Nutrients Crackling Facts!•Australiaisthefirstnationintheworldtointroducethevoluntary phase-outofgestationstalls.•Porkaccountsforapproximately0.4%ofthenationalgreenhousegas emissions-significantlylowerthanotheragriculturalsectors,includingbeef at11.2%,sheepat3.4%,andcattleat2.7%.(Source:Garnaut,R2008,TheGarnaut climatechangereview—finalreport,availableat:http://www.garnautreview.org.au/index.htm)•Whetherhousedindoorsoroutdoors,apigspendsmoretimeresting thananyotherdomesticanimal.•Mostpigproducersusethemanureandeffluentontheirfarms asanorganicfertilisertoimprovecropsandpasture,ortocapture methanegasestoconverttoenergy.•Australia’spigherdhealthisoneofthecleanestintheworld,freefrom manydetrimentaldiseasesfoundinmostotherpigproducingcountries.•Thefeedcomponent(mainlygrainssuchaswheat,barleyandsorghum) makesupabout60%ofthetotalcostofproducingpork.•Pigshaveaverywideangleofvision(310degrees)andaretherefore easilydistracted.•Onaverage,asowwillproduce10–12pigletsperlitter.•TheaveragegrowthrateofAustralianpigsisaround600–650gadayfrom birthtosale.•Pigshavecolourvisionbuttheycan’tfocusbotheyesonthesamespot.•Pigsareconsideredtobesmarterthandogsandareeasytotrain. Thischaracteristichelpsproducersdevelopsafehandlingroutines.•Growerpigseattheequivalentofabout3%oftheirbodyweight anddrinkabout10%oftheirbodyweight,daily.•Pigsareunabletoperspireandtheyloseheatthroughtheirmouths. Theiridealgrowingtemperatureis20–22˚C.
Truths or Porky Pies?PORKY PIE! Pork needs to be cooked all the way through before you can eat it
TRUTH:TheideathatAustralianporkneedstobecookedallthewaythroughisamyth.WhilstthismaybetrueforAmericanorEuropeanpork,itisnottrueofAustralianpork.CaptainArthurPhillipobviouslyshowedsomeofhisfarmingbackground(Lyndhurst,Hampshire)inselectingonlyhealthypigsbetransportedtoAustralia.Asaresult,AustralianpigsdonothavetheTrichinella spiralisparasitethatcausestrichinosis(theroundwormsourmothersalltoldusaboutwhenwewerekids).(Reference:http://nahis.animalhealthaustralia.com.au/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=Factsheet.80-2?skin=factsheet).
Sowhilstitmightfeelunfamiliar,freshAustralianporkcanbeeatenmedium(withahintofpink).Ifyou'regameenoughtotryit,itissotender,you'llprobablycookitlikethateverytime.
PORKY PIE! Pigs are dirty animals
TRUTH:Infact,pigsareverycleananimals.They’reknownforkeepingseparateareasforsleeping,eatinganddunging.Thismythisprobablylinkedtotheirlikingformud.Becausepigsdon’tsweat,whenit’shottheycoverthemselvesinmudtohelpkeepcool.
PORKY PIE! Pork is a fatty and unhealthy meat
TRUTH:A100gservingoflean,trimmedporkcontains1.7goffatand23.3gofprotein(inotherwords,it’s98%fatfree!).Pigfeediscarefullymadeupofavarietyofgrains,vitaminsandmineralstoproduceleanporkwithaminimumamountoffat.Actually,thereareatleastsevencutsofporkthatareasleanasskinlesschickenbreast.
Bringing Home the BaconDid you know that pork is the most widely consumed meat in the world?
•Australiaproducesaround344,000tonnesofpigmeateveryyear.Alittleover10%isexportedtocountrieslike
Singapore,NewZealandandHongKong,and25%issoldthroughrestaurantsandotherfoodserviceoutletsinAustralia.
•EachyearAustraliansconsumearound23.5kgofporkperperson—thisismadeupof8.5kgoffreshporkand15kgof
processedhamproductssuchasbaconandsmallgoods.
•During2010–11,porkproductsaccountedforaround10%ofAustralia’stotalfreshmeatretailconsumptionandhada
grossvalueofproduction(GVP)ofmorethan$882million.(Source:AustralianBureauofAgricultureandResourceEconomics,ABARE2012)
•Australianfarmersproducearound4.75millionpigs(forecast number of pigs produced to the end of June 2012)fromasow
herdofaround261,000.
•TheAPLPigPassNVDTraceabilitydatabaseinMarch2012hadover2,200pigproducerregistrants.Howeverjustover1,500
producerscouldclaimtheyderiveanincomefromgrowingpigs.
