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The Apiam Portec team in WA recently delivered a day of training to fifteen state government Animal Welfare Inspectors. Topics included biosecurity standards and why they’re in place, industry terminology and the pros and cons of different housing types. With recent changes to legislation, Animal Welfare Inspectors can now enter farms with no prior notice and no suspicion of breaches of the Animal Welfare Act 2002. The training means inspectors know how to safely arrive at a farm without breaching biosecurity and has opened a line of dialogue between inspectors and industry. WA’s largest pork producer, Westpork, also hosted the inspectors for two farm tours, with two further farm tours planned for the group.

The teaching year has commenced at Murdoch University with Portec vets delivering a week of hands-on pig practicals to Animal Science students who have just transferred into the veterinary degree. Portec have also had the first rotation group of final year vet students spend a week with them learning more about both pig and poultry industries. Only 9 more groups to go!

Portec is also halfway through delivering a Certificate III in Pork Production course, in conjunction with Central Regional TAFE. This year’s cohort of thirteen stock people have already completed units on QA, low stress handling, artificial insemination and pregnancy testing. The course will finish in April, with further units on nutrition, farrowing and caring for newborn piglets, euthanasia, postmortems, health and biosecurity, as well as a visit to Linley Valley abattoir.

After many hours of gruelling study Dr Nandi van Wyk passed her Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists membership exams at the end of 2023, joining the pig health and production chapter of the college. Well done, Nandi!