We had an incredible time at Food with Purpose - A PIX, AMC and APL event, held on the Gold Coast. The event was filled with insightful discussions focused on Pigs, Planet, People, and Prosperity.

With pork and poultry the two most consumed meats in Australia, the two share many synergies, closely linked together by the milling industry through advanced animal nutrition, feed science and equipment suppliers.

The agenda did not disappoint from Professor Mark Howden’s detailed insights on climate change, and Bernard Salt's incredible insights on how the demographics of agribusiness will flourish in the next decade. 

Futurist, Melissa Clark-Reynolds ONZM, shared signals for the future of the pork sector, while Professor Paul Hemsworth, University of Melbourne, emphasised the importance of science-backed training for people to support improved pig welfare outcomes.

John Power, CSIRO, discussed the role of vaccines in future-proofing pig production, while Richard Mussell, CEO of RSPCA, and Peta Easey, NSW Department of Primary Industries, delved into crucial aspects of pig welfare.

The final day's agenda included crisis communication strategies from Abby Kornegay, Animal Agricultural Alliance USA; key learnings and future pressures from the EU from Ashley Norval, Danbred; and the journey of Australia’s first carbon-neutral pork products presented by pork producer David Plant and Ben Beckett and Maria Crawford from Coles.

Dr. Stephen Weidemann, shed light on lifecycle assessments and sustainability focuses, while the afternoon session delved into biosecurity and EAD responses, with experts Dr. Robert Barwell, David McNab, Dr. Rod Jenner, Dr. Kirsty Richards, David Marks, and Daniel Parker sharing invaluable perspectives.

Andrew Walsh led the final discussion of the event, a speaker panel exploring EAD across the pork and poultry industries.

Throughout the event, a total of $20k was raised for the chosen charity, TIACS (This is a Conversation Starter) which provides mental health support services.

Congratulations to the organising committee and speakers for a fantastic Food with Purpose event, and special thanks to the sponsors.

Thank you to everyone who attended and had a chat with the APL team.