•ThemainsourceoffoodforAustralianpigsisgrainssuchaswheat,barleyandsorghum,resultinginawhitefataround
theoutsideofthemeat.Incontrast,cornormaizefedpigsgrowninthenorthernhemispherewillproduceayellowcoloured
fataroundtheoutsideofthemeat.
Industry ContactsAustralian Pork Limited (APL)
PO Box 4746, Kingston ACT 2604
Level 2, 2 Brisbane Avenue, Barton ACT 2600
Telephone: 02 6285 2200Email: [email protected] Website: www.australianpork.com.au www.pork.com.au
Department of Primary Industries in Each StateQueensland www.dpi.qld.gov.au
South Australiawww.pir.sa.gov.au
Western Australia www.agric.wa.gov.au
New South Wales www.dpi.nsw.gov.au
Victoria www.dpi.vic.gov.au
Tasmaniawww.dpiw.tas.gov.au
Australian Government—Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF)www.daff.gov.au
Pork Co-operative Research Centre (CRC)www.porkcrc.com.au
State Farming OrganisationsNational Farmers Federation (NFF)www.nff.org.au
NSW Farmers www.nswfarmers.org.au
SA Farmers Federation (SAFF) www.saff.com.au
WA Pork Producers’ Association (WAPPA) www.wappa.com.au
Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF)www.vff.org.au
Tasmanian Island Pork Alliance (TIPA) 03 6334 1070
Pork Queensland Incorporated (PQI) 07 4092 3014
All facts in this brochure were current at the time of printing - July 2012.
PigtionaryBaconer/Finisher: Marketpigsthatweighmorethan55kgliveweight.Porker: Marketpigsthatweighbetween24–55kgliveweight.Grower: Commonlyusednameforpigsbetweentheweanerandfinisherphases.Sow: Anybreedingfemalethathasfarrowed/givenbirthtoalitterofpigletsandlactated.Gilt: Afemalepigmatedforthefirsttimeanduptothetimeoffarrowing.Farrowing: Thebirthofpiglets(after110–120daysofpregnancy).Boar: Amalepigagedoversixmonthsandusedinthebreedingherd.Weaner: Apigletrecentlyweanedfromitsmotherataroundthreetofourweeks-of-age.Theweaneristhengenerally transferredfromthefarrowingshedtotheweanerorgrowerfacility.Breeds: Whitepigbreedsinclude:LargeWhite;Yorkshire;andLandrace.Colouredbreedsinclude:LargeBlack;Berkshire; Duroc;andHampshire.Runt: Thesmallestpiginthelitter.Sus: Thegenusthatpigsbelongto.
Z-CARD® PocketMedia® (Trade marks used by Z Industries Ltd under licence). This product is a doubly folded sheet card. These prod-ucts and associated machinery and processes are subject to Australian, Asian and worldwide patents granted and pending, copyright, trade marks and other intellectual property rights including Australian Patent Number 677 570 © 2012 Z Industries Ltd. Produced under licence by Z-ASIA Pty. Ltd., Level 1, Suite 103, 20A Danks Street Waterloo NSW 2017 Australia. Tel: 61-2-9318-0900 Fax: 61-2-9318-0255 Internet: www.zcard.com.au Job No. 12A918
Nutrition Information: Trimmed Lean Pork * Energy(kJ)Protein(g)TotalFat(g)
Thiamin(mg)Niacin(mg)VitaminB6(mg)VitaminB12(µg)Zinc(mg)Iron(mg)Selenium(µg)
Quantity per 200g serving size93046.63.70
1.9518.51.010.693.691.4442.4
% Daily Intake per serving **11%93%5%
% Recommended Dietary Intake (Aust/NZ) per serving
178%185%63%35%31%12%61%
Datasourcedfrom:H.Greenfield,J.Arcot,J.A.Barnes,J.Cunningham,P.Adorno,T.Stobaus,R.K.Tume,S.L.Beilken,W.J.Muller.2009.NutrientcompositionofAustralianretailporkcuts2005/2006.FoodChemistry117,721–730.A.J.Sinclair,S.Barone,T.Stobaus,R.Tume,S.Beilken,W.Müller,J.Cunningham,J.A.Barnes,H.Greenfield.2010.LipidcompositionofAustralianporkcuts2005/2006.FoodChemistry121,672–681.*TrimmedLeanPorkiscalculatedusingthenumericalaverageofrawtrimmedleanporkcuts(LoinSteak,Fillet,RumpSteak,RoundSteak,TopsideSteak,SilversideSteak,DicedPork,PorkStrips,LoinRoast,RoundMiniRoastandLoinChop)**PercentageDailyIntakesarebasedonanaverageadultdietof8700kJ.Yourdailyintakesmaybehigherorlowerdependingonyourenergyneeds.
