Page 10 - National Poultry News

Rewarding world-class biosecurity innovation
THE Innovations with 3D X-ray Technology project has been rec- ognised, with the 2020 Public Sector Innova- tion Award winner in the Digital and Data category.
“3D X-ray units are now installed at Mel- bourne international airport and Melbourne international mail cen- tre.
al than current screen- ing technology,” Minis- ter Littleproud said.
ernment will continue to invest in the national biosecurity system to work smarter to address current and emerging risks.
Minister for Agri- culture, Drought and Emergency Manage- ment David Littleproud said the technology is a game changer for man- aging biosecurity risks and processing goods and people at the bor- der.
“We will also be in- stalling a unit at Syd- ney international mail centre.
“Increased image quality from the 3D X-ray also enables our biosecurity officers to be more confident in decision making.
For more information on the Innovations with 3D X-Ray Technology project, visit agricul- ture.gov.au/biosecu- rity/australia/biosecuri- ty-3d-x-ray
“To meet the chal- lenges associated with increasing volumes of cargo and passengers, we need to work smart- er and more efficiently to manage biosecurity risks,” Minister Little- proud said.
The units can auto- matically detect meat, seafood and fruit, which means they can help safeguard from several of the deadliest biosecurity threats, in- cluding African swine fever.
“I congratulate the Department of Agri- culture, Water and the Environment on this well-deserved achieve- ment, and I am excited by the further opportu- nities this technology presents.”
“They have proven to be much more effective than current detection technologies, signifi- cantly increasing the detection rate at the air- port and mail centre.”
“They are signifi- cantly reducing the burden for officers and allow for more risk material to be easily detected.
For more information on the 2020 Public Sec- tor Innovation Award and finalists, visit act. ipaa.org.au/innovation- awards.
“In a world-first for biosecurity, this 3D X- ray technology allows us to automatically detect biosecurity risk material that arrives at our airports and mail centres.
“The algorithms use information such as density and shape to alert officers to poten- tial biosecurity risks in baggage or mail items and enables the detec- tion of two to three times more risk materi-
The successful 3D X- ray algorithm trial was funded through the $7.5 million Modern Seam- less Border Clearance measure and the $25.2 million Biosecurity In- novation Program an- nounced in the 2018 Budget.
The Australian gov-
Minister Littleproud
Considered waste in Australia, millions of chicken feet are sold to customers throughout Asia. (Photo: Lara Bakewell)
WA producer supplying 10,000kg of chicken feet to Asia each week
UP to 60 percent of China’s annual chicken imports are made up solely of feet, and in a Western Austral- ian first, one southern poultry producer will soon export thousands of kilograms of paws weekly into Asia.
frozen chicken legs they could offer a “premium chilled retail product”.
pansion will create five to 10 jobs.
An acquired taste
In Australia, chicken feet have long been con- sidered a waste product.
The company will ex- port roughly 10,000 kilo- grams of feet each week to customers in Hong Kong and Singapore.
“It’s one of the first things Asian customers in Hong Kong and Sin- gapore do, is test you out by feeding you chicken feet,” Mr Laitt said.
Across Asia howev- er, in places like Hong Kong, Singapore, and China they are eaten eve- rywhere from banquet halls to street stalls.
The entry into this new market has been assisted by a state government grant under the Value Add Agribusiness Invest- ment Attraction Fund, providing $200,000 to- wards the $600,000 ex- pansion needed.
Nevertheless, he still holds a small hope that the Asian love of chick- en feet might be adopted here in Australia also.
Mt Barker Chicken’s general manager of busi- ness development Adam Laitt said: “The market is absolutely massive.” Quality over quantity
“With that, we’re going to build the processing area at our facility in Kendenup.
“It wasn’t that long ago that no one in Austral- ia would even eat the wings,” Mr Laitt said.
Mr Laitt said that WA producers do not have the capacity to supply the “millions of tonnes” the Asian markets demand, but instead of wholesale
“It will be ready in four to six months,” Mr Laitt said.
“And the ‘Masterchef effect’ has sort of led to the point where we’d love to have four-winged chickens.
“I almost can’t be- lieve I’m saying it, but free range chicken feet is something we think has lots of potential,” Mr Laitt said.
As for his own pref- erences, when it comes to chicken feet Mr Laitt said he is yet to acquire a taste for them.
It is expected the ex-
First appeared on abc. net.au
“So you never know.”
Page 10 – National Poultry Newspaper, August 2020
Almost two thirds of all chicken meat imported into China worldwide are chicken
feet.
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