Moorpork

How one forward-thinking pork company is closing the gap in an industry that can’t afford gaps

Biosecurity

Compliance

Contractors

Hero Op 3

Protecting New Zealand’s pork industry 

Today, the phrase ‘100% NZ pork’ is associated with the world’s highest animal welfare, sustainable farming practices and strict biosecurity; a reputation built on decades of pig farmers working together and striving for better. Just one biosecurity slip could jeopardise an industry worth more than $500 million. 

 

With so much at stake, how can pig farms continue to safeguard the industry’s future?

 
Closing the biosecurity gap

Moorpork has long treated biosecurity as non-negotiable, investing in two fully enclosed, world-class pig facilities and its own dedicated feed and stock fleet in a huge effort to shut down common vectors for disease transmission. One weak link lingered: the paper-based visitor sign-in system. 

 

With Onside, the team can now instantly see who’s on-farm - staff, visitors, contractors - and where they’ve been. Automated biosecurity questions flag risks before they step foot past the boundary line, while Onside’s world-leading digital tracing dashboard keeps a living, audit-ready record of all movement in-and-out of the properties. What was once a gap is now a sealed, data-driven shield.

“People coming onsite are one of our biggest biosecurity risks. With Onside, it isn’t just about who has arrived, but where and when they arrive – and me knowing they aren’t a risk to our people or animals”.  
 
- Cherie Ackroyd, Operations Manager 

Before Onside: 

  1. Limited visibility of people movements left the farm vulnerable to biosecurity risks.
  2. Enforcing mandatory stand-down periods only done before known visits.
  3. Paper-based visitor check-ins were unreliable and time-consuming.
  4. 15-30 mins spent training/inducting new contractors on each visit. 

 

After Onside:

  1. Real-time, always-accurate view of visitor and staff presence on the farm, or waiting at the gate, from any mobile device.
  2. Simple QR code check-ins provide fast, simple and documented biosecurity tracking.
  3. New contractors can be fully informed of rules and regulations before setting foot on the farm.
  4. Health and safety benefits, including a definitive view of presence on site, at any time. 

 
Are we doing enough to protect NZ's pork industry? 

Despite adhering to the strictest biosecurity measures in all other areas, Moorpork’s visitor management consisted of a locked gate and a physical sign-in book - giving operations manager, Cherie Ackroyd, almost no visibility over who was arriving at the gate or when visitors were leaving the farms at any given time.  

 

When NZ Pork invited Moorpork to trial the Onside platform, as part of an industry-led initiative to tighten biosecurity, the business leapt at the chance. Instead of relying on emails and manual check-in, visitors can now scan a QR code and answer a quick set of biosecurity control questions in the Onside app. Any unwanted answers trigger a notification directly to Cherie, with the option to call the visitor directly and prevent a potential at-risk visitor from entering the facility.  

“With the recent African Swine Flu case in Asia and Europe; and Foot and Mouth in Indonesia, we’ve tightened up our stand-down periods. In Onside, we can proactively identify whether a visitor is safe to enter, before they even get to the farm.” 
 
- Ryan Andres, Transport Manager, Moorpork 

How can we make farming easier (and safer)? 

Soon after implementing Onside, Cherie and her team began to spot additional ways in which the platform could create significant efficiencies for the business.  


These included: 

  • Contractor induction training: Previously Cherie would spend 15 - 30 minutes explaining farm rules and policies to new contractors upon arrival. Now, contractors can see all documentation and complete any paperwork in Onside, before arrival. 

  • Visitor safety: Visitor check-ins are easier, quicker and safer, with visitors able to access a map of the farm and its risks/hazards in Onside, as part of the check-in process. 

  • Managing farm alerts: If one of the farm’s many different alarms are triggered, Ryan can check the Onside app to see if a colleague is already on the site and dealing with any issues, preventing double-handling. 

  • Staff safety: If staff forgot to check-out, Cherie had no definitive way of knowing whether they were still on site – crucial for lone worker health and safety. In Onside, the team can log in and see who (if anyone) is on site, at any time. 

“We initially trialled Onside for its biosecurity feature alone - but once we switched to Onside's full offering, I found a lot of additional features that have made a big difference to the business, particularly visitor and contractor management”. 
 
- Cherie Ackroyd, Operations Manager, Moorpork 

How can we tighten biosecurity on our farm? 

With Onside. Find out how New Zealand and Australia's pork industry is using Onside to tackle biosecurity.