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Pigs and the EnvironmentTheAustralianporkindustryisseriousaboutenvironmentalstewardship.TheindustrybelievesithasadutytoensurethatAustralianporkisproducedanddistributedresponsibly,whilealsoremainingcompetitiveandsustainable.TheAustralianporkindustryhastakenproactivestepstohelpensureitsproducerscarefullymanagethenation’spreciousenvironmentandresources.Ineffortstoreducetheindustry'senvironmentalfootprint,ongoingindustryresearchanddevelopmentisfocusedonthecontinuousimprovementofoverallproductivity,wasteminimisation,pollutionpreventionandbeneficialreuseofwastes.
EnvironmentalissuesposebothachallengeandopportunityfortheAustralianporkindustry.Theindustryhastackledthischallengehead—onandismakingimportantprogressinaddressingtheseissues—especiallyinacknowledgingandaddressinggreenhousegas(GHG)emissions.TheindustryhasbecomethefirstinAustraliatohavedevelopedandapprovedamethodologyforthegovernment’sCarbonFarmingInitiative(CFI).
GHGemissionsproducedbytheporkindustryaresignificantlylowerthanotheragriculturalsectors,suchasbeefcattle,dairycattleandsheep.Currently,theindustry'semissionsandpotentialmitigationoptionsputsusinthepositiontohavealow,ifnotthelowest,globalwarmingpotentialforporkproductionworldwide.Butwe,asanindustry,arestrivingtoreducethisevenfurtherbysettinganindustrygoalof1kg CO2 equ per kg of pork produced.Fortunately,mostoftheindustry’sGHGrelatetoemissionsfromeffluentponds.Thisprovidesuswithafantasticopportunityforemissionscapture,destructionoruse.ProgressiveindustryresearchisdevelopinginnovativenewtechnologiesandmanagementsystemstomitigateandutilisetheseGHGemissions.Currentresearchshowsthata500-sowpiggeryhasthepotentialtoproduceenoughenergytopower3.1million100wattglobesforonehour,orproduceelectricitytorun62housesforoneyear.Andifcombustedanddestroyed,itwouldeliminatetheequivalentofthefossilfuelGHGemissionsfrom458ToyotaCorollastravelling20,000km/peryearburning7L/100km.
AswellasGHGemissions,theindustryisalsoproactivelyaddressingmanyotherenvironmentalissues,suchasnutrientmanagement,by-productreuse,alternativewastemanagementandsoilhealth.
Australian Pork Limited is Caring for the Future of Australian PorkAustralianPorkLimited(APL)isauniqueproducer-ownedorganisationsupportingandpromotingtheAustralianporkindustry.APLdeliversintegratedservicesthatenhancetheviabilityofournation’spigproducersatadomesticandinternationallevel.Thisisachievedthroughthedeliveryofmarketing,exportdevelopment,researchandinnovationandpolicydevelopment,tohelpsecureaprofitableandsustainablefutureforAustralianpork.
APLisfundedprimarilythroughstatutorypigslaughterleviescollectedunderthePrimaryIndustries(Excise)LeviesAct1999, withadditionalresearchspecificfundsprovidedbytheAustralianGovernment.
How Pigs are FarmedAllpigsgrownforpigmeatarehousedindifferentsizedgroupsdependingontheirageandweight.
Asowraisedforbreedingwillhaveherfirstlitterwhenshe’saboutone-year-old.Thegestationperiod(thetimefromconceptiontobirth)forasowisbetween15and17weeks.Shecanhaveuptotwolitterseachyearandusuallyhasbetween9–10pigletsweanedperlitter.Thepigletsfeedfromtheirmotherforthreetofourweeksbeforebeingweanedandgroupedwithotherpigsthesameageinaweanerorgrowerfacility.
Pigsarehandfedonmostlygrainsandcontinuetogrowuntiltheyreachbetween24–55kgandaresoldas‘porkers’.Pigsthatgrowlargerthan55kgaresoldas‘baconers’/’finishers’.
TherearethreemaintypesofpigfarmingmethodsusedinAustralia—indoorhousing,deeplitterhousingandoutdoorbred/freerangesystems.Indoor housing systemsareforpigsfrombirthtoweaningandforlactatingandweanedsows.Thissystemallowspigsofsimilaragestobekepttogether.Grouppensandindividualpensareoftenusedindoors.
Deep litter housing systemsareusuallylargeopen-sidedshedsorhoop–likestructureswithdeeplitterflooring(ricehulls,straw,sawdust).Thesesystemsareusedextensivelyforgrowingpigsandforgrouphousingofdrysows.
Outdoor bred/free range systemsconsistofoutdoorpaddocks,includingrootingareas,wallowsandshelterhuts.Theweaners,growerpigsandsowshaveaccesstopaddocksatalltimesthroughouttheirlives.
