refinements made, the enhancer was then tested on 21 day old weaned pigs for 28 days in commercial research facilities in Queensland.

“We found that piglets fed a simple, low cost weaner diet, plus the appetite enhancer, performed equivalent to piglets fed more complex, high cost diets, with or without the addition of the appetite enhancer,” Dr Rikard-Bell explained.

“We are also making inroads into developing enrichment blocks for gestating sows and weaned pigs and Pork CRC has now submitted an international patent application.”

A large commercial study on group housed sows was completed in January 2016, with preliminary results showing exciting outcomes.

“The prevalence of fresh scratch injuries significantly decreased on day

three of mixing unfamiliar sows into group pens housed with either one or two enrichment blocks.

“Additionally, enrichment block treatments increased threat behaviour and it appears that this less aggressive, non-physical behaviour may be displayed as a way of guarding the supplement block when sows are being fed in pens fitted with head stalls,” Dr Rikard-Bell said.

Pork CRC Manager, Commercialisation and Research Impact, Dr Charles Rikard-Bell (centre) caught up with David Isaac, BEC Feed Solutions and Tracy Muller, Sunpork Farms, at the 15th biennial conference of the Australasian Pig Science Association in Melbourne.

18

NEWS

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak

Guest speakers announced for ONE: The Alltech Ideas ConferenceApple co-founder Steve Wozniak and former Ford CEO Alan Mulally will be guest speakers at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference to be held in Kentucky in May.

Additional special guests include Seth M Siegel, businessman, activist and author of ‘Let There be Water’; John Calipari, coach of the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team; and a live performance by Riverdance.

The king of design and innovation, Apple has technologically set the tone for the world, and its global revolution began when Steve Wozniak, a young engineer with a penchant for computer tinkering, met an even younger guy named Steve Jobs who was interning at his company, Hewlett-Packard. It was a fortuitous meeting of complementary geniuses, computer wizardry and business acumen.

In 1975, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak respectively sold off their Volkswagen microbus and Hewlett-Packard calculator for a little more than $1,000 in capital funds. They set up shop in Jobs’ parents’ garage, effectively launching the company that would forever change the world through personal computers, tablets, iPods and iPhones.

Alltech will welcome Mr Wozniak to its main stage on Tuesday, May 24, 2016, at ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference, an event dedicated to inspiring innovation.

The annual international conference, now in its 32nd year, traditionally draws nearly 3,000 attendees from more than 60 countries to network with peers and discuss world-changing ideas.

“When you think about the power of innovation, you think of Apple. Few companies have had a more profound effect, and so it is a real treat for me personally, as an entrepreneur who also started my business in a garage, to announce that Steve Wozniak, Apple’s co-founder, will be joining us for ONE,” said Dr Pearse Lyons, founder and President of Alltech.

Wozniak has been awarded the National Medal of Technology, the highest honor bestowed on America’s leading innovators, and was inducted into the Investors Hall of Fame.

He also received the prestigious Heinz Award for Technology, the

Economy and Employment for his role in single-handedly designing Apple I, the world’s first personal computer, and for dedicating himself to inspiring innovation through education, particularly at the grade school level.

Through the years, he has been involved in numerous business and philanthropic ventures that focus on encouraging creativity in young students through hands-on learning.

In particular, Mr Wozniak has adopted the Los Gatos School District, donating state-of-the-art technology equipment, and he founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and was the founding sponsor of the Tech Museum, Silicon Valley Ballet and the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose.

Currently, Wozniak is the Chief Scientist at Primary Data. He is also the author of the New York Times best-selling autobiography, ‘iWoz: From Computer Geek to Culture Icon’.

Wozniak will be preceded on the main plenary stage by the former President and CEO of Ford Motor Company, Alan Mulally who will join author and businessman Seth M Siegel and title-winning University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball Coach John Calipari as the opening keynote speakers on Monday, May 23, at the conference.

Mr Mulally led Ford’s transformation into the number one automobile brand in the United States. He guided the company through implementation of the One Ford plan, a compelling vision and comprehensive strategy to deliver profitable growth for all of the company’s stakeholders.

Prior to joining Ford, Mr Mulally served as Executive Vice President of The Boeing Company, President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes and President of Boeing Information, Space, and Defense Systems.

