News and Media

APRIL > News and Media

Escaping the Daily Grind: Coarser Ground Diets for Improved Fetal Growth.

Posted on 19 June 202520 June 2025 by admin

APRIL supported project (5A-111)

Researchers: Jess Zemitis, Dr Sally Tritton, Dr Darryl D’Souza, and Dr Kate Plush (Sunpork Group).

When it comes to feeding sows in gestation, we often focus on nutrient levels, energy content, and feed efficiency. But new insights suggest something as simple as the grind size of feed could have a surprising impact on piglet development before birth.

Coarser feed particles, unlike finer ones, tend to pass through the small intestine relatively undigested, reaching the hindgut intact. Once there, the feed particles are a fermentable substrate for beneficial gut microbes. This process, call hindgut fermentation, produces short-chain-fatty-acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, which has been linked to improved fetal growth in previous rat studies.

Research Question: Could feeding sows a coarser ground diet throughout gestation (standard gestational diet with 40% feed particles >1mm) affect growth and development of piglets in utero?

In this series of projects, sows were fed either a coarsely ground diet (40% feed particles greater than 1mm) or Control diet (30% feed particles greater than 1mm). Each sow was fed 2.1kg per day via electronic sow feeder, or 2.4kg per day for thinner sows (P2 backfat less than 16mm).

Figure 1. Gestating sows fed either a coarsely ground diet (40% particles > 1mm) on the left or Control diet (30% particles > 1mm) on the right-hand side.

Snapshot of key findings:

Coarser particle diets increased short chain fatty acid production in the feaces and serum of gestating sows, with a tendency for increased serum butyrate.

Sows fed the coarser diet had fewer low birthweight piglets.

Supplementing coarser diets with an exogenous enzyme led to increased litter sizes, supporting greater sow productivity.

Further work is required to determine the exact mechanism(s) by which a coarser diet fed to gestating sows reduced the impact of low birthweight piglets. Additionally, there may be other benefits to feeding larger grain particles to sows not quantified in this project.

See Project Summary

See Full Report

July News

Posted on 13 August 202413 August 2024 by admin

Welcome to this edition of APRIL NEWS.

Research and Innovation provides a summary (courtesy of Honorary Professor Paul Hemsworth, The University of Melbourne) of a completed Australian Research Council-Linkage Project, Early life experiences and stress resilience in pigs. The summary, along with the publications mentioned, provides some sage and timely information about connections and consequences between early life experiences of piglets and subsequent impacts on stress physiology, production, and welfare and behaviour.

Education and Training provides a summary of Dr Soraya Leedham’s (Nee Haynes) PhD thesis that was recently conferred at Murdoch University.

Commercialisation and Innovation in this edition features a summary of all the Early Harvest Reports for the 2023-24 harvest through the AusScan Online NIR calibrations.

This edition’s Research Snapshot focuses specifically on a recently completed APRIL-supported project exploring different forms of thermographic technology to detect reproductive state in sows and improve piglet performance in a commercial farrowing house.

Our Member Focus this edition is on Dr Jessica Craig, Rivalea (Australia) Pty Ltd., JBS Australia Pork Division.

Recent Publications provides an update on publications arising from APRIL/Pork CRC-supported studies. Please let me know (j.pluske@april.org.au) if you have other publications that can be mentioned in future newsletters.

As always, we would welcome receiving APRIL-related information and upcoming events from our stakeholders for possible inclusion in the Newsletter [subject to space (preferred length is 100-150 words) and content].

Sincerely,
Dr John Pluske
CEO and Chief Scientist
j.pluske@april.org.au

Research and Innovation

Early life experiences and stress resilience in pigs

A recently completed Australian Research Council-Linkage Project has produced some very interesting and important findings relating early life experiences of piglets to aspects of stress and production.

The project was administered through The University of Melbourne, with Partner Organisations being APRIL, The University of Queensland, SunPork Pty Ltd., Rivalea (Australia) Pty Ltd., University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, and the USDA – Agricultural Research Service, USA.

This project focused mainly on the effects of positive human contact, housing system, and maternal contact during lactation. It was shown that providing piglets with regular but brief positive human contact during lactation conferred stress resilience in challenging situations both during lactation and following weaning. For example, early positive handling of piglets reduced their fear responses to husbandry procedures, such as processing during lactation, fear responses to humans both in lactation and the grower-finisher stage, injuries in lactation, and behavioural and cortisol responses to both weaning and isolation in the nursery stage of growth (Hayes et al., 2021; Lucas et al., 2024a,b,c; Tomas et al., 2024a,b).

Furthermore, positive handling early in life increased BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) concentrations, which appear to have an important role in stress resilience (Lucas et al., 2024c), and reduced the rate of loin muscle pH decline and resulted in a higher ultimate pH, two major characteristics of better eating quality of pork (Tomas et al., 2024c).

Positive handling of piglets in this series of experiments consisted of squatting, talking, patting and stroking piglets whenever they approached. These findings clearly indicate that brief positive handling of piglets during lactation improves the welfare of pigs both before and after weaning.

In a comparison of two housing systems, farrowing crates and farrowing pens (PigSafe system), crate-reared piglets had reduced play behaviour, sow-piglet interactions and BDNF concentrations during lactation in comparison to pen-reared piglets (Lucas et al., 2024a,b,c). However, there was no evidence that rearing in crates negatively affected pig welfare or general stress–coping ability after weaning (Lucas et al., 2024a,b,c). In fact, pen-reared piglets showed less flexibility in response to some specific stressors before and after weaning.

Collectively, the findings suggest that the welfare of piglets in pens was superior when undisturbed during rearing, but compared to crate-reared piglets, pen-reared piglets were less effective in coping with additional challenges in their environment, particularly challenges involving humans. Although pen-reared piglets were reared with more space, physical complexity and opportunity for sow-piglet interaction, they had less visual stimulation and opportunity for contact with people and other pigs in the farrowing pens studied in this project. The latter factors may have reduced the stress adaptability of pigs reared in this loose pen system.

Whether these findings are specific to the two housing systems studied here or can be generalised to other housing designs, warrants further research.

In addition to the effects of early human contact and housing, this project examined the importance of maternal contact on stress resilience by modifying farrowing crates to reduce piglet and sow nose-to-nose contact. Piglets reared in these modified crates showed increased fear responses to novelty and increased behavioural and cortisol responses to processing but not weaning, and also had reduced liveweight at weaning compared to piglets in conventional farrowing crates (Tomas et al., 2024a,b).

It was also of interest that the percentage of piglets not weaned, due to death, removal or low liveweight, was higher in piglets reared in modified farrowing crates (Tomas et al., 2024a). These findings suggest that reducing maternal contact in farrowing crates reduces the stress resilience of pigs, particularly during early life.

Overall, this project indicated that early human handling, housing system and maternal contact can have both immediate and longer-term consequences on the stress resilience of pigs. This research substantially contributes to a growing body of work on the importance of the pig’s early environment on its immediate and long-term welfare.

As a source of enrichment, positive human interactions provide several advantages: close interactions with piglets usually occur several times daily, positive interactions can be combined with routine checks, human interactions invariably provide variability in their predictability which will minimize habituation, and positive interactions may not require additional physical environmental enrichment resources, such as foraging material.

This research further highlights that humans are a key determining factor in the welfare of pigs.

Further information

Hayes, M.E., Hemsworth, L.M., Morrison, R.S., Tilbrook, A.J. and Hemsworth, P.H. (2021) Positive human contact and housing systems impact the responses of piglets to various stressors. Animals 11, 1619.

Lucas, M.E., Hemsworth, L.M., Butler, K.L., Morrison, R.S. Tilbrook, A.J., Marchant, J.N., Rault, J.-L., Galea, R.Y. and Hemsworth, P.H. (2024). Early human contact and housing for pigs – Part 1: Responses to humans, novelty and isolation. Animal, 101164.

Lucas, M. E., Hemsworth, L. M., Butler, K. L., Morrison, R. S., Tilbrook, A. J., Marchant, J. N., Rault, J.-L., Galea, R.Y. and Hemsworth, P. H. (2024). Early human contact and housing for pigs – Part 2: Resilience to routine husbandry practices. Animal, 101165.

Lucas, M. E., Hemsworth, L. M., Butler, K. L., Morrison, R. S., Tilbrook, A. J., Marchant, J. N., Rault, J.-L., Galea, R.Y. and Hemsworth, P. H. (2024). Early human contact and housing for pigs – Part 3: Ability to cope with the environment. Animal, 101166.

Tomas, K., Savaglia, J., Plush, K. J., D’Souza, D. N., Butler, K. L., Hemsworth, P. H. and Tilbrook, A. J. (2024a). Maternal contact and positive human interactions during lactation impacts piglet performance and behaviour during lactation. Frontiers in Animal Science, 4, 1289518.

Tomas, K., Savaglia, J., Plush, K.J., D’Souza, D.N., Butler, K.L., Hemsworth, P.H. and Tilbrook, A.J. (2024b). Maternal contact and positive human interactions during lactation impact on pig stress resilience post-weaning. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 276, 106326. Tomas, K, Savaglia, J, Plush, K, D’Souza, D, Butler, KL, Hemsworth, P.H. and Tilbrook, A.J. (2024c). Positive human contact to piglets during lactation improves pork loin muscle pH. Meat Science (in press).

Education and Training

Congratulations to Dr Soraya Leedham (nee Haynes) whose Doctor of Philosophy thesis was recently conferred at Murdoch University. Dr Leedham was the recipient of an APRIL top-up scholarship award during her PhD program.

Dr Leedham’s thesis, An exploration of the anti-infective potential of plant-sourced natural products, studied the roles that plant-sourced natural products can play in the fields of antiviral and disinfectant development. The main aims of the thesis were as follows:

1. Develop a simple, cost effective,high-throughput screening method which could be applied to the screening of natural product libraries for anti-coronavirus activity.

2. Demonstrate via proof-of-concept by applying this screening method to a library of Western Australian plant extracts, utilising it in a bioassay-guided fractionation process for the identification of lead antiviral compounds.

3. Highlight the broad-spectrum, anti-infective potential of plant-sourced natural products.

Overall, Dr Leedham’s thesis outlined the development of a rapid, cost-effective compound screening system which can be modified to target any number of viral pathogens within a short timeframe, making it ideal for screening large libraries in the face of emerging outbreaks.

In addition, the thesis illustrated the potential of plant-sourced natural products from native Australian plants. Dr Leedham is currently employed as a Research Officer in the Sepsis Diagnostics Research Group at Murdoch University, Perth, and as a Research Assistant for Biotome Pty Ltd., a Western Australian-based start-up company

Commercialisation and Innovation

Summary of 2023-24 Early Harvest Data from AusScan Online

As a conclusion to the monthly reporting of AusScan Online data conducted over the 2023-24 harvest, summary data have been produced that shows the variation in pig faecal digestible energy (DE) content, broiler apparent metabolisable energy (AME) content, and the protein percentage, for barley and wheat samples according to their geographical region.

The mean values for each variable and grain type across all geographical regions are shown in Table 1 and are derived from 2,030 barley and 8,040 wheat samples across Australia (except Western Australia).

The graphs represent predicted values from different regions over a 5-month period, November 2023 to April 2024.

Table 1: Mean values for pig faecal DE content, broiler AME content, and percentage protein for wheat and barley samples using AusScan Online NIR calibrations.

Focusing on pig DE content, mean values for barley were significantly different between the regions but showed little variation within a region and, including the outliers (denoted by coloured symbols outside the quartile markers), the range was 2.2 MJ/kg across all regions. Excluding outliers, the range was 1.2 MJ/kg (Figure 1).

In contrast, the mean pig faecal DE values for wheat were similar across all regions with a range of 3.5 MJ/kg (including outliers). However, excluding outliers, the range in predicted DE values reduced to approximately 0.5 MJ/kg (Figure. 2).

Excluding outliers, the percentage protein in both barley (Figure 3) and wheat (Figure 4) showed less variation within a region compared to the previous season, and both grains showed similar variations between regions.

Outliers are included in all graphs and indicate the importance of scanning grains for these key parameters.

For more information, please email Dr Charles Rikard-Bell (c.rikardbell@april.org.au; 0439 513 723).

Distribution of Pig Faecal DE (MJ/kg) by region for barley samples (Figure 1) and wheat samples (Figure 2) from November 2023 through to April 2024 as predicted by AusScan Online.

Distribution of Protein (%) by region for barley samples (Figure 5) and wheat samples (Figure 6) from November 2023 through to April 2024 as predicted by AusScan Online.

Research Snapshot

APRIL project 6A-104 (Use of thermographic technology to detect reproductive state in sows and improve piglet performance in a commercial farrowing house), led by Dr Jessica Craig and conducted at Rivalea (Australia Pty Ltd), JBS Australia Pork Division, aimed to assess first, the use of infrared thermography (IRT) in a commercial farrowing house to predict sow performance in lactation, and second, to identify sows at risk of common health concerns in lactation such as mastitis, shoulder sore formation, and other illnesses.

Key findings were as follows:

1. The FLIR E8 Ex series was the easiest hand-held IRT camera technology to use in a commercial farrowing house compared to the FLIR ONE Pro iPhone attachment or the FLIR Duo Pro.

2. Skin temperatures measured at the shoulder, ear base or posterior teats using the E8 camera were the most useful measurements that showed the most promise in terms of practicality and relationships with sow performance and health status in the farrowing house period.

3. Some skin temperatures measured by IRT may be related to litter size and piglet activity, which deserves to be further investigated. Unfortunately, skin temperature measured with the pointer function on the E8 camera was largely not predictive of sow performance in a way that could be useful to producers. 4. A number of environmental factors pose difficulties for the use of these technologies in a commercial setting, such as interference from piglets, bars of farrowing crates, water from cooling systems, contamination of skin from urine, faeces, dirt and feed dust, lighting, humidity, ambient temperature and air flow. All of these factors must be considered when using IRT within a commercial setting.

An example of the visible and infrared images showing three regions of interest as part of this project: (a) Ear base, (b) Shoulder, and (c) Posterior teats (further information can be found in the Final Report and SOP for the use of the FLIR E8 camera).

