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The role of the Green Paper
Each year, a group of producers, researchers, and industry stakeholders form the Pork Industry Insight Panel (PIIP) discuss and identify current and future challenges and opportunities facing the Australian pork industry. The PIIP discussions enable the industry’s Chief Scientist to develop a Green Paper to identify R&D priorities across both APRIL and APL.
The aim with this paper is to ensure that Australian pork research and development remains relevant and coordinated across both APL and APRIL.
The full paper is distributed to APRIL stakeholders annually and APL members via the APL member portal.
Use the following links to access the 2024 Green Paper Summary and Green Paper R & D Priorities.
APRIL Research Priorities for 2026
From the 2024 Green Paper, the APRIL Board highlighted the area of research and development priorities for 2025/26:
1. Pig Care and Wellbeing
What enrichment tools, housing designs of management strategies can elevate welfare outcomes?
Examples:
Objective assessment of pig care and wellbeing
Identifying suitable biomarkers that indicate positive welfare attributes
- Enrichment and management strategies to prevent tail biting
- Feed additives/nutritional strategies for positive welfare attributes.
2. Pig Health and antimicrobial stewardship
What new technologies, dietary formulations or management systems can be used to improve pig health?
Examples:
Enhancing the effectiveness and efficacy of water medication (in accordance with Australian Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on antimicrobial resistance).
3. Pig Processing
How can we ensure a sustainable processing sector for
the future?
Examples:
Monitoring the effectiveness of stunning methods, including CO2 stunning of pigs.
Avoiding foreign object contamination in carcasses.
4. Nutrition
Can nutritional strategies help drive down the cost of production while maintaining herd performance and health?
Examples:
Rapid identification of poor-quality feed
- Improved management of feed bin/silo allocation of feeds and management
- Greater understanding of heat increment in respect to nutrient requirements.
5. Data and Information 
Can we use technology to improve efficiency and profitability of current pig production and processing?
Examples:
Automatic capture and use of information (e.g. smart sensors, digital technologies, artificial intelligence) that will end in more efficient and cost effective production.
- Use of artificial intelligence technologies for welfare assessment at critical production points including farrowing and lactation in different farrowing systems.
- Use of artificial intelligence technologies for welfare assessment at critical production.