Throughout his career, Mr Mulally has been recognised for his contributions, industry leadership, and service, including being named third on FORTUNE’s ‘World’s Greatest Leaders’, one of the 30 ‘World’s Best CEOs’ by Barron’s magazine, one of ‘The World’s Most Influential People’ by TIME magazine and ‘Chief Executive of the Year’ by Chief Executive magazine. He was also honored with the

American Society for Quality’s medal for excellence in executive leadership, the ‘Automotive Executive of the Year’, and the ‘Thomas Edison Achievement Award’.

After serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of The Ford Motor Company and as a member of Ford’s board of directors for nearly eight years, Mr Mulally was named to Google’s board of directors in July 2014.

He is now a director at Carbon3D, Inc., a 3D printing company that recently introduced an innovative approach to polymer-resin-based 3D printing.

Mr Mulally serves on the President Obama’s United States Export Council. He served as Co-chairman of the Washington Competitiveness Council, President of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Aerospace Industries Association and has served on the advisory boards of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the University of Washington, the University of Kansas, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the United States Air Force Scientific Advisory Board.

He is a member of the United States National Academy of Engineering and also a fellow of England’s Royal Academy of Engineering.

Seth M Siegel is a businessman, activist and writer. He is a forward thinker on the coming global water crisis, and what to do about it.

He is the author of ‘Let There Be w

19

NEWS

AUSPAC INGREDIENTS Pty.LtdUnit 1, 84-92 Barnes Street Tamworth NSW 2340

T: +61 2 6762 7708 F: +61 2 6762 7709Contact: Christine Clark 0429 662 519

Jefo is a global leader of non-medicated performance feed additives and was founded in Canada in 1982 by Jean Fontaine, B.Sc Agr.

It has grown exponentially over the years with its products now sold in 57 countries.

“From the beginning, Jefo has concentrated on innovation and understanding and contributing to the science, economics and practices of livestock production and management,” said Jefo President, Mr Fontaine.

“Today, Jefo is a world leader and global partner in the field of food additives with its pioneering, cost-saving and efficient solutions that also promote sustainable development,” he said.

“Our new global corporate philosophy is based on our company’s history and strong corporate values. It is ‘Life made easier’. We’re convinced it was time to step up and differentiate ourselves,” said Mr Fontaine.

“This means nutrition delivered as it should be, through vitamins, minerals, yeasts and organic acids. It’s better balance, better metabolism and a little more comfort.

Jefo reveals its new philosophy“It’s a promise of health solutions

that are easier to deliver. Right in the feed as it should be without fuss or pain or risk to the animals.

“It’s a promise that with better nutrition, animals are more comfortable and easier to raise and that each stage of life is just a little less complicated with a lower risk of disease, weight loss and mortality due to stree and malnutrition.

“It’s also a promise that Jefo is constantly searching for solutions to animal nutrition challenges, offering a full range of products and programs to satisfy the needs of the different life stages of each species.

“It’s a lot more confidence and a true partnership.

“This philosophy is a promise of excellent service and expert technical support. It’s a promise that doing business with Jefo is easy with immediate response and efficient communication.

It’s an entire solutions-orientated team at your service. It means programs and solutions for real-life situations, for different life stages and challenges.

“It means that through its scientific

Water: Israel’s Solution for a Water-Starved World’, which has been featured on the New York Times and LA Times Bestsellers lists. He has spoken extensively on water issues, including at the UN and the Council on Foreign Relations, where he is a member.

With a JD from Cornell Law School, Siegel, a successful serial entrepreneur has co-founded numerous companies. He has also produced on Broadway, and has served as branding agent for many celebrities and corporations.

The Alltech Ideas Conference closing ceremony will feature Riverdance in a special live performance on the morning of Wednesday, May 25.

Since a first performance as the interval act at the Eurovision Song contest in 1994, the international Irish dance phenomenon Riverdance has been seen by more than 25 million people in 46 countries.

Experts and industry leaders from around the world will convene in Lexington, Kentucky in the USA from May 22 to 25 for ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference. For more information or to register, visit one.alltech.com.

v

research, Jefo continues to innovate and develop additives that take into account genetic make-up, physiology and metabolism of each species as well as the varying requirements of the market.

“Jefo Matrix Technology means safe and targeted delivery of active compounds and nutrients, enzymes for improved feed conversion and increased body weight and liquids for optimal animal performance.

“It’s about timely technical support and practical advice worldwide. It’s experienced, dependable and friendly professionals at your service.