The applications of the project to industry can be summarised as follows:

1. Thermal cameras such as the FLIR E8 may be used as an alternative to (or used to complement) measurement of rectal temperature of sows in lactation as a non-invasive way to measure body temperature.

2. That skin temperatures be measured at the point of the shoulder, ear base and posterior teats when IRT technologies are used in a commercial farrowing house.

3. That IRT may be used to measure shoulder, udder and/or ear base temperature when assessing sows for impacts of JEV around farrowing.

4. Production of a SOP for determination of eye and ear temperatures using the FLIR E8 camera was accomplished.

This project also involved two other APRIL-supported projects where knowledge and resources were shared. A thank you is extended to Professor Eugeni Roura, Dr Max Muller, Dr Marta Navarro-Gomez and Astrid Coba Cedeno from The University of Queensland (6A-101; Heat tolerance in lactating sows: dietary strategies, metabolic biomarkers and microbiome signature), and Dr Kate Plush and Dr Lauren Staveley (SunPork) and Associate Professor Jeremy Cottrell (6A-102; Hot and bothered! Long term impacts of late pregnancy heat stress on sows and progeny).

Final Reports for these ‘sister projects’ will be shared once they become available.

A copy of the Project Summary, Final Report, and the SOP relating to the use of this camera, for this project, can be found here.

Member Focus – Dr Jessica Craig [Rivalea (Australia) Pty Ltd., JBS Australia Pork Division]

I grew up in Narrabri in regional New South Wales but really had no agricultural knowledge whatsoever, despite my dad and three brothers being pilots working in agriculture.
Upon finishing high school and completing a gap year continuing my first job working at Eagle Boys Pizza (turns out I’ve been working with pork since year 10!), I moved to Sydney to study a Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience at The University of Sydney. This came about as I had decided after I finished high school that I liked animals and the only job you could really do with animals was to be a vet…how wrong I was!

After completing my first year of my Bachelor’s degree, I found out that I enjoyed animal science and wanted to stick it out to do research. I completed my Honours year working on a project with Dr Roslyn Bathgate investigating ideal diluents for cryopreservation of alpaca semen.

Upon graduation, I started as a Technical Officer at Rivalea in the Research and Innovation Department and moved to Corowa, NSW. A few years into that role I was lucky enough to complete my PhD program with John Pluske, Frank Dunshea and Jeremy Cottrell looking closely at the performance of gilt progeny in commercial production. I completed my degree through Murdoch University but was based at Rivalea and continued working as a technical officer in that time.

I was then accepted into the APRIL Industry Placement Program as a Research Scientist after completion of my PhD, a role I continued with after the program and am still employed to this day. Currently I am working with APRIL and APL on several projects, as well as internally with Rivalea and the JBS Pork Division in a diverse field of subject areas. My current projects include work in all aspects of gilt development, development of a single shot vaccine for APP (Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae), and several nutritional strategies in gestation and lactation to reduce the number and improve the performance of low-birth-weight piglets.

Other aspects of my job as a research scientist that I really enjoy include serving on the Rivalea Animal Ethics Committee (as a Category B member and now Secretary), the APSA Committee (as the Vice President for the 2025 conference), attending animal science conferences, collaborating with our amazing research partners, and mentoring students, graduates, technical officers and other young minds within Rivalea/JBS and throughout the wider Australian pork and agricultural industries. Outside of work I am mum to my gorgeous 2½ year old son Darcy and step-mum to Maddi (16) and Abbey (14), and I enjoy watching them all grow and learn, as well as reading, training at the gym, meeting new people and catching up with friends over coffee, food and cocktails!

Recent Publications

Recent publications from APRIL/Pork CRC-supported projects and (or) students are as follows:

1. Collins, A. and Collins, C. (2024). Epidemiology tools to evaluate the control of proliferative enteropathy in commercial pig herds. Animals 14: 1357.

2. Cottrell, J.J., Green, M.P., Dunshea, F.R., Liu, F., Plush, K.J. and Zhao, W. (2023). Identification of how future climates may impact the reproductive herd and what this may mean for nutrition. Journal of Animal Science 101 (Supplement 3), 208-209. (https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skad281.252).

3. Lucas, M.E., Hemsworth, L.M., Butler, K.L., Morrison, R.S. Tilbrook, A.J., Marchant, J.N., Rault, J.-L., Galea, R.Y. and Hemsworth, P.H. (2024). Early human contact and housing for pigs – Part 1: Responses to humans, novelty and isolation. Animal 101164 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2024.101164).

4. Lucas, M.E., Hemsworth, L.M., Butler, K.L., Morrison, R.S. Tilbrook, A.J., Marchant, J.N., Rault, J.-L., Galea, R.Y. and Hemsworth, P.H. (2024). Early human contact and housing for pigs – Part 2: Resilience to routine husbandry practices. Animal 101165 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2024.101165).

5. Lucas, M.E., Hemsworth, L.M., Butler, K.L., Morrison, R.S. Tilbrook, A.J., Marchant, J.N., Rault, J.-L., Galea, R.Y. and Hemsworth, P.H. (2024). Early human contact and housing for pigs – Part 3: Ability to cope with the environment. Animal 101166 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2024.101166).

6. Tomas, K., Savaglia, J., Plush, K.J., D’Souza, D.N., Butler, K.L., Hemsworth, P.H. and Tilbrook, A.J. (2024). Maternal contact and positive human interactions during lactation impact on pig stress resilience post-weaning. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 276: 106326.

7. Tucker, B.S., Jorquera-Chavez, M., Petrovski, K.R., Craig, J.R., Morrison, R.S., Smits, R.J. and Kirkwood, R.N (2023). Comparing surface temperature locations with rectal temperature in neonatal piglets under production conditions. Journal of Applied Animal Research 51: 1, 212-219, DOI: 10.1080/09712119.2023.2176310.

8. Wijesiriwardana, U.A., Pluske, J.R., Craig, J.R., Furness, J.B., Ringuet, M., Fothergill, L.J., Dunshea, F.R. and Cottrell, J.J. (2024). A comparative analysis of gastrointestinal tract barrier function and immune markers in gilt vs. sow progeny at birth and weaning. Journal of Animal Science 102: skae054 (https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skae054). A reminder that any dissemination of information in relation to APRIL-funded projects requires prior approval. An approval form can be fund here.

Conferences, Events, Important Dates

2024 ASAS-CSAS-WSASAS Annual Meeting, 21-25 July 2024 (Calgary, AB, Canada; https://www.asas.org/meetings/annual-2024).

9th International Conference on the Welfare of Animals at Farm Level (WAFL), 30-31 August 2024 (Florence, Italy; https://wafl2024.eaap.org).

75th EAAP Meeting, 1-5 September 2024 (Florence, Italy; https://www.isrp2024.org/).

Pig Veterinarians Conference, 4-6 September 2024 (Wollongong, NSW).

APL Delegates Meeting,16-17 October 2024 (Melbourne, VIC).

APL Annual General Meeting, 17 October 2024 (Melbourne, VIC).

British Society of Animal Science Annual Conference (‘Supporting Livestock’s Role in a Global Society’), 8-10 April 2025 (Galway, Ireland).

16th International Symposium on Digestive Physiology of Pigs, 20-23 May 2025 (Lake Geneva, WI, USA; https://www.dppigs.org/2025-Meeting).

APRIL News April 2024

Posted on 16 April 202416 April 2024 by admin

Welcome to this edition of APRIL NEWS.

In January, applications for APRIL’s education and training awards were collated and a meeting of the Education Advisory Committee was held in early February. Successful awardees are mentioned further in APRIL NEWS, but of note, it was pleasing to see several applications related to the collaborative CRC-Project related to tail biting. This is an important project for the industry, and encouraging students to contribute to its outcomes is an integral part.

In late February, I attended the APL Industry Benchmark meeting in Melbourne and provided an APRIL update on several of our activities. Having last attended this meeting in October 2022, it was good to see the continual improvements producers are making in their production, some of which is at world standard, and listen to the honest and open accounts from producers of what works, or doesn’t work, in their respective businesses.

In this edition of APRIL NEWS, the APRIL Chair, Dr Tony Peacock, provides some comments on various matters that have occurred since the start of the new year, including APRIL’s representation at the Inquiry into Pig Welfare in Victoria.

Research and Innovation discusses Transformation Projects and Innovation Projects.

Education and Training lists the successful recipients from the 2023/24 call for education and Industry Placement Program awards.

Commercialisation and Innovation in this edition features the results of a study done assessing the AusScan Online in vivo energy predictions between samples of whole grain and ground grain.

This edition’s Research Snapshot focuses on a recently completed APRIL-supported project exploring the use of calcium nitrate in diets for gestating sows, to reduce piglet birthweight variation and improve their lifetime performance.

Our Member Focus this edition is on Rutu Galea, Animal Science Welfare Centre, The University of Melbourne.

Recent Publications provides an update on publications arising from APRIL/Pork CRC-supported studies. Please let me know (j.pluske@april.org.au) if you have other publications that can be mentioned in future newsletters.

Message from the CEO

The APRIL Board will meet later this month to discuss and decide whether to adopt and implement a participants’ model for APRIL. As I have written previously, the APRIL Board thinks it can improve effectiveness and continue to build APRIL by moving to a more collaborative “Participant” Model that will have greater scope to tailor participation levels to suit the needs of organisations that want to work with us. Having greater capacity to cater to these needs will increase APRIL’s value to those organisations and attract greater participation. Organisations that are not a participant of APRIL could still be involved in projects, but they would need to pay more to do so.

Letters of invitation to join APRIL as a participant were sent out before and after Christmas to current APRIL Members and other organisations we have been associated with. I would like to thank the organisations that have already shown their desire to join APRIL under this new model, and welcome inquiries from other organisations that might be interested in being part of APRIL’s future and contributing positively to the sustainability of the pork industry.

In February 2024, the Boards of both APRIL and Australian Pork Limited (APL) came together again in Canberra. The Boards’ heard updates from both APRIL and APL as well as the major findings and outcomes of the ‘Green Paper’, aimed at identifying major issues confronting the industry that can be addressed through investments in research and development. Both Boards are looking forward to this being finalised and enacted upon.

In late March, APRIL CEO and Chief Scientist Dr John Pluske and I appeared at the Legislative Council Economy and Infrastructure Committee’s Inquiry into Pig Welfare in Victoria. This Committee has been asked to consider: (1) the scope, application, compliance with and enforcement of relevant existing regulatory frameworks and their ability to promote pig welfare outcomes; (2) the ability of the most common methods used to stun pigs before slaughter (including electrical stunning and exposure to high concentrations of carbon dioxide gas) in Victorian slaughterhouses to minimise pain, suffering and distress and prevent injury, and available alternatives; (3) the outcomes of the 2017 industry-led phase out on the use of sow stalls; (4) current industry breeding and housing practices particularly the use of different forms of confinement; (5) international comparisons to determine industry adherence to best practice standards; and (6) any other relevant matter.

Submissions and public representations were made by a cross-section of the pork industry including APL, Rivalea (Australia) Pty Ltd.-JBS, the SunPork Group, Apiam Animal Health, individuals, producers, and the National and Victorian Farmers Federation. Our hearing with the Committee, done in conjunction with Dr Chris Richards and Dr Kate Savage from Apiam Animal Health, was a useful chance to highlight the impact R&D and science has had on the Australian pork industry over the decades that both John and I have been involved.

Having worked with so many other industries during my time with CRCs, I know first-hand how this is a science-hungry industry, willing to invest in and apply research. Earlier witnesses showed that there is a concerted effort to attack all animal agriculture, including by illegal and unethical means. We must continue to do top-class science and work for its implementation into farming systems without the intimidation of a small number of anti-agriculture extremists.

Finally, I would like to welcome Dr Rebecca Morrison from Rivalea (Australia) Pty Ltd., as one of the member-nominated Directors on the APRIL Board. Dr Morrison was elected at the Annual General Meeting in November 2023. I would also like to thank Professor Bronwyn Harch for her services and contributions on the APRIL Board over the last 18 months. Professor Harch was one of two APL-nominated Directors on the APRIL Board, and we now welcome back Margo Andrae, CEO of APL.

Dr Tony Peacock

Research and Innovation

A key pillar in APRIL’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025 is the allocation of funds for key Transformation Projects for the industry. Several significant Transformation Projects are already underway, such as the CRC-Project Eliminating pig tail removal to improve welfare and industry sustainability, an Australian Research Council-Linkage project How to make antimicrobials in pig feed redundant, naturally, and a project exploring naturally derived feed additives and natural bacterial flora to combat antimicrobial resistant bacteria.

Subject to Board approval, it is envisaged that funds will be available in 2024-25 for key Transformation Projects in a number of significant areas. There is also planned to be a tranche of funding available for Innovation Projects (also subject to Board approval).

Further details on these initiatives are planned to be released following the APRIL Board meeting on 22 April.

A reminder please that Project Leaders for current projects provide a Project Quarterly Report and Project Cash Expenditure Report for the quarters finishing 31 December 2023 and (or) 31 March 2024. Any final invoices will not be paid without an approved Final Report and a cash expenditure report (or reports).

An individual is ineligible to be considered for a new research project (as Project Leader) if, and without an approved and fully signed Project Variation, there are two or more consecutive Quarterly Project Reports and/or Cash Expenditure Reports that are overdue. Furthermore, an individual is ineligible to be considered for a new research project (as Project Leader) if, and without an approved and fully signed Project Variation, a Final Report is more than 3 months overdue.

If required, templates for all reports can be found here.

12th Nutrient Requirements of Swine

In welcome news, it was recently announced that the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) has established the committee to develop the 12th Nutrient Requirements of Swine. The NASEM’s charge to the committee is to, “conduct an in-depth review of the scientific literature on the nutritional needs of swine and prepare a report that revises and updates the 11th edition of Nutrient Requirements of Swine.” The 11th edition of Nutrient Requirements of Swine was completed in 2012. The committee comprises: Dr. Tom Burkey, University of Nebraska; Dr. Laura Greiner, Iowa State University; Dr. Sung Woo Kim, North Carolina State University; Dr. Marie-Pierre Létourneau-Montminy, Laval University; Dr. Crystal Levesque, South Dakota State University; Dr. Yanhong Liu, University of California – Davis; Dr. Martin Nyachoti, University of Manitoba; Dr. John Patience, Chair, Iowa State University; Dr. Amy Petry, University of Missouri; Dr. Jason Woodworth, Kansas State University; Dr. Pedro Urriola, University of Minnesota,;and Dr. Jaap Van Milgen, INRAE (France).

