Page 11 - National Poultry Newspaper

NFF calls for action on disease outbreak warning
AN alarming new re- port by CSIRO confirms Australian agriculture is at risk of increased dis- ease outbreaks and pest incursions, weakened exports and damage to our global trading repu- tation.
ture and protect Australia from the potentially dev- astating impacts of exotic pests and diseases.
to compromise.
“We know that the vol-
“A single pest or disease incursion has the poten- tial to bring our agricul- tural industries to their knees, and the COVID-19 experience has brought home the message that biosecurity matters to all Australians, and a breach can have far-reaching eco- nomic, environmental and social consequences,” Mr Mahar said.
orated stink bug, foot and mouth disease and xylella fastidiosa, which have spread around the world – looms large.
The prediction comes after the absence in the federal budget of any meaningful new funding commitment to strengthen the national biosecurity system and following the failure of the much-antici- pated biosecurity levy.
“In the five years to 2017, the amount of bi- osecurity risk materials intercepted in Australia increased by almost 50 percent.
“This report is a remind- er that all Australians – governments, industry, the community – have a role to play in delivering a strong biosecurity system, and we strongly endorse that message,” Mr Mahar said.
National Farmers’ Fed- eration chief executive Tony Mahar said the new report – ‘Australia’s bios- ecurity future: unlocking the next decade of resil- ience’ – was a sobering read, which showed that a business-as-usual ap- proach would not meet the challenges of the fu-
“This report clearly demonstrates that Aus- tralia needs a more in- novative, coordinated and collaborative biosecurity system if it is to keep up with the threat from in- creasing and severe bios- ecurity events.”
“The biosecurity system of the future needs to be built on system connec- tivity – digitisation and enhancing data sharing across supply chains and enabling the role of in- dustry and community in biosecurity responsibility through improved com- munity engagement.”
National Farmers’ Federation chief executive Tony Mahar.
“A strong biosecurity system is fundamental to the success of Australia’s $60 billion agriculture sector, and to our ambi- tion to grow to $100 bil- lion in output by 2030,” Mr Mahar said.
ume and complexity of biosecurity threats will continue to grow.”
“It is also central to the health of our natural en- vironment, community wellbeing and the econo- my at large.
“The biosecurity sys- tem must keep pace, and this important new report provides expert advice on how the system can be transformed to meet the challenges of the future.
The agriculture sec- tor is grappling with the impact of multiple new exotic pest incur- sions this year, includ- ing avian influenza and fall armyworm, while the threat of other highly damaging pests and dis- eases – such as Afri- can swine fever, khapra beetle, brown marm-
“The NFF will continue to call on the Australian Federal Government to step up and ensure the critical biosecurity func- tions it delivers to miti- gate biosecurity risk at the border and pre-border are adequately resourced, innovative and fit for purpose.”
The Good Egg podcasts
EVERY day Australians tuck into millions of eggs, which come from all types of farms across the coun- try – big, small, free range, barn-laid and caged.
people, but they were ac- tually developed to make hens healthier.
The Good Egg podcast series explores the living conditions of egg-laying hens around Australia with journalist Wendy Hargreaves.
With hens moving back outdoors nowadays, a few of the health challenges from 50 years ago are re- emerging.
Subject matter includes the many different factors we need to consider when trying to make ethical de- cisions about eggs.
Wendy visits Days Eggs managing director Dion Andary and welfare of- ficer Jess Spencer, and learns about hen health in all farming systems.
Episode one covers hap- py hens – the provenance of our eggs and whether the hens that lay them are happy.
Episode three covers future hens – Australians are eating more eggs every year, with eggs being an important source of pro- tein for millions of people.
But how do we know what makes a good life for a hen?
All forms of food pro- duction are facing chal- lenges such as population growth, climate change and biosecurity threats, so how can different systems of egg farming change and adapt?
Where did our current ideas about hen welfare come from and is it ever possible to measure hen happiness?
Experts talk about future opportunities in egg farm- ing, and what they will mean for the living condi- tions of laying hens.
Wendy visits Kinross Farms in Victoria and speaks with regional man- ager Ruben Dare and farm manager Brian Smith, as well as to scientific special- ists on these subjects.
Listen through the Aus- tralian Eggs website or via all major podcast plat- forms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Episode two covers healthy hens – a huge part of hen welfare is the health of the flock.
For more information, visit australianeggs.org. au/farming/the-good-egg- podcast
Caged farming systems seem prison-like to many
National Poultry Newspaper, December 2020 – Page 11
Mr Mahar said Aus- tralia’s biosecurity system was simply too important
QUEP Annual General Meeting
Queensland United Egg Producers will hold its Annual Gener- al Meeting on Decem- ber 2, 2020 at 9.00am via Zoom.
around the value and operations of the nation- al representative organi- sation that works closely with QUEP in support of key issues impacting Queensland producers.
by JOHN COWARD CEO
At the AGM, I will provide a summary of the key actions of QUEP over the past 12 months and the rea- sons to be a member of the organisation.
The election of direc- tors and endorsement of the nominated Egg Farmers of Australia di- rector and alternate for Queensland will also be part of the process.
The CEO’s report will cover off COVID-19 impacts and prepared- ness, farm raids, labour shortages, Biosecurity and Safe Food Produc- tion Queensland inter- actions.
Other egg farmers or industry associates in Queensland wishing to join QUEP can contact me for details.
issues such as Australian Animal Welfare Stand- ards and Guidelines.
With the 2020 year coming to a close, thank you to all members for their support and I wish you and your families a merry Christmas and a prosperous new year.
Members will receive a meeting invite and link by email prior to the meeting.
Egg Farmers of Aus- tralia chief executive of- ficer Melinda Hashimoto will join the AGM to provide members with an update on key national
Melinda will also give a brief summary on the Emergency Animal Dis- ease response in Victo- ria addressing the avian influenza outbreak.
For any queries, I can be contacted at john. coward1@gmail.com
She will also be tak- ing on board questions
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