“This new positioning is sustaining the idea of the rationale of our logo: a natural circle, an easier continuity of life.

Both humans and animals are part of this cycle and the interaction is an example of balanced responsibility; giving the best to animals which is given back to us.

“The new philosphy encompasses two elements, the world of nature and the world of science, coming together in an expressive way,” Mr Fontaine said.

Visit www.jefo.com for more information.

20

NEWS

While butchers used to be an integral part of the weekly shop for most people, the advent of supermarkets has seen the landscape change and many disappear from view.

However, many of the butchers who remain are passionate about their trade, their product and staying competitive in this changing market.

Australian Pork Limited’s Butchers Channel Manager, Jennifer Fletcher, said many were focussing on diversifying product and investing in customer service.

“The figures around the number of butchers still in operation now versus five years ago are not clear, but we think they have reduced from around 3200 in 2010 to about 2700 now,” she said.

“The reasons behind people exiting the industry are varied, but pleasingly we are seeing enthusiastic young apprentices joining the trade.

“They see the future of the butcher shop, as do many customers.”

While she works for Australian Pork, Ms Fletcher’s role has seen her working with butchers from across the country in a program that looks at how butchers can improve their business volumes and bottom lines.

Part of that was called the Butchers’ Battle Plan, but the whole program is designed to support butchers and their businesses.

“We have about 1300 butchers subscribed to our electronic direct mails and engaged in our program,” she said.

“The eDMs have tips about small changes that can make a big difference based on extensive consumer research and learnings from other butchers.

“We are also working on sharing

value-added recipes, materials specific for butchers, webinars and sponsoring industry events which aim to promote butchers and the industry.”

While challenges remain for butchers, the program has equipped some businesses with new ideas and skills that help them compete with the convenience of supermarkets, through quality products, new ideas and greater engagement with their customers.

“I’ve been really impressed by how willing some of our butchers are to share their ideas, to collaborate and try new things,” Ms Fletcher said.

“There have been stories around this year about a resurgence of butcher shops as people realise what’s on offer, and I am really excited that customers are starting to appreciate the passion, quality of produce and range that butchers can deliver.”

APL supports butchers and their businesses

25-26 May 2016Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre

Broadbeach QLD

“Inspiring Transformation”

Save the date!2016 PPPE

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Trade exhibition booths selling fast.

For more information visit www.pppe.com.au

Feedwork Conference in September

First year butcher’s apprentice Tom O’Brien is enthusiastic about learning the trade at Ray The Butcher in Kirribilli.

The Feedworks Conference ‘Clarity in todays world’ will be held at the Novotel Twin Waters Resort on the Sunshine Coast from September 14 to 17.

“By most estimates, there has been as much technological change in the last 250 years as there has been in the preceding 250,000 years, and more in the last 50 years than the previous 250 years,” said Mal Motrtam from Feedworks.

“This has meant that the end of the 20th Century is seeing a sea change in the way business does business. The speed and volume of information

created can be overwhelming and create so much noise, leading to inertia.

“How do we succeed in such a noisy space? Our keynote speaker, Ross Dawson, will talk about how to thrive on information overload and tapping into networks to drive business success.

He is globally recognised as a leading business futurist, keynote speaker and strategy advisor. Its a real privilege to have him open our conference,” said Mal.

The conference program will continue this theme.

21

NEWS

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Alarming antibiotic resistance discovery in ChinaIn 2012, the World Health Organization Advisory Group on

Integrated Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance described colistin as an antibiotic of critical importance.

“There have been previous calls for curtailing the use of polymyxins in agriculture.

“We must all reiterate these appeals and take them to the highest levels of government or face increasing numbers of patients for whom we will need to say, ‘Sorry, there is nothing I can do to cure your infection,’ the report said.

“In the absence of new agents effective against resistant Gram-negative pathogens, the effect on human health by mobile colistin resistance cannot be underestimated.

“It is imperative that surveillance and molecular epidemiological studies on the distribution and dissemination of mcr-1 among Gram-negative bacteria in both human and veterinary medicine are initiated, along with re-evaluation of the use of polymyxins in animals.”

Polymyxins remain the last line of defense against antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.

Now, researchers report that a gene that confers resistance to these drugs is found in a growing number of bacteria from meat samples in China. More worrying is that the gene, mcr-1, is found on small pieces of DNA called plasmids that easily spread between bacteria.