Education and Training

New education and training awards

The APRIL Board recently approved new education and training awards following the recommendations of the Education Advisory Committee.

Congratulations are extended to the following successful awardees:

1. Honours awards:

Tanishka Munjal, The University of Melbourne, for a project exploring the effects of placentophagia on sow and piglet performance in confined and loose housing systems.
Amelia Sofra, The University of Melbourne, for a project investigating aspects of free-range pork production and quality assurance.

2. Postgraduate scholarship awards:

Cintia Amaral, Murdoch University, for a PhD involving lean meat measures in pig carcases.
Abadi Reda, University of New England, for a PhD that will determine the genetic components of the incidence of tail biting and to estimate its correlated effects on productivity traits.
Isabel Stanley, The University of Melbourne, for a MSc project investigating pre-weaning tail biting behaviour in pigs reared with intact tails in an Australian commercial setting.
Dirk van Winden, University of New England, for a PhD aiming to identify genetic and genetic-environment interaction factors for pig tail biting.

3. Industry Placement Program Award: Patrick Hurley (SunPork Group), South Australia.

Commercialisation and Innovation

AusScan Online in vivo energy predictions are similar for whole and ground grain paired samples.

There has been feedback supplied by some AusScan Online customers that there may be differences between in vivo energy values for whole grain samples versus the corresponding ground sample.

To determine whether AusScan Online calibration predictions differed between whole and ground grain samples, the Broiler apparent metabolisable energy (AME) and the Pig Faecal and Ileal digestible energy (DE) predictions were compared for whole grain and the corresponding ground samples.

The samples were derived from cereal grains used in Experiments 1 and 2 from the current SARDI-led Layer AME calibration project funded by Australian Eggs and involving APRIL and AB Vista as project parties.

A total of 96 samples were sent to the NSW Department of Primary Industries, EnviroAg Testing Services Laboratory, Wagga Wagga for NIR analysis using a FOSS XDS. The paired samples of 48 ground grain (100 micron) and 48 whole grain samples consisted of wheat (20), barley (9), triticale (4), sorghum (5) and maize (10).

Differences between ground and whole grain means for Broiler AME, Pig Faecal and Ileal DE predictions were assessed using a paired t-test and simple linear regression. Mean differences between ground and whole grain samples for Broiler AME (0.34) and Pig Faecal DE (0.19) contents were significant, whereas the Pig Ileal DE values were statistically similar (Table 1).

However, the noted differences between ground and whole grain energy predictions were small and less than the standard error of the corresponding calibration. This indicates that one would expect similar predicted energy values for whole and ground grain samples.Table 1: Statistical output from a paired T-test for mean in vivo energy values of 96 cereal grain samples of ground (n=48) and whole (n=48) and the corresponding standard error of the calibration for each parameter.

Linear regression analyses of the paired samples of ground and whole grain energy values showed robust R2 values indicating a high proportion of variance in the ground sample is explained by the whole grain sample. The coefficient of determination values were 0.92, 0.95 and 0.89 for Broiler AME, Pig Faecal DE and Pig Ileal DE contents respectively, and indicate how closely the ground and whole grain predictions are aligned. For any further information, please contact Dr Charles Rikard-Bell, APRIL Manager Commercialisation and Research Impact (c.rikardbell@april.org.au; 0439 513 723).

Research Snapshot

This project built upon previous APRIL-supported work (project 5A-104, Low dose dietary strategies in late gestation to enhance born alive and piglet survival and performance) by Dr Jessica Craig [Rivalea (Australia) Pty Ltd.], which found that supplementation of calcium nitrate (CAN) to sows from approximately day 90 of gestation could significantly reduce the proportion of piglets born <1.1 kg and improve their survival to weaning, in comparison to piglets born to sows supplemented with arginine (ARG). The aim of the current study was to determine the optimal feeding time for CAN to sows in gestation to maximise piglet performance before weaning, and whether this resulted in improvements in growth performance of pigs from birth to sale.

Major findings were as follows:

Calcium nitrate supplementation, regardless of duration, did not significantly improve piglet birth weights or reduce birth weight variation.
Calcium nitrate supplementation increased lactation feed intake in sows, but this did not result in an improvement in piglet growth rates before or after weaning.
Piglets born to sows supplemented with CAN were no more likely to survive to weaning than those born to those not supplemented with CAN.
Supplementation of CAN, or the duration of supplementation, did not influence piglet performance to slaughter.

The current experiment was performed in a commercial herd in sows of parity 1 to 8 at mating, where farrowing supervision was available for extended hours and piglets were dried and placed at the udder soon after birth. A copy of the Project Summary and Final Report can be found here.

Member Focus – Rutu Galea (Animal Welfare Science Centre, The University of Melbourne).

I began my career in animal science when I first did my Bachelor’s degree specialising in Zoology. After moving to Australia, I spent a brief period in biomedical research before moving back to my roots in animal science. For the past 10 years I have been working at the Animal Welfare Science Centre within The University of Melbourne as a research assistant.

I am fortunate to be fulfilling my long-time goal of obtaining a PhD degree, while continuing my role as a research assistant. My PhD (supervised by Dr Lauren Hemsworth, Prof. Mark Stevenson, Dr Megan Lucas, Prof. Paul Hemsworth, and Prof. Alan Tilbrook) is a collaborative project between animal welfare science and veterinary epidemiology.

Through my PhD, I am exploring interactions between intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors associated with tail biting in different Australian pork production systems. I have recently completed 23 months of data collection from 79,552 individually tagged pigs by following them from birth to slaughter. My PhD confirmation seminar was well-attended in early February 2024, I am on track to complete this project in 2025.

Recent Publications

Recent publications from APRIL/Pork CRC-supported projects and (or) students are as follows:

Babington, S., Tilbrook, A.J., Maloney, S.K., Fernandes, J.N., Crowley, T.M., Ding, L., Fox, A.H., Zhang, S., Kho, E.A. and Blache, D. (2024). Finding biomarkers of experience in animals. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology 15: 28.
Dunshea, F.R., Pluske, J.R. and Ponnampalam, E.N. (2024). Dietary iron or inulin supplementation alters iron status, growth performance, intramuscular fat and meat quality in finisher pigs. Meat Science 213, 109496.
Lucas, M.E., Hemsworth, L.M. and Hemsworth, P.H. (2023). Review: Early life piglet experiences and impacts on immediate and longer-term adaptability. Animal, 100889.
Pluske, J.R., Murphy, K.J. and Dunshea, F.R. (2024). Pork nutritional value and relationships with human health. In: Dikeman, M. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Meat Sciences III, vol. 1. Elsevier, pp. 587–595. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ B978-0-323-85125-1.00103-4. ISBN: 9780323851251.
Pluske, J.R., Turpin, D.L., Kim, J.C., Trezona, M., Abraham, S. and Dunshea, F.R. (2023). Impacts of feeding lauric acid on performance of late-finishing, Improvac-treated male pigs. Animal Production Science 63 (18): xii.
Rikard-Bell, C.V., Taber, N. and Pluske, J.R. (2023). Does the falling-number value impact the adjusted digestible energy content of weather-damaged wheats for pigs? Animal Production Science 63 (18): xiv.
Taylor, S.M., Navarro, M., Muller, M., Pascal, N., Ibanez, C., Wong, M., Tran, V.H. and Roura., E. (2023). Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) fingerprint in Australian swine feed formulations: Signature groups and nutrient precursors. Animal-Science Proceedings 14: 886-887.
Tomas, K., Savaglia, J., Plush, K.J., D’Souza, D.N., Butler, K.L., Hemsworth, P.H. and Tilbrook, A.J. (2024). Maternal contact and positive human interactions during lactation impacts piglet performance and behaviour during lactation. Frontiers in Animal Science 4: 1289518. doi: 10.3389/fanim.2023.1289518.
Ward, S.A., Pluske, J.R., Plush, K.J., Pluske, J.M. and Rikard-Bell, C.V. (2024). Assessing Decision Support Tools for Mitigating Tail Biting in Pork Production: Current Progress and Future Directions. Animals 14: 224. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14020224.
Weaver, A.C., Braun, T.C., Braun, J.A., Golder, H.M., Block, E. and Lean, I.J. (2024). Effects of negative dietary cation-anion difference and calcidiol supplementation in transition diets fed to sows on piglet survival, piglet weight, and sow metabolism. Journal of Animal Science 102:skae027. doi: 10.1093/jas/skae027. PMID: 38285624; PMCID: PMC10889728.

A reminder that any dissemination of information in relation to APRIL-funded projects requires prior approval. An approval form can be fund here.

Conferences, Events, Important Dates

British Society of Animal Science (BSAS)Conference, 9-11 April 2024 (Belfast, Northern Ireland; https://www.bsas.org.uk/conference).

PIX, AMC and APL ‘Food with Purpose’, 13-15May 2023 (Gold Coast, QLD; https://www.pix.au/).

27th International Pig Veterinary Society Congress & 15th European Symposium of Porcine Health Management, 4-7 June 2024 (Leipzig, Germany).

Joint AAAS & AAAP Conference, 8-12July 2024 (Melbourne Convention Centre; https://www.aaap2024.com/).

2024 ASAS-CSAS-WSASAS Annual Meeting, 21-25July 2024 (Calgary, AB, Canada; https://www.asas.org/meetings/annual-2024).

75th EAAP Meeting, 1-5September 2024 (Florence, Italy; https://www.isrp2024.org/).

2024 Pig Veterinarians Conference, 4-6September 2024; Wollongong, NSW.

16th International Symposium on Digestive Physiology of Pigs, 20-23 May 2025 (Lake Geneva, WI, USA; https://www.dppigs.org/2025-Meeting).

APRIL News October 2023

Posted on 18 October 202318 October 2023 by admin

Welcome to the third edition of APRIL NEWS for 2023.

Save the Date: the next APRIL AGM and Stakeholders’ Forum will be held on 13 November 2023, at the Sofitel Hotel Brisbane, commencing at 1 pm for the AGM. The Stakeholders’ Forum commences at 1:20 pm and concludes at 4:30 pm. The format of the Stakeholders’ Forum is still in preparation but will cover some of APRIL’s research and development, education and training, and commercialisation activities, presentations from invited speakers, and a number of other presentations.

Invitations have been extended already, but please contact me if you would like any further information.

The Stakeholders’ Forum precedes the 19th biennial conference of the Australasian Pig Science Association (Inc.).

Research and Innovation provides an update on newly-contracted projects from the last Innovation Projects’ round, and provides a brief summary of APRIL project A3B-105, Effects of negative DCAD and vitamin D in transition diets to increase piglet weaning numbers, improve piglet weaning weight, and minimise sow condition loss during lactation.

Education and Training foreshadows an upcoming call for applications, including for APRIL’s Industry Placement Program (IPP). Further details will be provided via email and in the final newsletter for 2023.

Commercialisation and Innovation in this edition provides a brief summary of a new project that commenced earlier this year seeking to provide the egg industry with rapid, accurate real-time prediction of the apparent metabolisable energy (AME) content of cereal grains.

Commercialisation and Innovation also contains a reminder to those with a great idea to submit an application( or applications ) for this year’s APRIL Enterprise Award. Please feel free to circulate this Award amongst your colleagues and co-workers, and we look forward to your entries.

This edition’s Research Snapshot focuses on a recent publication in Animal Production Science (Van Barneveld et al., 2023) that calculates the net protein contribution for an Australian pork supply chain on the basis of the unique characteristics of Australian ingredients.

Our Member Focus this edition is on Professor Frank Dunshea, The University of Melbourne.

As always,we would welcome receiving APRIL-related information and upcoming events from our stakeholders for possible inclusion in the Newsletter [subject to space (preferred length is 100-150 words) and content], as we see this as an important communication forum also.

Sincerely,
Dr John Pluske
CEO and Chief Scientist
j.pluske@april.org.au

Message from the CEO

On August 9-10, representatives from Australian Pork Limited, APRIL, the pork industry and research providers came together in Melbourne to provide insights and inputs into the development of a “Green Paper, that aims to set out industry research and development priorities for the industry in the future. It is imperative that the entire pork industry works together to ensure that funds for research and development (as well as education and training) are used efficiently and to maximum advantage.

It is envisaged that the “Green Paper” will be completed later this month and be presented to APL and APRIL for further discussion and action.

As mentioned by Dr Tony Peacock (APRIL Chair) in the June edition of APRIL NEWS, anew “Participant Model” was approved in principle by the APRIL Board that month, and is currently being refined for further discussion. The APRIL Board considers that this new model will help to provide the opportunity to tailor different participation levels to suit the needs of organisations that want to work with APRIL, to ensure the organisation’s longer-term sustainability and continued support of the pork industry.

The Education Advisory Committee met in early September to consider applications for undergraduate and postgraduate education awards and the Post-Doctoral Fellowship Scheme, following a mid-year call for applications. It was pleasing to see a number of applications being received.

Recommendations from the Education Advisory Committee will be put to the Board for consideration, and successful awardees then notified.

I recently attended the THINK Piglet Health and Nutrition meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark.The overall purpose of the conference was to hear about the latest research,trends, and (possible) solutions that can help improve the survival and viability of piglets from hyper prolific sows. Topics covered included pre-farrowing feeding strategies, designs of the farrowing pen, the management of large litters, and the feeding of piglets before weaning.

Of particular interest, the issues of piglet viability and survival with increasing litter size, nurse sows, and corollary welfare concerns, were front and centre for discussion during the meeting.

The Pig Research Summit – THINK Piglet 2023 proceedings are available through open access, via https://animal-journal.eu/animal-science-proceedings/.

Please feel free to contact me if you’d like any further information.

