Page 4 - National Poultry Newspaper

Cracking the chicken and the egg dilemma
I UNDERSTAND CSIRO researchers have devel- oped a new gene tech- nology to differentiate between male and fe- male chicks pre-hatch that could improve ani- mal production, reduce costs and eliminate ethi- cal dilemmas for the egg and poultry industries.
Recent advances in gene technology mean it is now possible to differentiate between male and female chicks pre-hatch.
According to CSIRO, this discovery provides an opportunity to improve animal production, reduce costs and eliminate ethi-
cal dilemmas in egg-lay- ing and related industries. Currently, culling male chicks post-hatch creates a major ethical dilemma
for some countries.
As a result, the poultry
industry has invested in developing solutions to this issue.
In some European countries, the need for a solution is urgent, fol- lowing the call by some governments to introduce legislation to ban culling practices.
CSIRO is undertaking a proof-of-concept project that differentiates between male and female chicks pre-hatch by placing a biological marker on the chicken’s sex-determining chromosome.
The process of mark- ing the sex chromosome is precise, requiring intri- cate skills.
CSIRO claims the tech- nology it uses for the sex selection process builds on its experience with chicken genome engineer- ing and gene editing, and the skills to undertake this work were developed in collaboration with indus- try and university part- ners.
Apparently, all CSIRO’s research involving gene technology is performed according to Australian legislation for gene tech- nology, including regula-
tions set out by the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator.
The option of pre-hatch sex determination could negate the need to cull chickens and contribute to future-proofing food security through a more sustainable industry.
This new technology could be integrated into existing farming prac- tices, potentially making it easy for industry to adopt.
An additional benefit of this technology is the po- tential to use male eggs to protect people from influ- enza viruses.
For example, human in- fluenza vaccines are gen- erally grown by vaccine manufacturers in ferti- lised chicken eggs.
The pre-hatched male eggs no longer required by the layer industry could then be used to help produce seasonal flu vac- cines.
Meanwhile, on a less positive note, 100-year- old Australian poultry company Ingham’s is recalling its sweet chilli chicken kiev products.
The May 22 recall in- volves a product sold from deli counters at Wool- worths stores in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia, as well as Metro stores in Vic- toria.
The affected products would have been sold from May 19-21, 2019.
Similar products sold before or after those dates are not subject to recall, nor are the products bought from the chiller
case or freezer of those stores.
The Ingham’s products are being recalled due to a potential foreign material contamination, as blue rubber had been detected in some products, which could cause a choking hazard.
This is the third recall to be issued by Ingham’s inside three months.
On May 1, the company recalled 1kg frozen turkey breast roast products be- cause the products in question were incorrectly labelled.
The recall was due to in- correct packaging (Turkey Thigh Roast was pack- aged incorrectly in Turkey Breast Roast packaging), which resulted in the pres- ence of an undeclared al- lergen – milk.
One month prior, In- gham’s recalled prod- ucts sold in Gluten-Free Chicken Schnitzel 440g chilled packaging, but the packages actually contained Southern Style Tenders that are not glu- ten-free and therefore the products contain an unde- clared allergen that could cause a reaction with cer- tain consumers.
Ingham’s is the second- largest poultry producer in Australia, annually slaughtering 176 million broilers, according to the Poultry International Top Poultry Companies Survey.
Ingham’s is vertically integrated, operating something like 345 fa- cilities and farms across Australia and New Zea- land.
Cant
Comment
by BRENDON CANT
At the tail end of a recent peaceful four days in Ubud, Bali, while heading for home and driving at high-noon to Ngurah Rai International Airport on a typically hot, humid Indonesian day, the author was saddened to drive alongside these clearly heat stressed, overcrowded chickens on their way to the slaughter house. The author got to thinking that while overseas Australians often rave about how good the food, including chicken, tastes, but don’t spare a thought for how it might have been raised or, in this case, transported. Back home in Oz, we tend to think about it and increasingly and refreshingly most of us do our best to support high-welfare livestock producers and processors.
POULTRY RENDERING

transportation from farm and processing services for spent birds from New South Wales, Southern Queensland and Victoria.
CONTACT
Jason Graham 0428 149 704
jason.graham@manildra.com.au
manildra.com.au @manildra
Page 4 – National Poultry Newspaper, June 2019
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