Gestation stalls:InNovember2010,theindustryoverwhelminglyagreedthatAustraliawouldbethefirstnationintheworldtovoluntarilyphase-outtheuseofsowstallsby2017.Thismeanssowsandgiltsmustbekeptinloosehousingfromfivedaysaftermatinguntiloneweekbeforefarrowing.Thereasonproducershaveusedsowstallsinthepastisbecausepigscanbeextremelyaggressiveanimals,especiallyduringtheearlystageofpregnancy.Thebestandsafestwaytoensuresowsgetenoughfoodandaren’tbullied,bittenandinjuredhasbeentoprotecttheminindividualstalls.Australianproducersarenowtransitioningtoasowstallfreestatus.Toseetheindustry'sprogressgotowww.australianpork.com.au/pages/page233.asp
Farrowing stalls:Theaveragesowweighsbetween120–200kg(equivalenttothreestandardfridges),andafterfarrowing,hernewpigletsareatseriousriskofbeingcrushedtodeath.Afarrowingstallallowsasowtostandup,liedownandstretchout,whilekeepingherpigletssafeinaseparatesection.Thetemporaryuseofafarrowingstallduringthepiglets’mostvulnerableweeksplaysavitalroleintheirprotection.It’sestimatedthattheuseoffarrowingstallssavesoveramillionpigletseachyear.
Pigs and Food SafetyThehealthoftheAustralianpigherdisfreefrommanyseriousdiseasesafflictingotherporkproducingcountries.ThisiswhyproductintegritycontinuestobeoneofthemostimportantaspectsofAustralianporkproduction.Theindustryhasquicklyrespondedtogrowingconsumerdemandfortopqualityproducethatissafetoeat.TheAustralianPorkIndustryQualityAssuranceProgram(APIQ3®)isanon-farmqualityassuranceprogramthatallowsproducerstodemonstrategoodfarmingpracticeusingtheprinciplesofHazardAnalysisandmanagingCriticalControlPointsformanagement,foodsafety,animalwelfare,biosecurityandtraceability.RapiduptakeofAPIQ3®byproducersthroughoutAustraliahasreached86%ofthenationalherd,andisincreasing.
Australia’sporkindustryisalsoleadingtheworldtoensureitsporkproductsarefullytracedfrompaddocktoplate.Thishasbeenrealisedthroughtraceabilitysystems(PigPassNationalVendorDeclaration—NVD).ThePigPassNVDprovideskeyinformationthatcanbeusedtotracepigsorporkbacktothepropertyoforiginintheeventofanemergency,suchasananimaldiseaseoutbreakorafoodsafetyincident.
Looking After our Pigs—We're Leading the WorldAustralianpigproducershavethesameconcernsyoudowhenitcomestotakingcareoftheirpigs.Todemonstratethattheyarelisteningtoconsumersentiment,inNovember2010theindustryannouncedthevoluntaryphase-outofsowstallsby2017.Australia’sporkfarmersarethefirstintheworldtomakesuchavoluntarycommitment.
Producersunderstandmorethananyonethatprovidingexcellentcareresultsinacontentedanimalthatprovidesahighqualityproduct—pigproducers’livelihoodsdependonit.Theindustryinvestsmillionsofdollarseachyeartoresearchnewtechnologiesandpracticestoimprovepigwelfare,andprovidevaluableeducationandtrainingtostockpeoplethroughoutAustralia.
TheModel Code of Practice for Welfare of Animals (Pigs)—(theModelCode)—isaguidethathasbeendevelopedinconsultationwithalllevelsofindustry,regulators,RSCPAandscientiststodetailtheacceptablepracticeforthemanagementofpigs.Itoutlinesallresponsibilitiesinvolvedincaringforpigs—includingtheirhousing,food,waterandspecialneeds.StandardsintheModelCodehavebeenincorporatedintoAPIQ®andareindependentlyauditedeachyeartoensureproducerscomply.
How to Make Sure You’re Buying Australian Pork
AllfreshporksoldinAustraliais100%Australiangrown.However,65%ofprocessedpork(ham,baconandsmallgoodsproducts)ismadefromfrozenbonelessporkimportedfromplaceslikeDenmark,CanadaandtheUnitedStates.WhenbuyingAustralianpork,lookforoneofthreethings:
•thepacketlabelstates ‘ProductofAustralia’
•thebrightpink AustralianPorkMarklogo•thegreenAustralian Grownkangaroologo
OrvisittheAustralianporkconsumerwebsite:www.pork.com.auandlookforabutchernearyouthatsellsAustraliangrownporktomakeham,baconandsmallgoodsproducts.
get the factson your pork industry
www.australianpork.com.au www.pork.com.au