Research and Innovation

New Innovation Projects

A number of new APRIL Innovation Projects have been fully executed, or are in the process of being fully executed, as follows:

Understanding the impact of climate on the boar and progeny through sperm non-coding RNA (Dr Jeremy Cottrell, The University of Melbourne).
Placentophagia: investigating its effect on sow and piglet performance in confined and loose housing systems (Dr Lauren Hemsworth, The University of Melbourne).
Nutritional strategies to increase intramuscular fat (Professor Frank Dunshea, The University of Melbourne).
Automatic adjustment of gestating sow live weight (Dr David Cadogan, Feedworks Pty Ltd.).
Can the provision of silage at weaning improve sow welfare and subsequent reproduction? (Dr Lauren Staveley, CHM Alliance Pty Ltd.).
Use of Colony Stimulating Factor 3 (CSF3) to improve the fertility of extended pig sperm (Associate Professor Mark Nottle, The University of Adelaide).

Congratulations to all those involved in the successful projects, and we look forward to seeing the outcomes from the projects and the benefits to the pork industry.

Final Report

APRIL project A3B-105, Effects of negative DCAD and vitamin D in transition diets to increase piglet weaning numbers, improve piglet weaning weight, and minimise sow condition loss during lactation, completed through PIRSA-SARDI, Myora Farm, Arm & Hammer Animal Nutrition, and Scibus and The University of Sydney, was recently submitted.

The general aim of this project was to investigate the use of sow transition diets that delivered acidogenic feeds and a vitamin D metabolite, calcidiol, to improve the health, wellbeing and production of sows and piglets. The project addressed three research questions:

Would feeding a negative dietary anion cation difference (DCAD) transition diet from late in gestation to early lactation improve production outcomes?
Is there evidence that the skeleton regulates energy metabolism in the pig (as it does in other species) as indicated by changes in blood metabolites?
Is there a positive interaction of both DCAD and the inclusion of calcidiol in a sow transition diet?

The project’s main findings were as follows:

· A significant reduction in stillbirths was observed in the negative DCAD + calcidiol and positive DCAD treatment groups compared to control sows (fed a lactating sow ration).

· There was a significant reduction in mortality(↓ 4%) to day 120 of piglets offered the negative DCAD + calcidiol diet compared to piglets offered the control or positive DCAD + calcidiol diets.

· There was a statistical tendency for more than0.9 additional piglets to be born in the subsequent litter for the negative DCAD and both positive DCAD groups, compared to control sows.

· Urinary pH responses of sows to diets formulated to provide a positive DCAD diet indicated that there was acidification occurring in both positive and negative DCAD treatments. It is possible that the rapidly available starch in barley and wheat, that comprised approximately 50% of the diets, generated enough volatile fatty acids to reduce urinary pH.

· There were minimal differences in sow body condition during the experiment. However, negative DCAD + calcidiol-fed sows lost significantly less backfat during lactation than control-, negative DCAD-and positive DCAD + calcidiol-fed sows.

· Milk fat and protein, piglet weight and the number of piglets weaned were statistically similar for all treatment groups.The lack of a significant effect on number of piglets weaned despite reductions in still births and piglet mortalities was likely influenced by fostering.

· There were statistical differences reflected in blood gas, mineral and metabolite concentrations that are consistent with feeding of a negative DCAD diet, providing more evidence that negative DCAD diets may influence energy metabolism.

The Final Report is available here: https://apri.com.au/research/project-reports/.

A reminder again please that Project Leaders for current projects provide a Project Cash Expenditure Report and Project Quarterly Report for the quarters finishing 30 June 2023 and (or) 30 September 2023.

Any final invoices will not be paid without an approved Final Report and a cash expenditure report(or reports).

If required, templates for all reports can be found at: https://apri.com.au/research/project-reporting/.

Education and Training

To build further upon APRIL’s current education and training investments and enhance human capacity for the pork industry, APRIL will soon be seeking applications to support its education and training program and assist in further building human capacity for the pork industry, as follows:

Education Awards

A number of different opportunities exist for undergraduate and post graduate students or potential students, as follows:

Scholarship Awards for Honours students.
‘Top-ups’ for postgraduate research students (PhD, MS/MSc/MPhil) in an APRIL-funded research project (or related).
Support for DVM/undergraduate Veterinary Science projects.
Support for MS/MSc/MPhil students, where are search project is an incorporated component of the program of study, in an APRIL-funded research project (or related).
Part-support for PhD students.

Applications are also sought from potential research students wishing to be involved in a current CRC-Project (CRC-P), Eliminating Pig Tail Removal to Improve Welfare and Industry Sustainability. A number of different opportunities exist for undergraduate and postgraduate students/potential students interested in pursuing this opportunity, as follows:

Scholarship Awards for Honours students.
Support for DVM/undergraduate Veterinary Science projects.
Support for MS/MSc/MPhil students, where are search project is an incorporated component of the program of study.

National Industry PhD Program

The National Industry PhD Program (https://www.education.gov.au/university-research-commercialisation-package/national-industry-phd-program) will support PhD candidates to undertake industry-focused research projects and be equipped with the knowledge and skills to better translate university research into commercialisation outcomes.

The Australian Government’s commitment is to add 1,800 Industry PhDs over 10 years through this program.

The Program consists of two streams:

Industry Linked PhD stream: This stream is for outstanding PhD candidates to undertake research projects co-designed by university and industry, with opportunities to be embedded in an industry setting and participate in a 12-week training program.
Industry Researcher PhD stream: This stream is for highly capable industry professionals who are supported by their employers to undertake PhD projects in partnership with a university while retaining industry employment and salary benefits

Applications for Round 3 2023 are expected to open in November 2023.

Participating universities are responsible for submitting applications on behalf of researchers, industry partners, PhD candidates and industry employees.

Please contact Dr John Pluske (j.pluske@april.org.au) if you wish to receive more information and (or) are interested in being involved in an application with APRIL

APRIL Industry Placement Program (IPP)

The overall aims of the Industry Placement Program are to:

(1) Retain graduates trained by APRIL, the Pork CRC, APL, and (or) other relevant organisations, at the Honours and (or) postgraduate level, and attract others, by sponsoring their placement in a commercial pork production organisation or an affiliated business within the pork industry, in a structured and enhanced development program.

(2) Attract and stimulate graduates into the industry with a career interest in pork production, while continuing their development and understanding of how research and development, education and training,technology, and extension/adoption can enhance industry competitiveness and success.

Applications will open later this year and close sometime in mid- to late-January, 2024.

Commercialisation and Innovation

Predicting the metabolisable energy content of grains for layer hens

A new research project between Australian Eggs Ltd., The University of Adelaide, APRIL and AUNIR commenced earlier this year that seeks to provide the egg industry with rapid, accurate real-time prediction of the apparent metabolisable energy (AME) content of cereal grains for layer hens by adding data to the online NIRS (Near Infra-red Spectroscopy) platform, AusScan Online.

This project, coordinated by Dr Reza Barekatain (PIRSA-SARDI), aims to improve the accuracy of prediction of an existing NIR calibration for layers by adding grain samples that represent the grain available for layer diets in Australia. The project will also investigate the possibility of adjusting the existing broiler NIR calibration to make it suitable for layers.

Once completed, it is envisaged that this calibration will join the stable of existing NIRS calibrations offered through AUNIR (AusScan Online). APRIL receives a revenue stream through this service, that it reinvests in the core activities of research and development, education and training, and further commercialisation endeavours.

APRIL Enterprise Award – Applications Now Open

The APRIL Enterprise Award is open again for 2023.

The APRIL Enterprise Award will be granted to an individual (or individuals) working in the pork industry that can demonstrate innovation and excellence in one or more of the following themes:

Innovations resulting in new products, new methodologies, new services.
Potential for accelerated adoption of an innovation to improve performance and efficiency.
Potential for commercialisation opportunities through APRIL.

The Award

The successful Awardee(s) will be selected by an industry-based panel and announced at the APRIL Stakeholders’ Forum in Brisbane on 13 November 2023.

The Award winner(s) will be eligible to be invited to attend this event, and the Award winner(s) will be eligible to receive a cash prize.

Award Criteria

Applicants are to be self-nominated and can come from any individual (or individuals)currently working in the pork industry.

The application needs also to address the following selection criteria:

Appeal to Industry: what is the problem/challenge/opportunity that the innovation addresses?
Concept/Idea: how was the innovation identified and then developed?
Feasibility: how is the innovation offering an industry solution? How will the innovation improve and/or accelerate productivity, profitability or industry advancement and competitiveness?
Value: what benefits will the innovation deliver to pork producers, their business, and potentially the pork industry over the longer term?

How to Apply

Applicants must provide a profile/biography of yourself and your business in 350 words or less and include a high-resolution headshot image.

The application must address a theme, or themes, listed above, and clearly state which theme(s) is/are being addressed. The application must also address the Award criteria (maximum of 300 words per criterion).

Any applications with insufficient detail may be returned with a request for more information to ensure all applicants have an equal chance.

Supporting videos are welcome, but each video (maximum of two) is to be no longer than 5minutes.

Applications must be received by 5 pm AEDT, 16 October 2023.

Details relating to the purposes of the Award and How to Apply, as well as the Terms & Conditions, can be found on the APRIL website at:https://apri.com.au/news-and-media/.

Please direct any queries and send applications to: Dr Charles Rikard-Bell, Manager, Commercialisation and Research Impact (0439 513 723; Email: c.rikardbell@april.org.au).

Research Snapshot

A recent publication, Net protein contribution from an intensive Australian pork supply chain (van Barneveld, Hewitt and D’Souza, 2023; Animal Production Science Special Issue: RAAN 2023; available at https://www.publish.csiro.au/AN/AN23057; or please contact me directly for a copy), addresses the issue surrounding the adverse consequences of feeding human-edible feedstuffs to live stock through calculation of the net protein contribution (NPC) of the production system in question. If the NPC is greater than 1.0 for the production system,then there are net benefits from the system for human populations with an ever-increasing requirement for protein and amino acids.

The aim of this paper was to calculate the NPC for an Australian pork supply chain (SunPork Group) on the basis of the unique characteristics of Australian ingredients. The calculation of NPC is not complex in itself; however, intimate knowledge of the source of the nutrients and their quality, and interpretation of their human-edible protein fractions,is essential if an accurate estimate is to be achieved.

Using (a) actual, published or estimated values for human-edible fractions of feedstuffs, (b) the percentage of protein available within raw materials considered to be human edible, (c) recommended amino acid scoring patterns for infants, adolescents and adults, (d) published, and calculated from standard reference nutrient databases, digestible indispensable amino acid scores, (e) carcase yields and carcase composition from published studies, and (f) actual feed formulations, feed volumes and production data from the pork supply chain, the NPC was calculated.

The NPC was 3.26, which means that this supply chain generates more than three times the human-edible protein it consumes in the process. This demonstrates the positive value that livestock production systems make to human food supply.

Livestock systems are often targeted as net consumers of vital nutrients such as protein and amino acids and the diversion of these nutrients from human diets. If production systems focus on the utilisation of waste streams, co-products and human-inedible feedstuffs, then they can make a net contribution to human-edible protein supply.

A reminder, Project Summaries and Final Reports projects, are available on the APRIL website (https://apri.com.au/research/project-reports/).

Member Focus – Professor Frank Dunshea
(The University of Melbourne)

At the 2023 American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) annual scientific meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Professor Dunshea was awarded the Federation of American Animal Science Societies (FASS) American Feed Industries Association(AFIA) New Frontiers in Animal Nutrition Award. Frank is the first person from outside North America to be awarded this.

Professor Dunshea’s research has an impressive breadth and quality, and he has published over 1,000 journal, conference, book, or technical articles. His research has had a high scientific impact, and he is currently in the top 1% of scientists for individual impact in Agricultural Science (top 0.22%), Plant and Animal Sciences (top 0.48%) and All Fields (top 0.58%) in the worldwide ISI ranking.

According to Google Scholar, he has an h-index of 72 with over 20,000 citations indicating a high citation index over a range of publications and a clear and overwhelming indication of the breadth of his activities, scientific impact, and international stature. While Professor Dunshea has published broadly, most of his research has focused on animal and human nutrition and food science.

Professor Dunshea has received many awards for his research in animal science, including the American Society of Animal Science award for Growth and Development (2009), Non-Ruminant Nutrition (2013), Meat Science (2017) and Ruminant Nutrition (2022) as well as the Asian-Australasian Association for Animal Production Woogene award for animal biotechnology and green technology (2022).

In 2016, Professor Dunshea was awarded the Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor title, which recognizes those who demonstrate outstanding leadership at The University of Melbourne and the wider community, coupled with pre-eminence in research and teaching. Professor Dunshea was the inaugural recipient of this title in the Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences Faculty. Professor Dunshea also has a fractional (20%) appointment as a Professor of Animal Growth and Development at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom.

In 2022, Professor Dunshea was conferred as a Fellow of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences, only the second animal nutritionist to have received this honour. Professor Dunshea is also a Fellow of the Nutrition Society of Australia, the Australian Society for Animal Sciences, and the Australasian Pig Science Association in recognition of his contribution to nutritional and animal sciences.

Moreover, at the recent combined European Association of Animal Science Societies (EAAP) and World Association for Animal Production (WAAP; https://waap.it/) held in Lyon, France, Frank was awarded the WAAP medal for contribution to global animal science. This award is only given every 5 years, so it is indeed a tremendous recognition of the contribution of Frank’s students and academic and industrial collaborators in the livestock industries.

Frank was also endorsed as the next Chair of the WAAP meeting to be held in Melbourne in 2028.

Congratulations, Frank, on these wonderful achievements.

