Following the Australasian Pig Science Association (APSA) Conference, the APRIL Stakeholders Day provided members with an opportunity to learn more about APRIL funded projects, investments, and strategic direction. The event was held on the 20th of November at the RACV Club in Melbourne, with over 65 members in attendance.
Highlights of the day include an overview of Queensland University’s Transformational Project ARC-Linkage- LP190101161: How to Make Antimicrobials in Pig Feed Redundant, Naturally, presented by Professor Eugeni Roura. Updates were also shared by three PhD students currently involved in the project through three-minute video updates. You can watch the following three-minute project snapshot of Xianyi Liu by clicking the image below:
Dr. Kate Plush gave an update on a number of projects lead by the research team at SunPork Group, including the positive effects of a coarser gestational diet on piglet development in utero (Project 5A-111) and Dr Jeremy Cottrell from the University of Melbourne provided an update on their research into placentophagy and its role in lactation output (Project 5A-119). These projects are example of APRILs support of more practical research that can be applied directly on farm.
Another important area for APRIL is its involvement in commercialisation projects, particularly AusScan Online and its developments over ten years of calibrations. To celebrate ten years of this technology, APRIL, in collaboration with Alltech Lienert, is running a series of producer focused workshops for those who are either new to AusScan or want to learn more about optimising this technology. In addition, Dr. Charles Rikard-Bell, APRILs executive officer, reflected on the progress that has been made in the ten-year period and aims moving forward.
The Stakeholders’ Forum showcased a blend of both practical and innovative science supported by APRIL throughout 2025. More information on APRIL activities can be found in the 2025 Annual Report
