Pork SA

Peak Industry Organisation for Pork Producers in SA

Dr Ian Parish Leadership Development Award: Inaugural recipient report

by

Angus Wood, Operations Manager at Mt Boothby Pastoral at Tintinara SA was awarded the inaugural Dr. Ian Parish Leadership Development Award, sponsored by Auspork Limited this year.  Angus participated in the Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Program, supported by NAB Agribusiness (participants pictured).

“It was great honour to be the inaugural recipient of the Dr. Ian Parish Leadership Award” Angus said and went on to say “that we are so proud that such an important legacy is here in Ian Parish’s name. Ian was a tremendous mentor and friend to Mt Boothby and specifically to Andrew Johnson our Director, and it is truly fitting that such a leadership program for the development of others, is in Ian’s honour. Congratulations Auspork”.

“The week long course was an amazing opportunity to improve my existing skills and learn new ones” Angus explained. “The course was very stimulating and challenging. It was fantastic to meet others from all over Australia and learning from them about other Agricultural industries”.

Angus highly recommends anyone who is developing their leadership roles within their pork farming business and/or the community to apply.

Expressions of Interest will be called from mid-January for two recipients for the May and August programs at Marcus Oldham.

New Guidelines Assist Schools in Sourcing Pigs

by

As further assistance to individual schools and the Department of Education SA, Pork SA through consultation with the suppliers of pigs into the Pigs in Schools program, has developed a new set of Guidelines aimed at harmonising these supply arrangements.

The purpose of the Guidelines is to promote best practice management between when pigs leave their farm of origin to when they are finally disposed of by schools.

Read the full article from the Stock Journal 12/12/2024 here: New Guidelines Assist Schools in Sourcing Pigs

Exposing people to pigs

by

Much has been made by many Industries over the past 15 years or more of the ‘agricultural knowledge gap’ that exists between urban and rural communities.

Marketers across many commodities often blame a lack of contact between city consumers and daily farm practices on their lack of confidence in committing to their purchase of certain food types.

Nationally, the pork Industry has gone some way in closing this gap through the website posting of a series of pig production case studies by Australian Pork Limited (APL). A virtual piggery tour posting also helps to demonstrate routine pig production practices used within Industry, having to step around the present day restrictions often placed on physical farm visits.

In South Australia, Pork SA is active in educating secondary school students with its support of the Pigs in Schools program, the Pig Club at Adelaide University and Pigs and People sessions delivered during the annual Royal Adelaide Show.

Amongst the myriad of other competing (and free) attractions on offer at the Show, a visit to the pig pavilion by non-farming Show-goers is probably their only opportunity to come close to seeing, hearing and smelling a live pig!

The Pigs and People program has been delivered within sow and litter pens during Show week for over 20 years. More recently sponsored by Pork SA using levy payer fund, the program is only made possible by the exhibition of sows with their litters by SA breeders.

The program’s lead Graeme Pope provides a verbal ‘step-by-step’ description of pig biology starting from the weaning of each sow’s last litter up to presentation of their current 1-3 week old litters.

Describing the weaning process, heat checks and mating, establishment and confirmation of pregnancy, sow management and litter growth through gestation, the farrowing process, teat order, piglet fostering, lactation and piglet care all get coverage, often with comparisons made between pigs and other farm animals more commonly encountered by city dwellers (sheep, cattle, horses).

So how effective is this program at attracting the non-farming public towards understanding more about pigs and the pork Industry?

The Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of SA surveyed over 1,000 Show-goers following the 2024 Show to determine their visitations to some identified Agricultural Areas and Favourite Competitions.

Of the 20 different competitions identified, pig judging was ranked 9th overall, with 17% of survey respondents confirming they had attended that competition, equal to dairy cattle judging but more popular than all other livestock competitions, except horses-in-action (show jumping).

Of the 12 identified agricultural area visitations, Pigs and People was ranked 6th overall with  40% of respondents attending, which was above beef cattle, sheep, exhibition dairy, horses in-stables and exhibition milking.

These survey results confirm the popularity of pigs, and the attraction of the (mainly) non-farming public to understand more about them, reinforcing the value of Pork SA’s investment in the Pigs and People program.

Read the article in Stock Journal 12/12/2024: Exposing People to Pigs

Dr. Ian Parish Leadership Development Award recipient: Angus Wood

by

Angus Wood, Operations Manager at Mt Boothby Pastoral at Tintinara SA,  has been granted the inaugural Dr. Ian Parish Leadership Development Award, sponsored by Auspork Limited.