Recent Publications

Recent publications from APRIL/Pork CRC-supported projects are as follows:

Estacio, D.M., Bradshaw, W., Detzler, D., Tactacan, G. and Campbell, R.G. (2023). A multi-component protease improved growth performance and feed cost savings on nutrient-reduced growing-finishing diets containing highly diversified ingredients. Animal Production Science (In Press).
Galea, R., Hemsworth, L., Lucas, M., Plush, K., Morrison, R., Jorquera-Chavez, M., Zemetis, J., Hemsworth, P., Tilbrook, A. and Stevenson, M. (2023). The incidence of tailbiting in pigs reared under commercial conditions in Australia. In The 56th Congress of ISAE 2023, p. 108.
Lucas, M., Galea, R., Stevenson, M., Hemsworth, P., Morrison, R., Jorquera-Chavez, M. and Hemsworth, L. (2023). In The 56th Congress of ISAE 2023, p. 241.
Marchant, J., Rikard-Bell, C. and Jongman, E. (2023). The effects of a molasses block enrichment on behavior and welfare of sows post-mixing. In The 56th Congress of ISAE 2023, p. 131.
Pluske, J.R., Turpin, D.L., Kim, J.C., Trezona, M., Abraham, S. and Dunshea, F.R. (2023). Impacts of feeding lauric acid on performance of late-finishing, Improvac-treated male pigs. Animal Production Science (In Press).
Rikard-Bell, C., Taber, N. and Pluske, J.R. (2023). Does the falling-number value impact the adjusted digestible energy content of weather-damaged wheats for pigs? Animal Production Science (In Press).
Tomas, K., Saviglia, J., Plush, K., D’Souza, D., Butler, K., Hemsworth, P. and Tilbrook, A. (2023). Early-life positive human contact causes quicker stabilisation of piglet behaviour following weaning. In The 56th Congress of ISAE 2023, p. 39.

There is also a number of 1-page papers being presented at this year’s Australasian Pig Science Association meeting in November, in Brisbane. Aspects of APRIL’s research program will also be covered in some of the invited review papers. These publications will appear in Animal or animal-science proceedings, and will be mentioned in the next APRIL NEWS.

A reminder that any dissemination of information in relation to APRIL-funded projects requires prior approval. An approval form can be fund here: http://apri.com.au/research/project-reporting/.

Conferences, Events, Important Dates

APRIL AGM and Stakeholders’ Forum, 1:00-5:30 pm, 13 November 2023 (Sofitel Brisbane, QLD).
Australasian Pig Science Association (APSA), 13-16 November 2023 (Sofitel Brisbane, QLD; www.apsa.asn.au).
3rd Australian Veterinary Antimicrobial Stewardship Conference (AVAMS23), 20-22 November 2023 (Crowne Plaza, Gold Coast; https://avams.au).
APL November Delegates Conference, 22 November 2023 (Melbourne, VIC).
APL Annual General Meeting, 23 November 2023 (Melbourne, VIC).
British Society of Animal Science (BSAS)Conference, 9-11 April 2024 (Belfast, Northern Ireland).
PIX, AMC and APL Food with Purpose, 13-15 May 2023 (Gold Coast, QLD).
Joint AAAS & AAAP Conference, 8-12 July 2024 (Melbourne Convention Centre; https://www.aaap2024.com/).

APRIL News June – July 2023

Posted on 24 July 202324 July 2023 by admin

Welcome to the second edition of APRIL News for 2023.

Dr Tony Peacock, APRIL Chair, provides an overview on some recent developments occurring with APRIL and what we can do better for younger people and the pork industry.

Research and Innovation provides an important update to successful project recipients regarding variations to the amount of funding that can be requested in the first year of a project.

APRIL is also pleased to announce the opening of applications for this year’s APRIL Enterprise Award. Please feel free to circulate this Award amongst your colleagues and co-workers, and we look forward to your entries.

Education and Training reviews the latest call for applications for undergraduate and postgraduate awards and the Post-Doctoral Fellowship Scheme, as well as providing information on the National Industry PhD Program.

Commercialisation in this edition overviews the compilation of various information received through AusScan Online during the 2022-2023 harvest in Australia.

This edition’s Research Snapshot focuses on some outcomes from a literature review aimed at identifying knowledge gaps and potential strategies to improve progeny uniformity of pigs, by Dr Fan Liu at Rivalea (Australia) Pty Ltd.

Our Member Focus this edition is on Dr Kate Plush, Science, Technology and Adoption Manager with SunPork Solutions.

Recent Publications provides an update on publications arising from APRIL-supported studies. Please let me know (j.pluske@april.org.au) if you have other publications that can be mentioned in future newsletters.

Finally, Anatara Lifesciences Ltd. and the University of New England are thanked for their support of APRIL. We also look forward to continuing our relationships with current Members for 2023-24.

Kind regards,
Dr John Pluske
Chief Scientist and CEO

Message from the Chair: Dr Tony Peacock

Changing how APRIL works

Right now, the Australasian Pork Research Institute Ltd. (APRIL) operates under a Membership model. It has worked pretty well. But the Board has decided to move forward with an adjustment, to move to a Participant Model instead.

Some people take a real interest in Australian tax law. Some even take a detailed interest in how tax laws relate to Membership or Participation in an organisation.

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that most readers of the APRIL News don’t fall into the category of people searching the inner workings of the tax code in this regard. So, I’ll give the layperson version. APRIL needs to be a tax-exempt scientific institution to do its job. To keep that status, we can’t provide direct benefits to our Members. This makes it challenging at times to both retain and attract Members.

The APRIL Board thinks we can improve effectiveness and continue to build APRIL by moving to a more collaborative “Participant” Model. We have now received a private Australian Tax Office ruling that confirms this. We will have great scope to tailor Participation levels to suit the needs of organisations that want to work with us.

If you think of our current Members, they are pork processors and producers, the major industry body in APL, technical services companies, advocacy groups, and education and research organisations. What each wants out of APRIL obviously varies between Members. Having greater scope to cater to the individual needs of participating organisations will increase APRIL’s value to those organisations, and attract great participation.

Over the next few months, we will begin a consultation process, with a view to the necessary changes to be in place from July 2024.

Closer ties with Australian Pork Limited

The APRIL and APL Boards are in furious agreement that the two organisations should work as closely together as possible.

There is an APL-APRIL Working Group, with representation from both organisations, currently working closely on the development of a “Green Paper” to clearly set out industry priorities that affect both organisations. The outcomes we want are to avoid any duplication (not that hard) and to increase the clarity of industry priorities so that organisations wanting to work with APRIL and APL really understand what the pork industry thinks is important and how we can work best together (much harder). I’m grateful to the APL and APRIL Directors and staff putting in some hard yards on this development.

Can we do better for students and the industry?

The pork industry does well out of research. Vital to that effort is to continue to support new researchers to enter the industry and to stay in the industry. The industry itself is also hungry for skilled and well-educated people to join.

One immediate thing APRIL can do is more publicity about the opportunities that are available, both in our R&D program but also within our participating organisations. We plan to boost our efforts in this regard as soon as we can.

The APRIL Education Advisory Committee will also take a look at the range of scholarships we offer, how we offer them, and whether we can attract great interest and support. If you have thoughts on how to attract and retain people in the sector, feel free to get in touch.

Research and Innovation

Project payments

Feedback was received as to whether flexibility exists to increase the initial 25% payment (of the first year’s funds) that APRIL provides to a new project. This is because experimental set-up costs for some projects can exceed 25% of the first year’s funds, leaving a gap in project income. Currently, payment of Project Funds commences (subject to any Special Conditions and upon signing of the Project Details by APRIL) with the payment of 25% of the Project Funds budgeted for the first year of the Project.

Subsequently, the APRIL Board agreed that in all future projects, research providers could request higher up-front project payments by amending the structure of project budgets or by requesting a Special Condition in the research proposal.

Given that projects in the recently approved round of Innovation Projects are still being revised or in the process of being executed, please indicate in the budget if the 25% upfront payment in the first year is to be varied. Naturally, this will impact ensuing payments in the project.

This decision applies to all subsequent funding rounds for R&D projects from APRIL.

A reminder again please that Project Leaders provide a Project Cash Expenditure Report and Project Quarterly Report for the quarters finishing 31 December 2022 and (or) 31 March 2023 and (or) 30 June 2023.

Any final invoices will not be paid without an approved Final Report and a cash expenditure report (or reports). If required, templates for all reports can be found at: https://apri.com.au/research/project-reporting/

APRIL Enterprise Award – Applications Now Open

The APRIL Enterprise Award is open again for 2023.

The APRIL Enterprise Award will be granted to an individual (or individuals) working in the pork industry that can demonstrate innovation and excellence in one or more of the following themes:

Innovations resulting in new products, new methodologies, new services.
Potential for accelerated adoption of an innovation to improve performance and efficiency.
Potential for commercialisation opportunities through APRIL.

The Award

The successful Awardee(s) will be selected by an industry-based panel and announced at the APRIL Stakeholders’ Forum in Brisbane on 13 November 2022.

The Award winner(s) will be eligible to be invited to attend this event, and the Award winner(s) will be eligible to receive a cash prize.

Award Criteria

Applicants are to be self-nominated and can come from any individual (or individuals) currently working in the pork industry.

The application needs also to address the following selection criteria:

Appeal to Industry: what is the problem/challenge/opportunity that the innovation addresses?
Concept/Idea: how was the innovation identified and then developed?
Feasibility: how is the innovation offering an industry solution? How will the innovation improve and/or accelerate productivity, profitability or industry advancement and competitiveness?
Value: what benefits will the innovation deliver to pork producers, their business, and potentially the pork industry over the longer term?

How to Apply

Applicants must provide a profile/biography of yourself and your business in 350 words or less and include a high-resolution headshot image.

Any applications with insufficient detail may be returned with a request for more information to ensure all applicants have an equal chance.

Supporting videos are welcome, but each video (maximum of two) is to be no longer than 5 minutes.

Applications must be received by 5 pm AEDT, 16 October 2023.

Details relating to the purposes of the Award and How to Apply, as well as the Terms& Conditions, can be found on the APRIL website at: https://apri.com.au/news-and-media/

Please direct any queries and send applications to: Dr Charles Rikard-Bell, Manager, Commercialisation and Research Impact (0439 513 723; Email: c.rikardbell@april.org.au).

Education and Training

To build further upon APRIL’s current education and training investments and enhance human capacity for the pork industry, APRIL is currently seeking applications to support its education and training program and assist in further building human capacity for the pork industry.

Education Awards

A number of different opportunities exist for undergraduate and postgraduate students or potential students, as follows:

Scholarship Awards for Honours students.
‘Top-ups’ for postgraduate research students (PhD, MS/MSc/MPhil) in an APRIL-funded research project (or related).
Support for DVM/undergraduate Veterinary Science projects.
Support for MS/MSc/MPhil students, where a research project is an incorporated component of the program of study, in an APRIL-funded research project (or related).
Part-support for PhD students.

Scholarship Awards for Honours students.
Support for DVM/undergraduate Veterinary Science projects.
Support for MS/MSc/MPhil students, where a research project is an incorporated component of the program of study.

How to apply?

Completed applications must reach APRIL by the closing date and be lodged electronically to Dr Charles Rikard-Bell at, c.rikardbell@april.org.au.

Any questions?

Questions on any of the Awards can be directed to either Dr Charles Rikard-Bell (c.rikardbell@april.org.au) or Dr John Pluske, j.pluske@april.org.au.

Important Dates:

Applications for all schemes Open: 5 June 2023.

Applications for all schemes Close: 28 July 2023.

National Industry PhD Program

The Program consists of two streams:

Industry Linked PhD stream: This stream is for outstanding PhD candidates to undertake research projects co-designed by university and industry, with opportunities to be embedded in an industry setting and participate in a 12-week training program.
Industry Researcher PhD stream: This stream is for highly capable industry professionals who are supported by their employers to undertake PhD projects in partnership with a university while retaining industry employment and salary benefits.

Applications for Round 2 2023 are now open and will close on 4 August 2023.

Participating universities are responsible for submitting applications on behalf of researchers, industry partners, PhD candidates and industry employees.

Please contact Dr John Pluske (j.pluske@april.org.au) if you wish to receive more information and (or) are interested in being involved in an application with APRIL.

APRIL Post-Doctoral Fellowship Scheme

The APRIL Post-Doctoral Fellowship Scheme provides an opportunity for further career development for an individual, on a full-time or part-time basis, who has completed their research doctorate (PhD) (or will shortly satisfy the requirements of a PhD), and has less than 3 years of relevant post-doctoral work experience (or pro-rata equivalent).

APRIL will provide to the host institution a maximum of $37,500 per annum (exclusive of GST) for the first 2 years of the 3-yearFellowship, as well as $7,500 per annum (exclusive of GST) for project costs/travel and conference support associated with the Fellowship during the first 2 years (on a pro-rata basis depending on the full-time employment equivalence of the recipient).

The Scheme’s main objectives are to:

Attract and retain high calibre early career researchers for the benefit of the pork industry;
Provide a Post-Doctoral Fellow with the time and support to develop their demonstrated research potential and track record;
Assist in establishing a Post-Doctoral Fellow with a successful career trajectory.

How to apply?

Completed applications must reach APRIL by the closing date and be lodged electronically by the applying organisation, including the name and qualifications of the proposed candidate, to the APRIL Chief Scientist/CEO Dr John Pluske (j.pluske@april.org.au).

Any questions?

Questions on the Post-Doctoral Fellowship Scheme can be directed to either Dr John Pluske (j.pluske@april.org.au) or Dr Charles Rikard-Bell (c.rikardbell@april.org.au).

Important Dates:

Applications Open: 5 June 2023.

Applications Close: 28 July 2023.

Commercialisation

AusScan Online

During harvest, from November to April, APRIL compiles AusScan Online data sourced from mills receiving grains (wheat, barley, sorghum and triticale)across the various grain-growing areas in Australia. This information is distributed to nutritionists and feed millers as a series of Early Harvest Reports, and shows predicted protein and moisture contents, pig ileal and faecal digestible energy (DE) contents (IDE and FDE), the IDE:FDE ratio, the broiler apparent metabolisable energy (AME) content, and the broiler AME index. The broiler AME index gives a relative estimate of the likely feed intake for a broiler diet based on a particular grain.

As part of the Early Harvest Report in April, Dr Charles Rikard-Bell, APRIL Manager, Commercialisation and Research Impact, also produced a series of box and whisker graphs showing the distribution of pig ileal DE content, broiler AME content, and protein content (%)for barley and wheat samples by geographical region as predicted by AusScan Online. The graphs represented in excess of 7,000 scans uploaded to AusScan Online over the harvest season, from November 2022 to April 2023 (inclusive).

Within a particular geographical region, the FDE contents were found to be more variable in barley than in wheat (Figure 1). In contrast, there were subtle regional differences for the faecal DE content of wheat, with the range across all regions being approximately 0.8 MJ/Kg. The 2022-2023 harvest season indicated a wide range of protein percentages for barley and wheat across all regions, and wheat was found to be more variable than barley between regions (Figure 2).

