annual report 09/10 - Apri.com.au

Pork CRC LimitedChairman’sreportWelcome to the fifth annual report of the PorkCooperative Research Centre (Pork CRC).Fiscal 2010 started on a somewhat buoyantnote, with the pork supply/demand situationin reasonable balance. However, by late fiscal2010, domestic prices came under pressureas a result of increasing supply flowing fromsow numbers which had risen in response tobuoyant prices earlier in the year.Domestic supply issues aside, there is no roomfor complacency. Our processed pigmeatmarket is still under attack from imports and westill have some way to go to make our industryinternationally cost competitive. There remainsa real need and urgency to continue to reducecosts and improve product attributes attractiveto consumers, both core objectives of thePork CRC. Further, pig welfare is an issue ofincreasing concern to consumers, with at leastone supermarket chain now requiring Australianpigs grown to supply the fresh pork market beraised without gestation stalls by 2014.Results flowing from all three of our researchprograms in the past year have been verysatisfying and are reported elsewhere in thisreport. Pleasingly, there has been a continuedappetite among producers to adopt CRCdevelopedtechnology into their commercialoperations. The high level of producer interest inCRC research is evidenced by high attendancesfrom producers and industry advisers at CRCinformation days.In education and training, the CRC is generallywell ahead of its agreed Commonwealthmilestones, thereby increasing the skill levelacross the industry, as well as its interest in andcapacity to adopt future innovations.Another important outcome in 2009 was thenegotiation, jointly with Australian Pork Limited,of agreements with six providers of researchfacilities under which, in return for an annualcash contribution by the CRC towards runningcosts, the CRC will have assured access towell maintained facilities into which researchpersonnel from other organisations which maynot have adequate pig research facilities, canbe placed. These arrangements worked verywell in 2010.2