The Award recognises Dr. Parish’s work and contributions made for the producers of Victoria and South Australia for over 50 years – and for his leadership role within the wider Pork Industry community, bringing together like-minded producers and business’s to enhance our industry via the development of various piggery operations, Abattoirs, Feed Mills, plus Auspork Limited, a producer led marketing group.

Angus will participate in the Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Program, supported by NAB Agribusiness. This is an intensive five-day “live-in” workshop conducted on the College campus at Geelong. The program, which commenced in 1992, is recognised as one of the longest running rural leadership programs in the nation.

Two awards for the leadership program in May and August will be offered again for 2025. Applications will be called for commencing in January 2025.

Biosecurity initiatives for SA pig supply chains

by

Australia faces an increasing risk of serious diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease and African Swine Fever. A biosecurity incursion would have huge implications for the pork industry.

South Australian producers, processors and the SA Government are in partnership to improve biosecurity and implement practice change. These initiatives are outlined in the SA Pork Supply Chain Biosecurity fact sheet.

SA Pork Supply Chain Biosecurity Fact Sheet

The initiatives outlined not only support preventing disease entry to farms, but limit spread to industry, while facilitating opportunities for business continuity with heightened controls during Response and Recovery phases.

More information and reports will be provided by industry partners and Pork SA as projects are completed and facilities commissioned.

SA pork sector appoints biosecurity officer

by

Stock Journal 16 Nov 2021

Improving biosecurity practices and preparing for the potential incursion of an emergency animal disease is the focus of a new biosecurity officer role, focused on the state’s pork industry.

University of Adelaide animal science graduate Chelsea Dossett has been appointed to the position, which has been jointly funded by the SA government and the SA Pig Industry Fund.

Ms Dossett was the recipient of the Ronald J Lienert Memorial Scholarship, graduating with honours in pig production, and has broad experience working on a 500-sow farm.

A key focus of her role will be to develop protocols for best practice biosecurity and disease management that ensures SA is well placed to meet and implement national requirements.

To read the full story click here

Pork sector biosecurity to benefit from upgrade

by

Stock Journal 1 Oct 2021

Work is set to begin on a $3-million biosecurity project to protect 700 abattoir jobs and safeguard the future of the South Australian pig industry.

The project, supported by the Pork SA Pig Industry Fund, the SA government’s Regional Growth Fund and Seven Point Pork’s Port Wakefield and Big River Pork’s Murray Bridge abattoirs, will result in truck wash and decontamination facilities installed at both locations.

The biosecurity upgrades will ensure plans endorsed by the Australian government’s Animal Health Committee to prevent disease spread are implemented. This includes ensuring abattoirs are not a central source of infection, with truck biosecurity being a key part of emergency animal disease risk.

To read the full story click here

Pig sperm bank expands quarantine station to protect industry from African swine fever

by

Landline / By Gabriella Marchant

Posted Sun 23 May 2021 at 9:12am

Key Points

  • The SABOR artificial insemination centre houses hundreds of pigs from across Australia at a time
  • Amid the spread of African swine fever, the facility is stepping up its biosecurity protocols
  • An onsite quarantine station now accommodates pigs for weeks at a time

To read entire article click here

SA pig industry commitment leads to $1M expansion

by

9 Feb 2021

A $1 million upgrade and expansion to the SA Artificial Breeding Centre was unveiled to SA producers at Clare last Friday and industry hopes it will futureproof the states commercial herd.

The expansion will increase the proportion of sows serviced at the artificial insemination facility from 65 per cent to 90 per cent, and significantly boost the number of customers interstate.

To read entire article click here

Eat more pork and help save our bacon

by

Brand SA has featured the SA pork industry as part of their Agribusiness in October promotion of SA industry.

‘Get some pork on your fork’ is the famous line that South Aussie shoppers need to hear now more than ever.

The state’s pork industry contributes $385 million to the SA economy, supporting almost 2500 full time local jobs and providing $188 million in household incomes for local families. This is according to figures released earlier this year by APL which also acknowledges that the pig production sector is more important in SA than in any other state. Despite its prevalence to the local economy, the pork industry is currently stuck in a glut due to a downturn in prices, an oversupply of meat and increased feed grain prices.

Read here how our SA Pork Ambassador, Andrew Johnson, outlines the charity campaigns, farm support services, and ‘choose local’ pushes that are among the efforts to help the industry bounce back.

CONTACT - E: enquiries@porksa.com.au
| M: 0418 848 845