Figure 1. Distribution of pig faecal DE content (MJ/kg) by geographical region for barley and wheat samples as predicted by AusScan Online. Regions are New South Wales (NSW),Queensland (QLD), South Australia (SA) and Victoria (VIC). Outliers (coloured dots) are shown external to the box and whisker plot for each region.

Figure 2. Distribution of protein content (%) by geographical region for barley and wheat samples as predicted by AusScan Online. Regions are New South Wales (NSW), Queensland(QLD), South Australia (SA) and Victoria (VIC). Outliers (coloured dots) are shown external to the box and whisker plot for each region.

This information highlights and reinforces the value that AusScan Online can bring in quantitatively portraying the variation in energy and nutrient content of various grains fed to pigs. These data can also be reproduced for broilers.

As such, AusScan Online is also particularly valuable for picking up ‘outliers’ that fall outside of the standard range and further underscore the importance of scanning grains for these key dietary components. Please contact Dr Charles Rikard-Bell for any further information (c.rikardbell@april.org.au).

Research Snapshot

APRIL has recently approved a Final Report for a commissioned Literature Review, Identifying knowledge gaps and strategies to improve progeny uniformity of pigs. There view, prepared by Dr Fan Liu of Rivalea (Australia) Pty Ltd., was directed at an increase in understanding of the myriad factors contributing to carcass weight and fatness variation within a production batch, with the ultimate aim of identifying strategies that may improve the uniformity of carcass weight and backfat of pigs.

The Literature Review discussed the aetiology of causes of variation in tissue deposition rate within a progeny batch, covering together physiological and nutritional factors during the pre-mating, prenatal, pre-weaning and post-weaning phases. There view identified knowledge gaps in some specific aspects of carcass variation.The review also aimed to provide background information for developing effective strategies to improve carcass uniformity, with the effectiveness of these being proposed for the development of a potential future research program in this area.

Potential research areas included, for example, a comparison of uteroplacental haemodynamics in small vs large foetusesin order to understand the role of placental blood flow in foetal development,and validation of the relationship between protein loss in lactation, the subsequent remating interval and within-litter birth weight variation in modern-day sows.

The Project Summary of this Literature Review, along with other Project Summaries and Final Reports projects, is available on the APRIL website (https://apri.com.au/research/project-reports/). Please contact me directly if you would like to receive a copy of this review.

Member Focus – Dr Kate Plush (SunPork Solutions)

When faced with the choice of a full-time position in an animal shelter, or tackling a postgraduate qualification, the choice was easy. I get bored quickly, and so the challenge of exploring neonatal development and survivability as part of a PhD program funded by the Sheep CRC was my first step towards a research career. After four years of monitoring lamb behaviour, in the middle of winter, when the fleece of ewes was covered in frost, the inside of a farrowing house looked like an attractive option.

I was fortunate enough to be awarded a postgraduate position funded by the CRC for High Integrity Australian Pork through The University of Adelaide, and with support and mentoring from both academic and industry experts, I transitioned into a scientific role in pig reproductive physiology and welfare.

Being part of the industry-led move away from gestating sow stalls is something I will never forget, and lessons learned from this experience still influence the way in which I tackle scientific questions and sustain my ambition with regards to opportunities for industry change.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my career has been incorporating scientific outcomes into staff training to achieve real productivity improvement or practice change.

In my current role as Science, Technology and Adoption Manager within the Technical Services team at the SunPork Group, I am given the opportunity to do this every day. All the APRIL projects I am involved in have translatable, practical outcomes across the pork value chain.

At SunPork, we are proud to lead the CRC-P Tails project, an international first to use hard data to define risk factors, and the complex relationship that exists between them, that lead to tail biting outbreaks. The eventual goal of this project is to enable producers to make informed decisions to move away from tail docking, having obvious animal welfare implications.

This CRC-P is generously supported by APRIL through the Transformational Projects scheme, and I look forward to working towards further research opportunities that this scheme will facilitate.

Recent Publications

Recent publications from APRIL/Pork CRC-supported projects are as follows:

1. Pluske, J.R.,Murphy, K.J. and Dunshea, F.R. (2022). Pork nutritional value and relationships with human health. In Reference Module in Food Science: Elsevier (https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-85125-1.00103-4).

2. Sharif-Islam, M., Henryon, M., van der Werf, J.H.J., Sørensen, A.C., Chu,T.T., Wood, B. and Hermesch, S. (2023). A comparison between the use of pedigree or genomic relationship matrices to control inbreeding in optimum-contribution selection. In Proceedings of the Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics.

3. Van Kerschaver, C., Turpin, D.L., Michiels, J. andPluske, J.R. (2023). Reducing weaning stress in piglets by pre-weaning socialization and gradual separation from the sow: A review. Animals 13: 1644.https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13101644.

A reminder that any dissemination of information in relation to APRIL-funded projects requires prior approval. An approval form can be fund here: http://apri.com.au/research/project-reporting/.

Conferences, Events, Important Dates

1. Animal Breeding at the Crossroads, 25th AAABG Conference, 26-28 July2023 (Perth, Western Australia; https://aaabgconference.com.au/).

2. Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition, 27-28 July 2023 (Gold Coast, QLD; https://www.raan.com.au).

3. ICoMST2023, 20-25 August 2023 (Padova, Italy; https://www.icomst2023.com/).

4. 56thCongress of the International Society for Applied Ethology, 1-5August 2023 (Tallinn, Estonia; https://isae2023.ee).

5. SA Pig Industry Day, 18 August 2023; Barossa Weintal Hotel, Tanunda, South Australia.

6. 74thEAAP + WAAP Annual Meeting, 26 August-1 September 2023 (Lyon, France; https://eaap2023.org).

7. Allen D.Leman Swine Conference, 16-19 September 2023 (MN, USA; https://lemanconference.umn.edu/).

8. Pig Research Summit – THINK Piglet Health & Nutrition 2023, 21-22September 2023 (Copenhagen, Denmark; https://www.tilmeld.dk/thinkpiglet2023/conference).

9. APRIL AGM and Stakeholders’ Forum, 1:00-4:30 pm, 13 November 2023 (Sofitel Brisbane, QLD).

10. Australasian Pig Science Association (APSA), 13-16 November 2023 (Sofitel Brisbane, QLD; www.apsa.asn.au).

11. 3rdAustralian Veterinary Antimicrobial Stewardship Conference (AVAMS23), 20-22November 2023 (Crowne Plaza, Gold Coast; https://avams.au).

12. British Society of Animal Science (BSAS) Conference, 9-11 April 2024 (Belfast, Northern Ireland).

13. Joint AAAS& AAAP Conference, 8-12 July 2024 (Melbourne Convention Centre; https://www.aaap2024.com/).

APRIL Enterprise Award 2023

Posted on 14 July 202314 July 2023 by admin

Now Open – APRIL Enterprise Award 2023 Applications

Applications for the 2023 APRIL Enterprise Award are now open, and close 16 October 2023.

The APRIL Enterprise Award is open to anyone and will be granted to an individual (or individuals) working in the pork industry that can demonstrate innovation and excellence in one or more of the following themes:

Innovations resulting in new products, new methodologies, new services.
Potential for accelerated adoption of an innovation to improve performance and efficiency.
Potential for commercialisation opportunities through APRIL.

Information associated with the Enterprise Award is available here:

APRIL Enterprise Award 2023

APRIL Enterprise Award Terms and Conditions 2023

Call for Education Awards and Post-Doctoral Fellowship Scheme

Posted on 1 June 20231 June 2023 by admin

Education and Training Opportunities

APRIL News March 2023

Posted on 17 April 202322 June 2023 by admin

Welcome to the first edition of APRIL News for 2023. Dr Tony Peacock, APRIL Chair, provides an overview on recent APRIL meetings held in Canberra.

Research and Innovation overviews recently approved projects from last year’s call for Innovation Projects.
Education and Training summarises the outcomes of the education and training call made late in 2022/early this year.
Commercialisation in this edition overviews a recently approved Commercialisation Project being conducted through AgResearch Ltd. and Freshpork New Zealand Ltd., examining the rapid prediction of compounds associated with boar taint in carcases.

This edition’s Research Snapshot focuses on some outcomes from a DVM project conducted by Ryan Kristen, The University of Sydney, titled, Characterising farrowing and piglet viability using a modified APGAR scoring system to predict piglet performance.

Our Member Focus this edition is on Dr Kim Nairn, Apiam Animal Health.
Recent Publications provides an update on publications arising from APRIL-supported studies. Please let me know (j.pluske@april.org.au) if you have other publications that can be mentioned in future newsletters.

In this regard, 1-page paper submissions originating from APRIL-funded research for consideration in the 19 Biennial APSA (Australasian Pig Science Association) conference, to be held in Brisbane in November 2023, require prior approval (http://apri.com.au/research/project-reporting/). Please send the approval request along with the 1-page paper to me by 3 May at the latest, to provide a sufficient turnaround time.

Submissions for the APSA conference are to be made through the online portal by Monday 8 May, at: https://www.apsa.asn.au/conference/abstract-submission/. Further details relating to the conference can be found here: https://www.apsa.asn.au. As always, we would welcome receiving APRIL-related information and upcoming events from our stakeholders for possible inclusion in the Newsletter [subject to space (preferred length is 100-150 words) and content], as we see this as an important communication forum also.

Kind regards,
Dr John Pluske
Chief Scientist and CEO

Message from the Chair: Dr Tony Peacock

In February 2023, the Boards of both APRIL and Australian Pork Limited (APL) came together in Canberra to discuss matters of mutual relevance related to research and development, education and training, and commercialisation, and to charter ways forward in these areas for the benefit of the pork industry.
The Boards’ agreed to move ahead with the preparation of an annual ‘Green Paper’ for identifying major issues confronting the industry that can be addressed through investments in research and development by both organisations. The Boards also agreed to form a Working Group, again with representation from both organisations, to establish ways that maximise the benefits that APRIL and APL can both bring for the betterment of the industry. An outcome of the meetings was the appointment of APRIL Chief Scientist and CEO, Dr John Pluske, to APL’s Investment Committee. The Investment Committee considers proposed research and innovation investment opportunities in the context of achieving APL’s strategic objectives.
I would like to thank everyone for attending and participating in the meeting, and in particular Margo Andrae, APL CEO, and Andrew Baxter, Chair of APL, for hosting the APRIL Board and staff.

Some of the major outcomes from the APRIL Board meeting, held the following day, are already described in this Newsletter, and I would also like to congratulate the successful recipients of the Innovation Projects and education and training awards approved by the Board. It is great to see the level of interest from researchers, research organisations and students in APRIL’s funding schemes. On this note, the Board will discuss the budget for the 2023-24 financial year at its next meeting in April, with a view to be making key investments in transformational projects in accordance with the Strategic Plan.

Finally, I would like to thank Margo Andrae for her services and contributions on the APRIL Board over the last 3 ½ years. Margo was one of two APL-nominated Directors on the APRIL Board, and we now welcome Ms Gail Owen (OAM, FAICD). In her role on the APL Board, Ms Owen is Chair of the Audit, Risk and Corporate Governance Committee and a member of the Industry Integrity Committee.

Research and Innovation

An open and competitive call for Innovation Projects, with up to $750,000 available for this round, closed on 12 December 2022. Innovation Project awards are designed to support ‘out of the box’ ideas for smart, new approaches to tackle the current and emerging challenges of the pork industry. As such, Innovation Projects need to demonstrate originality, uniqueness and creativity, establish new concepts or challenge existing ones, address significant challenges or critical barriers to progress, and be able to improve or apply new theoretical concepts, methodologies or tools that will benefit the pork industry.

The Research and Development Advisory Committee met in early February 2023 to consider the 17 proposals that were received, and at its meeting later in February, the APRIL Board approved a number of new Innovation Projects following recommendations put forward from the Research and Development Advisory Committee.

The following projects were approved for support (subject to modifications):

· Mum isn’t home: Using sows’ vocalisations and artificial-sound stimuli as novel strategies to improve post-weaning adjustment in piglets (Dr Maria Jorquera-Chavez, Rivalea (Australia) Pty Ltd.)).

· Nutritional strategies to increase intramuscular fat (Professor Frank Dunshea, The University of Melbourne).

· Automatic adjustment of gestating sow live weight (Dr David Cadogan, Feedworks).

· Use of Colony Stimulating Factor 3 (CSF3) to improve the fertility of extended pig sperm (Associate Professor Mark Nottle, The University of Adelaide).

· Can the provision of silage at weaning improve sow welfare and subsequent reproduction? (Dr Lauren Staveley, CHM Alliance).

· Understanding the impact of climate on the boar and progeny through sperm noncoding RNA (Dr Jeremy Cottrell, The University of Melbourne).

· Placentophagia: investigating its effect on sow and piglet performance in confined and loose housing systems (Dr Lauren Hemsworth, The University of Melbourne).

· Postnatal strategies to increase myofibre proliferation for improving lean tissue deposition (Dr Fan Liu, Rivalea (Australia) Pty Ltd.)).

The Board also approved a Commercialisation Project, Commercial evaluation of NCG supplementation on growth performance, carcass backfat and meat quality of finisher pigs, through Rivalea (Australia) Pty Ltd. (Dr Fan Liu). This project seeks to extend the outcomes from another APRIL project, Oral means of increasing endogenous GH levels and enhancing the performance and carcass characteristics of growing pigs.

Congratulations are extended to the successful recipients of these projects, and we look forward to seeing the outcomes in the future.

A reminder please that Project Leaders provide a Project Cash Expenditure Report and Project Quarterly Report for the quarters finishing 31 December 2022 and (or) 31 March 2023. There are also a number of (very late) outstanding Final Reports.

Any final invoices will not be paid without an approved Final Report and a cash expenditure report (or reports).

If required, templates for all reports can be found at: https://apri.com.au/research/project-reporting/.

Education and Training

To build further upon APRIL’s current education and training investments and enhance human capacity for the pork industry, APRIL recently sought applications for the following schemes:

1. Undergraduate and postgraduate education awards (including applications specifically for the CRC-Project, Eliminating Pig Tail Removal to Improve Welfare and Industry Sustainability).

