WA pig farmers highlight key concerns at annual industry conference

WA pork producers have laid bare their chief concerns for the industry, with the potential for an emergency animal disease outbreak such as foot-and-mouth disease topping the list.

The level of preparedness for an outbreak — at both government and industry level — dominated the agenda at the WA Pork Producers Association’s annual Industry Day conference, held in Perth recently.

As Indonesia continues to fight a major FMD outbreak, WAPPA president Graeme Dent said producers were seeking reassurance “everything that can be done to keep devastating diseases out of WA is being done”.

“Preventative action is at the forefront of our on-farm biosecurity activities, but extends to managing other risks that farmers don’t have control of,” he said.

“WA producers want to urgently run a scenario planning exercise so we can identify any gaps we might have overlooked, as well as gain a good understanding between industry and government about how a response would work in practice.”

Corrigin farmer Linton Batt raised concerns about the risk posed by owners of small numbers of pigs who may not be aware of the need to hold a property identification number, nor understand the risks of swill feeding, which can spread FMD.

Swill feeding, which is illegal in Australia, is the act of feeding pigs food scraps or waste that contains meat or has been in contact with meat.

“A quick scan of a well-known buy-and-sell platform identified at least 10 advertisements for small numbers of pigs,” Mr Batt said.

“At least one of the advertisements promoted feeding scraps to pigs, which could include prohibited feed.”

Pigs are highly susceptible to FMD and can become infected if they eat products carrying the virus, according to Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development emergency animal disease co-ordinator Bruce Mullan.

Once infected, pigs produce large quantities of the virus which can spread to other livestock.

“The most likely way FMD could enter Australia is by the illegal importation of meat and dairy products from an FMD-infected country, which can carry FMD disease virus, and the subsequent feeding of those products to pigs,” Dr Mullan said.

“All Western Australians are asked to report any suspicious pig feeding practices to your local DPIRD vet or livestock biosecurity officer.”

Mr Batt, who is the co-owner of Black Label Berkshire, said the industry supported small holders but it was important they understood their obligations and were compliant.

“Owners of a small number of livestock may not be linked into the information channels that larger producers and owners use,” he said.

DPIRD has launched various programs aimed at educating small holders about swill feeding, including targeted messaging on social media and an advertising campaign.

The department is also working with local government health officers to identify properties with pigs, and liaising with culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

Dr Mullan said the WA Government had been preparing for an emergency disease outbreak since 2016.

“A wide range of communication and consultation groups are in place, which include industry, to make sure information is being disseminated,” he said.

“The State Emergency Management Group and WA Police have been briefed and are ready to assist should the need arise.”

Ongoing labour shortages was another hot topic at the conference, with Linley Valley Pork general manager Peter Spackman saying the processing sector was suffering severe capacity constraints as a result.

“The shortages are having an impact on new products being launched to the market,” he said.

“Although we are taking advantage of the Pacific Australian Labour Mobility scheme, with approximately 70 recruits now working at the site, the skills in short supply are not often available through this program.

“We currently have a significant capital works program under way and plans to increase automation of some of our operations and relieve the workforce demands, but unfortunately this is not a short-term solution and labour shortages will continue to have an impact for the foreseeable future.”