This year’s Australian Pork Limited (APL) sponsored Science and Innovation Awards for Young People in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry was won by Queensland researcher Tracey Muller.
The award recognised her research for this award focused on sow behaviour and welfare and the incidence of lameness in sow herds.
“Lameness is a common contributor to early culling in sow herds as foot health is influenced by many factors including pen environment, floor type, group housing and nutritional regime”,
Ms Muller said.
The award was presented to her by Minister for Agriculture Barnaby Joyce at a dinner during Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) Outlook Conference in Canberra on Tuesday night.
Currently employed as a research associate by CHM Alliance, one of Australia’s largest pork producers, Ms Muller said the award grant of up to $22,000 would allow her to complete her PhD and further her focus on research around pigs' uptake of supplemented zinc and manganese.
APL general manager of research and innovation Dr Darryl D’Souza said Ms Muller exemplified the innovation that young scientists could provide to enhance the sustainability of
agriculture.
