Pork CRC turning research into reality

Four key research projects that will benefit Australia’s pork industry are nearing commercial reality. The projects, focused on improving pig nutrition, enhancing weaner performance, increasing reproduction and enriching the lives of group-housed sows, are at various stages of development and commercialisation with the Cooperative Research Centre for High Integrity Australian Pork (Pork CRC).

Pork CRC CEO Roger Campbell said close working relationships with Aunir, the University of Queensland, Elanco and Ridley had helped turn well-thought-out, cleverly researched ideas and concepts into commercially viable propositions.

Pork CRC research has developed AusScan Online — the world’s first in-vivo energy values for cereal grains and reactive lysine values for ‘heat damaged’ canola and soybean meal using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Pork CRC now has a business agreement with UK company Aunir to make AusScan NIRS calibrations available online. Dr Campbell said Pork CRC was working with Aunir, pork producers, laboratories and feed mills to ensure Australia’s pig industry had access to the latest calibrations.

In conjunction with BEC Animal Nutrition, Dr Eugeni Roura from the University of Queensland and Pork CRC have developed a performance enhancer premix for weaned pigs.

Pork CRC holds patents on improving reproduction via research it supported by Dr William Van Wettere, University of Adelaide, who showed that adding ractopamine to sow lactation diets minimised sow body protein loss.

“The commercial product, produced by Elanco and marketed as Paylean, supports improved subsequent reproduction. Executing the patents will allow Australian pork producers to access this potentially valuable technology,” Dr Campbell said.

With the enrichment of gestating sows a major consideration for the industry, Ridley Mills and Pork CRC have begun commercial studies on the behaviour of sows at mixing.

“Early Pork CRC supported work at SunPork Farms North in Queensland by Tracey Muller showed that providing poured blocks reduced chase time and increased lying time in the first four days after mixing,” Dr Campbell said.