2. Industry Placement Program (IPP).

3. Post-Doctoral Fellowship Scheme (new in 2023).

A total of 10 applications was received across all schemes. The Education Advisory Committee met in February 2023 and following recommendations put forward to the Board, the following education and training awards were approved:

Industry Placement Program: Samantha Sterndale (Westpork Pty Ltd.).
Postgraduate Research Scholarship ‘Top-Up’: Abedin Abdallah, The University of Queensland (for PhD studies examining aspects of tail biting in pigs raised with intact tails).
Postgraduate Research Scholarship ‘Top-Up’: Xianyi Liu, The University of Queensland (for PhD studies investigating a novel feed formulation to ensure efficient feed digestion and nutrient absorption, and supporting gut microbiota development to reduce the incidence of post-weaning diarrhoea).
Postgraduate Research Scholarship ‘Top-Up’: Viet Hai Tran, The University of Queensland (for PhD studies aiming to modulate the gut microbiota by designing diets to optimise early post-weaning feed intake and digestion).

Congratulations are extended to the successful recipients of these awards.

A further call for applications for some of APRIL’s education and training awards will be announced in the middle of the year. I would encourage anyone who is interested in undergraduate or postgraduate awards (including applications specifically for the CRC-Project, Eliminating Pig Tail Removal to Improve Welfare and Industry Sustainability), or the APRIL Post-Doctoral Fellowship Scheme, to apply.

Commercialisation

Boar taint is a significant problem in the pork industry and although immunocastration is available to mitigate its effects, it does not fully eliminate the risk of tainted pork entering the market. Preliminary work conducted by the Pork CRC suggested that Near InfraRed Spectroscopy (NIRS) could classify pig carcases as male and female based on levels of boar taint compounds, and that further investigation was warranted. Recently, AgResearch Ltd. and Freshpork New Zealand Ltd. commenced an APRIL-funded project to validate two rapid measurement techniques (NIRS and REIMS; Rapid Evaporative Ionisation Mass Spectrometry) to detect the presence and concentration of various boar taint compounds in pork at the point of processing. Carcase tissue samples will be taken from a number of non-Improvac™- and Improvac™- treated male pigs and then scanned using NIRS and REIMS methodologies, as well as being analysed for boar taint compounds using established laboratory methods.

Researchers will then evaluate the ability of the NIR and REIMS technologies to detect and predict boar taint using established cut-off concentrations of the compounds. If a statistically valid relationship is established and boar taint compounds are accurately detected, further steps towards development of the technology (technologies) will be considered by APRIL.

Such a technology would enable processors to detect and manage carcases affected with boar taint as well as providing a quality assurance approach to on-farm Improvac™ vaccination protocols.

Research Snapshot

Ryan Kristen was awarded a DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) Scholarship Award through The University of Sydney, and completed a project titled, Characterising farrowing and piglet viability using a modified APGAR scoring system to predict piglet performance, under the supervision of Associate Professor Roslyn Bathgate.

Ryan’s study examined the effects of parturition on piglet survivability and growth using a modified APGAR scoring system, or Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity and Respiration, to evaluate the effect of piglets’ vitality responses at parturition on subsequent survival and growth. The AGPAR system, developed originally for newborn infants, was recently revised by European researchers to include parameters that can assess piglet vitality after birth. It consisted of five parameters: skin colour, umbilical cord condition, and latencies for respiration, standing and suckling.

The (modified) APGAR scores were collected at parturition from 105 piglets along with farrowing parameters to predict survival, and growth was monitored until the end of the weaning phase for 83 piglets.

Key findings for pre-weaning piglet survival were that piglets from older sows, from larger litters, and those with higher birthweights, were significantly less likely to survive until weaning. The study also demonstrated that piglets receiving neonatal care (i.e., rubbing piglet if no respiration after 15 seconds or removing mucous from the snout) had significantly lower APGAR scores.

Although the total APGAR score was not a significant predictor of piglet survival, individual aspects of the scoring system warranted further investigation as part of a study to develop an APGAR scoring system for piglets that may be better able to predict piglet mortality.

In this regard, Ryan’s results reinforced existing knowledge in relation to some of the factors influencing pre-weaning mortality, but also highlighted some shortcomings in the use of this (modified) AGPAR system as a reliable and robust predictor of piglet outcomes .

Ryan is currently working in a mixed practice veterinarian on the south coast of NSW, but plans to move back into the intensive animal industries to help improve animal health, efficiency and welfare in these areas.

A complete version of Ryan’s project report including references, can be found at: https://apri.com.au/student-project-reports/.

Check out the APRIL website, https://apri.com.au/research/project-reports/, for other Project Summaries and Final Reports.

Member Focus – Dr Kim Nairn
(Apiam Animal Health)

When I graduated from the Murdoch University veterinary school in 1984, it would be fair to say that there were no grand plans of involvement with the Western Australian pig industry. I actually harboured ambitions of being the next James Herriot working in mixed practice in Katanning. There I quickly discovered that not only did I dislike the small animal and horse work, I also disliked small animal and horse owners. The irony that I now live in a household with a dog, a cat and two horses is not lost on me!

My veterinary journey then took me back to Perth (much to the relief of the cats, dogs and horses of the Great Southern region), where I spent the best part of 15 years working for Milne Feeds. As well as heading up the Milne technical division supporting their myriad of feed clients, I also became involved with the company’s allied livestock divisions encompassing pigs, meat chickens and turkeys. This ultimately was my sliding door moment, with my world becoming decidedly more porcine orientated with each passing year.

I then joined Dr Chris Brennan at Portec Veterinary Services (then Portec Australia) in early 2001 and as they say, “the rest is history”. In 2015, Portec Veterinary Services, now part of the Chris Richards Group, became a foundation member of Apiam Animal Health and the WA base of the Apiam Swine Services unit. In WA, the Apiam Swine Services team is currently comprised of 4 full time veterinarians and one technician with a focus of servicing the local pig industry. Our client base includes corporate and family farms, feed mills, pharmaceutical companies, pig breeding companies, pig processors, government and industry bodies.

Aside from the pig health, management and production consulting, the practice operates the Pig Health Monitoring Scheme for the WA industry, it manages and delivers the stockperson training programs for the WA pig industry, and participates in various industry committees and programs (training, exotic disease surveillance, research and producer groups).

Apiam Swine Services is currently contracted to the Murdoch Veterinary School at Murdoch University, designing and delivering the pig and poultry health and production curriculum to the DVM students. As part of this service, we are also involved in pig industry research and development via specific DVM student projects and the activities of Pork Innovation WA (PIWA). In 2007, I established Peel Pork, a 400-sow farrowing to finish piggery in the south west of WA, providing ideal opportunities for farm-based R&D as well as a hands-on teaching facility for stockpersons and veterinary students (I certainly didn’t become actively involved in pork production to make a fortune!).

To best support the Australian pig industry and its clientele, Apiam has long recognised the vital importance of leadership, innovation, technology and accessing the best pig science. This was a key driving force behind Apiam Animal Health’s involvement as a foundation member of APRIL. Within Apiam Animal Health, we continue to look forward to the ongoing high-quality output of APRIL’s activities and facilitating its practical implementation to the benefit of Australian pork producers.

Recent Publications

Recent publications from APRIL-supported projects are as follows:

1. Laird, T.; Jordan, D.; Pluske, J.; Mansfield, J.; Wilkinson, S.; Cadogan, D.; Abraham, S.; O’Dea, M. (2023). Development of an In Vivo Extended-Spectrum Cephalosporin-Resistant Escherichia coli Model in Post-Weaned Pigs and Its Use in Assessment of Dietary Interventions. Animals 13, 959. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13060959.

A reminder that any dissemination of information in relation to APRIL-funded projects requires prior approval. An approval form can be fund here

Conferences, Events, Important Dates

1. International Conference on Farm Animal Breeding and Genetics, 3-4 April 2023 (Athens, Greece; https://waset.org/farm-animal-breeding-and-genetics-conference-in-april-2023-in-athens).

2. 11 International Conference on Pig Reproduction, 4-7 June 2023 (Ghent, Belgium; https://www.icpr2023.be).

3. World Pork Expo, 7-9 June 2023 (Iowa State fairgrounds, IA, USA; https://worldpork.org).

4. Animal Breeding at the Crossroads, 25 AAABG Conference, 26-28 July 2023 (Perth, Western Australia; https://aaabgconference.com.au/).

5. Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition,27-28 July 2023 (Gold Coast, QLD; https://www.raan.com.au).

6. ICoMST 2023, 20-25 August 2023 (Padova, Italy; https://www.icomst2023.com/).

7. 56 Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology, 1-5 August 2023 (Tallinn, Estonia; https://isae2023.ee).

8. 74th EAAP + WAAP Annual Meeting, 26 August-1 September 2023 (Lyon, France; https://eaap2023.org).

9. Allen D. Leman Swine Conference, 16-19 September 2023 (MN, USA; https://lemanconference.umn.edu/).

10. Pig Research Summit – THINK Piglet Health & Nutrition 2023, 21-22 September 2023 (Copenhagen, Denmark; https://www.tilmeld.dk/thinkpiglet2023/conference).

11. APRIL Stakeholders’ Forum, 13 November 2023 (Sofitel Brisbane, QLD).

12. Australasian Pig Science Association (APSA),13-16 November 2023 (Sofitel Brisbane, QLD; www.apsa.asn.au).

APRIL News December 2022

Posted on 1 February 20231 February 2023 by admin

Welcome to the final edition of APRIL News for 2022

First, I would sincerely like to thank all of the presenters [David Henman (Rivalea (Australia) Pty Ltd.), Dr Valeria Torok (SARDI), Dr Megan Lucas (The University of Melbourne), Professor Sam Abraham (Murdoch University), Dr Rebecca Athorn (Australian Pork Limited), Dr Maria Jorquera-Chavez (Rivalea (Australia) Pty Ltd.), Dr Mathew Lucas (Davies Collison Cave), Dr Jamie Flynn (HONE), Dr Kate Plush and Dr Darryl D’Souza (SunPork Solutions), Dr Sophie Ward and Dr Charles Rikard-Bell (APRIL), and Rutu Galea and Weicheng Zhao (The University of Melbourne)], as well as the attendees, who participated in APRIL’s Stakeholders’ Forum on 15 November, at the Marriott Hotel in Melbourne.

It was indeed wonderful to be able to hold the Stakeholders’ Forum in face-to-face format again. In excess of 60 people attended the event, and participated in questions and answers and feedback followed by a networking function and dinner. This remains an important annual event for APRIL to exchange important industry information and experiences and provide updates and overviews on APRIL projects. Please let me know if you would like any further information from the Forum.

Save the Date: the next APRIL Stakeholders’ Forum will be held on 13 November 2023, preceding the 19th biennial conference of the Australasian Pig Science Association (Inc.) (13-16 November, 2023; Sofitel Hotel Brisbane, Australia). Please place this in your calendar.

The Stakeholders’ Forum was preceded by APRIL’s Annual General Meeting. Congratulations are extended to Su McCluskey (Independent Director), and Professor Robert van Barneveld (SunPork Group) and Professor Frank Dunshea (The University of Melbourne) (member-nominated Directors), for being re-elected to the APRIL Board.

Education and Training in this edition features two recently completed DVM projects from students at The University of Sydney, and provides a reminder regarding the call for applications for undergraduate and postgraduate education awards (including applications specifically for the CRC-Project, Eliminating Pig Tail Removal to Improve Welfare and Industry Sustainability), the Industry Placement Program (IPP), and the new Post-Doctoral Fellowship Scheme.

Commercialisation in this edition summarises some of the main talking points from the Stakeholders’ Forum held in November, and includes a reminder for Expressions of Interest in improving an NIR calibration for the rapid assessment of water quality. This builds on work conducted previously through the Pork CRC and APRIL.

This edition’s Research Snapshot focuses on the microbiome aspects of project A1-103, Improving enteric health, understanding impact on gut microbiome and weaner performance through the use of protease enzymes.

Our Member Focus this edition is on Dr Rebecca Athorn, from Australian Pork Limited.

Recent Publications provides an update on publications arising from APRIL-supported studies.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year, and extend my thanks and appreciation to Dr Charles Rikard-Bell, Geoff Crook and Dr Sophie Ward from APRIL, Dr Tony Peacock (Chair) and fellow APRIL Directors, to staff at Australian Pork Limited, and to everyone involved in APRIL projects and interactions, for support, feedback, and generosity of time during this year.

Sincerely,
Dr John Pluske
CEO and Chief Scientist
j.pluske@april.org.au

Message from the Chair (Dr Tony Peacock)

On behalf of the APRIL Board, I would like to thank everyone associated with APRIL for your hard work, dedication and contributions to the pork industry throughout the year. I think the depth and breadth of APRIL’s research and development, education and training and commercialisation activities, and its impacts on Australian pork production, were amply demonstrated at November’s Stakeholders’ Forum. This was a wonderful expose of the various ways that APRIL is assisting the pork industry to move ahead.

From the Board’s perspective, this year saw us meet five times and for the first time in three years, this included a face-to-face meeting in Melbourne, in November. Dr Gerard Davis left the APRIL Board in February and we thank him for excellent guidance and support, and in September, the Board welcomed Professor Bronwyn Harch as one of the two APL-nominated Directors. The Board discussed and resolved numerous matters during the year, including ongoing support for investment of funds into APRIL’s core operating investments in research and development, education and training, and commercialisation. The operating and governance model of APRIL is contingent upon continued and new stakeholder support, and to that end, I thank all our stakeholders. In this regard, stakeholders must be able to appreciate what APRIL can derive and deliver, which often takes time. In April this year, the Board approved a new Strategic Plan, 2022–2025, that sets APRIL on its next path and strives to ensure stakeholders can continue to support APRIL. I look forward to being able to provide further updates on this matter next year.

Finally, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year, and look forward to reengaging with everyone in 2023.

Research and Innovation

The open and competitive call for Innovation Projects, with up to $750,000 available for this round, closed on 12 December. Applications will now be assessed for eligibility and reviewed, with a meeting of the Research and Development Advisory Committee to be held in early February 2023 and recommendations for funding support to be considered by the Board later that month. A total of 16 applications have been received.