“The implications of this finding are enormous,” write David L Paterson, MD, from Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Campus in Australia, and Patrick N. A. Harris, MBBS, from Wesley Hospital, also in Brisbane, in an accompanying editorial.

The editorial and research paper, by Yi-Yun Liu, from the College of Veterinary Medicine, National Risk Assessment Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance of Microorganisms in Animals, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China, and colleagues, were published online on November 18.

The researchers found that in 2011, more than 5% of Escherichia coli isolates from retail chicken and pork meat from China tested positive for the colistin (polymyxin E) resistance gene mcr-1. By November 2014, the percentage of positive isolates had increased to approximately 25%.

Thus, not only have microbes now achieved resistance to polymyxin, but the resistance is spreading quickly. The rapid spread is a result of the fact that mcr-1 is not located on the chromosome, as has been the case for previously identified polymyxin-resistant genes, but is found on plasmids that bacteria exchange regularly.

The researchers investigated the prevalence of mcr-1 in E. coli and K pneumoniae strains gathered from five provinces in China between April 2011 and November 2014.

They found a high prevalence ofmcr-1 in E. coli isolates from animals, as well as isolates from retail meat. Overall, 78 (15%) of 523 samples of raw meat carried the mcr-1 plasmid, as did E coli isolated from 166 (21%) of 804 animals.

Moreover, there was an increase in the proportion of mcr-1-positive E. coli during the study. In chicken, the percentage of positive samples was 4.9% in 2011, 25.0% in 2013, and 28.0% in 2014. Similar rates were found in pork samples, at 6.3% in 2011, 22.9% in 2014, and 22.3% in 2014.

In 2014, China produced 17.5 million tonnes of poultry and 56.7 million tonnes of pork, making it the world’s largest producer of both products. Approximately 10% of the meat is exported.

The researchers also report that 16 (1%) of the 1322 samples from inpatients with infection were positive for mcr-1 in 2014, the only year for which they report patient data.

The authors said that the resistance gene may spread beyond China.

“During the writing of this report, we noted that five E. coli DNA contigs containing mcr-1-like genes from Malaysia have been recently submitted to the European Molecular Biology Lab. Although no additional information is available, the possibility that mcr-1-positive E. coli have spread outside China and into other countries in southeastern Asia is deeply concerning,” they write.

Dr Paterson and Dr Harris note in their editorial that although new antibiotics have recently come into the clinic, the drugs are not effective against all clinically important Gram-negative bacteria.

“For this reason, the polymyxins (colistin and polymyxin B) remain the last line of defence against many Gram-negative bacilli,” they write.

22

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Roxell expands its feed transport system with the Flex-Auger High Capacity and High Run TimeThe demand for animal proteins is rising as a result of the growing world population and increasing per capita consumption.

The poultry and pig industries are investing more and more in bigger housing or multiple houses per site and are therefore in need of a transport system with an increased feed capacity.

More animals per house means an increase in feed transport to the houses.

A broiler chicken in cages consumes an average of 150 gr of feed a day. For a house with 100,000 animals the feed consumption quickly reaches 6 tonnes a day.

The faster feeding behaviour of the broiler breeders also demands optimum feed transport. A house with 20,000 broiler breeders requires feed every day amounting to 3.5 tonnes.

Within the pig segment there is also a need for increased capacity because of the growing number of animals per house.

In the US, more and more houses with 5,000 or so fattening pigs are

emerging, with each pig consuming three kg of feed per day.

To ensure a sufficient and efficient supply for the houses, Roxell is expanding its Flex-Auger range with a Flex-Auger High Capacity & High Run time with Densicor tube.

“This transport system offers a capacity of 10 tonnes per hour and a running time of 4 hours per day. Densicor, the wear-resistant polyethylene tube of the Flex-Auger High Capacity, has a diameter of 12.5 cm and optimises the durability of the transport system,” says Lieven Waerenburgh, Product Manager Flex-Auger.

The higher material density and the double-walled tube reinforce the robustness of the system.

“Since its foundation, many systems that Roxell has been offering the intensive livestock industry have become real worldwide standards, which is also the case for our renowned Flex-Auger.

“Roxell continues to seek innovative

solutions that enable the poultry and pig industry to produce end products in a profitable and sustainable manner,” Mr Waerenburgh said.

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