One of APRIL’s strategic imperatives is to seek leverage of its funds against additional investment in priority research, education and training, and commercialisation programs to achieve necessary scale for key industry outcomes. In this regard, APRIL will continue its Kickstart program for the 2022/23 financial year, which is aimed at providing seed funding to individuals/organisations to put together a project submission that seeks significant external funding. More details of the scheme can be found at https://apri.com.au/research/funding-opportunities/, or by contacting Dr John Pluske (j.pluske@april.org.au). Applications are open at any time.

A reminder please that Project Leaders provide a Project Cash Expenditure Report and Project Quarterly Report for the quarters finishing 30 September 2022 and 31 December 2022 (and for some projects, 30 June 2022 and 31 March 2022). There is also a number of (very late) outstanding Final Reports. Any final invoices will not be paid without an approved Final Report.

If needed, templates for all reports can be found at: https://apri.com.au/research/project-reporting/.

Education and Training

Call for Education and Training Applications

To build further upon APRIL’s current education and training investments and enhance human capacity for the industry, APRIL is currently seeking applications for the following schemes:

1. Undergraduate and postgraduate education awards (including applications specifically for the CRC-Project, Eliminating Pig Tail Removal to Improve Welfare and Industry Sustainability).

2. Industry Placement Program (IPP).

3. Post-Doctoral Fellowship Scheme.

The main objectives of the new Post-Doctoral Fellowship Scheme are to:

Attract and retain high calibre early career researchers for the benefit of the pork industry;
Provide a Post-Doctoral Fellow with the time and support to develop their demonstrated research potential and track record;
Assist in establishing a Post-Doctoral Fellow with a successful career trajectory.

Further information including Guidelines/Requirements and the Application Form for all of these schemes can be found at: https://apri.com.au/education-and-training-opportunities/

Important dates (all applications):

Applications open: 21 November 2022.

Applications close: 20 January 2023.

Applications will be assessed by the Education Advisory Committee and recommendations for support will be considered by the APRIL Board at its February meeting.

Student Project Reports

We have recently received two DVM project reports from students at The University of Sydney, both supervised by Associate Professor Ros Bathgate.

Bianca Hatze conducted a project titled, Alternate methods to detect and quantify urocanic acid in domesticated pig (Sus domesticus) blood serum, which explored alternate methods to detect and quantify cis- and trans- urocanic acid (UCA), a chemical associated with mechanisms of seasonal reproductive control in sows (and other animals).

Ryan Kristen conducted a project titled, Characterising farrowing and piglet viability using a modified APGAR scoring system to predict piglet performance, which examined the use of an APGAR (Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity and Respiration) scoring system to predict piglet survival and the effects on growth performance.

With more and more student projects being completed, the APRIL website allows student project reports to be accessed, including these two DVM projects; please visit https://apri.com.au/student-project-reports/.

Commercialisation

A key part of this year’s Stakeholders’ Forum was again an emphasis on APRIL’s commercialisation activities. Attendees at the Forum heard a general overview provided by Dr Charles Rikard-Bell (APRIL) and then a range of varied and interesting presentations provided by Dr Mathew Lucas (Davies Collison Cave; Getting the most from patents), Dr Jamie Flynn (HONE; miniaturised NIR technology), and Dr Kate Plush (SunPork Solutions; Easing the weaning transition).

In this context, Dr Rikard-Bell commented that the APRIL pipeline has some promising technology and some excellent research partners and commercial proposals to validate technologies prior to commercialisation and adoption. Potential opportunities exist for the industry with (i) real-time, in-field water quality assessment, (ii) rapid measurement techniques to detect the presence and concentration of boar taint compounds, and (iii) further developments with feed form and enrichment. Please contact Dr Rikard-Bell if you would like any further information.

This harvest, 2022-23, APRIL will continue to provide to industry Early Harvest Reports to nutritionists, feed manufacturers and other stakeholders. AusScan Online collates a significant number of scans from different regions across Australia every month. The report aids nutritionists in providing a rapid assessment of the new season’s energy and proximate values for each grain type across different regions in Australia for different animals.

The first Early Harvest Report will appear in this January’s edition of Australian Pork Newspaper (APN). Thank you to APN for allowing this important information to be disseminated to the industry.

Expressions of Interest – Improving an NIR Calibration of Rapid Assessment of Water Quality

APRIL is seeking Expressions of Interest from a suitable partner (or partners) to support further development/testing and potential subsequent commercialisation of a miniaturised, hand-held portable NIR technology that can rapidly assess (less than 60 seconds) more than 13 water quality parameters including alkali metals, heavy metals and microbiology.

Water quality and its management represents a significant challenge to the livestock industries. Rapid, on-site testing of water quality will enable timely, cost-effective decision-making. By having access to this simple yet robust technology, livestock producers and technical decision-makers will be better placed to understand their individual water quality challenges and in turn implement appropriate actions to ensure not only optimal animal productivity, health and welfare but also economic benefits and efficiencies.

Furthermore, this technology is translatable across other agricultural and industry sectors where rapid diagnostics are needed.

Further specific information can be found here (https://www.growag.com/listings/commercial-opportunity/rapid-water-quality-assessment-hardware-commercial-opportunity) or by contacting Dr Charles Rikard-Bell, Manager, Commercialisation and Research Impact (0439 513 723; Email: c.rikardbell@april.org.au).

Research Snapshot

As part of the Final Report for project A1-103, Improving enteric health, understanding impact on gut microbiome and weaner performance through the use of protease enzymes (Mr Robert Hewitt; SunPork Solutions), extensive microbiome analyses were conducted by Dr Alison Collins (NSW DPI) to explore the impacts of feeding lower protein diets and the addition of a protease on weaner and grower pigs’ faecal microbiome.

For the analyses related to weaner pigs, the pigs were allocated at weaning to a 2 x 2 factorial design of treatments: two diets (Control v Low Protein) +/- protease addition to the diet (150 g/kg of diet). Pooled-pen faecal samples were collected at 14 days after weaning and then again at 28 days after weaning. The DNA was extracted from the pooled-pen faecal samples using established techniques, then purified and quantified before submitting for amplification and sequencing of the V4 region of 16S rRNA gene (Illumina 454 pyrosequencing), which was able to detect all bacteria.

A large array of information was assembled as part of this project. In brief, the major changes observed at both 14 and 28 days after weaning were in the relative abundance of Veillonellaceae, Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae with the phylum Firmicutes. A reduced relative abundance of Enterobacteriaceae and increased abundance of Prevotellaceae in weaner pigs fed lower protein diets is supported by published results demonstrating the benefits of lower protein diets on reducing numbers of enterotoxigenic E. coli and the incidence of post-weaning diarrhoea. A higher abundance of Prevotellaceae has been reported as a dominant feature of the faecal microbiota in healthy pigs as compared to diarrhoeic pigs after weaning. Non-diarrhoeic pigs after weaning were shown to have a continuous decrease in Lactobacillus and Escherichia and a gradual increase in Prevotellaceae with the transition to solid food after weaning. Prevotellaceae increase rapidly after weaning due to the availability of plant polysaccharides and can metabolise both proteins and carbohydrates to produce acetate and propionate and provide energy for the pig.

Check out the APRIL website, https://apri.com.au/research/project-reports/, for more details on this project, as well as other Project Summaries and Final Reports.

Member Focus – Dr Rebecca Athorn (Australian Pork Limited)

I was born and raised in the regional town of Toowoomba in Queensland where I grew up around animals and was an avid horse rider and member of the local pony club. We lived on a farm and for a few years we even had a pet pig called “Petunia”. After I finished high school my love of animals and science led me to study a Bachelor of Applied Science – Animal Studies at The University of Queensland (Gatton Campus) where in the final year of my degree I was awarded a scholarship from Pork Queensland, where one of the requirements of the award was to undertake work experience at a commercial piggery.

I undertook my placement at the UQ Gatton Campus Piggery and enjoyed the hands-on nature of the work. This positive experience led me to seek an Honours project with pigs and I was fortunate enough to receive support through a Pork CRC Honours Scholarship to undertake my research project. My Honours research project looked at the inclusion of ractopamine in the finisher diets of pigs with high genetic merit and its effect on performance. Towards the end of my Honours year, the Pork CRC advertised a number of opportunities for PhD scholarships associated with Pork CRC funded projects focussing on pig reproduction. I had developed an affinity for reproductive physiology during my undergrad studies, and a project that was being undertaken by Dr Pieter Langendijk from SARDI piqued my interest. I was again successful in obtaining a Pork CRC Postgraduate Award and so moved to Roseworthy SA to undertake my PhD studies in embryo survival in gilts.

In 2012 after the completion of my studies, I joined the R&I department at Rivalea Australia as a research scientist. My position at Rivalea was one of the first to be supported through the Pork CRC Industry Placement Program. I spent the next 5 ½ years at Rivalea and was involved in many Pork CRC and Australian Pork Limited funded projects (some of which I was the lead investigator on), and was also lucky enough to spend 5 months on secondment at the University of Alberta working on a joint Pork CRC/ University of Alberta project on lactational oestrus. My time at Rivalea has been invaluable to me in my career to date, and being able to conduct meaningful research in commercial facilities (with commercial challenges!) has helped me to understand the opportunities and challenges of research in our industry, and also how to work effectively with research providers in my current role as Manger, Production Innovation at APL to achieve meaningful outcomes for industry.

Working for APL over the past 5 years has exposed me to the many challenges that the Australian pig industry faces and the way in which the research we fund has helped to address and mitigate some of these challenges. It has also shown me that the Australian pork industry is a progressive industry and that we have a great story to tell, not only through the passion of our producers have for what they do but also the positive effect they have on their communities. It is this passion not only from producers but also others associated with this amazing industry, that has kept me dedicated to working in it for the past 15 years (with many more years to come, I hope!).

Through our commitment to research and innovation in, and for, the Australian pig industry, APL commits $1 million dollars each year to APRIL activities, a commitment that follows on from both previous Pork CRCs. Leveraging our funds as a member of APRIL allows APL to expand our research portfolio and invest in a greater number of projects that can positively impact our industry. We also work collaboratively with APRIL to support and build the future capability of our industry. I know the support that I have received from industry throughout my studies and my early career has led me to where I am today and I am proud to be able to give back to the industry that supported and fostered my development.

Recent Publications

Recent publications from APRIL-supported projects are as follows:

1. Liu, F., Gilmour, S., Brewster, C. and Henman, D. (2022). Effects of β- hydroxy methyl butyrate (HMB) supplementation on growth performance and carcass traits of finisher pigs between 50-110 kg. In Proceedings of Nutrition Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting. Perth, Australia.

2. Tomas, K., Savaglia, J., Plush, K.J., D’Souza, D.N., Fernandes, J.N., Butler, K.L., Hemsworth, P.H. and Tilbrook, A.J. (2022) Reduced maternal contact increases piglet behavioural stress during husbandry procedures at 3 days of age. Animal Science in Australia 34:cxlii.

3. Vargovic, L., Athorn, R.Z., Hermesch, S. and Bunter, K.L. (2022). Improving sow welfare and outcomes in the farrowing house by identifying early indicators from pre-farrowing assessment. Journal of Animal Science 100:1-13.

4. Zhao, W., Artaiz, O., Iqbal, Y., Le, H.H., DiGiacomo, K., Leury, B.J., Fothergill, L.J., Furness, J.B., Liu, F., Green, M.P., Finger, B.J., Navarro, M., Roura, E., D’Souza, D.M., Dunshea, F.J., Plush, K.J. and Cottrell, J.J. (2022). Heat stress of gilts around farrowing causes oxygen insufficiency in the umbilical cord and reduces piglet survival. Animal 16:100668.

A reminder that any dissemination of information in relation to APRIL-funded projects requires prior approval. An approval form can be fund here: http://apri.com.au/research/project-reporting/.

Events and Important Dates

1. International Conference on Animal Genetics and Breeding, 23-24 January 2023 (Amsterdam, The Netherlands; https://waset.org/animal-genetics-and-breeding-conference-in-january-2023-in-amsterdam).

2. Evoke AG, 21-22 February 2023 (Adelaide Convention Centre, South Australia; https://evokeag.com).

3. American Society of Animal Science Midwest Meeting, 12-15 March 2023 (Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, Madison, Wisconsin (https://www.asas.org/sections/midwest-section/meetings).

4. British Society of Animal Science Conference, 28-30 March 2023 (Birmingham, UK; https://bsas.org.uk/conference-2023).

5. International Conference on Farm Animal Breeding and Genetics, 3-4 April 2023 (Athens, Greece; https://waset.org/farm-animal-breeding-and-genetics-conference-in-april-2023-in-athens).

6. 74th EAAP + WAAP Annual Meeting, 26 August-1 September 2023 (Lyon, France; https://eaap2023.org).

Research and Innovation

Education and Training

Commercialisation and Innovation

Research Snapshot

Member Focus – Dr Jessica Craig [Rivalea (Australia) Pty Ltd., JBS Australia Pork Division]

Recent Publications

Conferences, Events, Important Dates

Message from the CEO

Research and Innovation

Education and Training

Commercialisation and Innovation

Research Snapshot

Member Focus – Rutu Galea (Animal Welfare Science Centre, The University of Melbourne).

Recent Publications

Conferences, Events, Important Dates

Message from the CEO

Research and Innovation

Education and Training

Commercialisation and Innovation

Research Snapshot

Member Focus – Professor Frank Dunshea (The University of Melbourne)

Recent Publications

Conferences, Events, Important Dates

Message from the Chair: Dr Tony Peacock

Research and Innovation

Education and Training

Commercialisation

Research Snapshot

Member Focus – Dr Kate Plush (SunPork Solutions)

Recent Publications

Conferences, Events, Important Dates

Message from the Chair: Dr Tony Peacock

Research and Innovation

Education and Training

Commercialisation

Research Snapshot

Member Focus – Dr Kim Nairn(Apiam Animal Health)

Recent Publications

Conferences, Events, Important Dates

Message from the Chair (Dr Tony Peacock)

Research and Innovation

Education and Training

Commercialisation

Research Snapshot

Member Focus – Dr Rebecca Athorn (Australian Pork Limited)

Recent Publications

Events and Important Dates

Member Focus – Professor Frank Dunshea
(The University of Melbourne)

Member Focus – Dr Kim Nairn
(Apiam Animal Health)