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Summary of full report
Free-range Snail Farming
in Australia
by Sonya Begg
August 2006 RIRDC
Publication No 06/104 RIRDC Project No SFI-1A
The report – its reason
and purpose
The existence of technical
and practical information about farming edible snails on a large scale
is limited, especially for Australian environmental conditions.
This report provides information on the viability of an alternative method of producing edible snails by mass production.
The report gives details about the suitability of raising snails in pastures rather than the more labour-intensive growing methods in small enclosures and greenhouses.
The information is important because it offers an alternative to create sustainable, viable snail production for import replacement and for an expanding domestic market.
It provides detailed information about management principles, reproduction and yield of a sustainable, commercial snail farming enterprise.
Target
The report is targeted at
people seeking ways to diversify farming operations away from traditional
livestock, cropping and horticultural enterprises or to specialise in a
niche market.
Background
The Australian snail industry
was pioneered in 1986 but did not progress past ‘cottage industry’ status.
It continued to struggle to gain acknowledgement as an accepted agricultural activity as most snail producers were unable to maintain continuity of production.
During the last few years however, interest in snail farming has escalated. This may be due to the growth of multicultural restaurants in Australia and the culinary tastes of people becoming more adventurous. And, chefs are now creating interesting recipes that differ from the traditional European methods of serving snails.
It was timely to investigate an alternative method of snail cultivation and management in Australia.
The Italian method of the full biological cycle of breeding snails and pasture production was chosen to gauge the suitability of raising large numbers of snails in Australia.
The aims of the research
project
The primary aim of the research
project was to assess the viability of an alternative method of mass producing
edible snails for domestic trade and international trade.
Research was conducted on the practical and technical aspects of pasture production and to create a ‘model’ as a trial of the pasture production system for containment and cultivation of edible snails.
A secondary aim of the project was to support the results with a PowerPoint presentation as a resource for potential snail producers and users and consider the feasibility and value of the formation of an Australian Snail Breeders’ Association.
Method
The research project was
implemented for three years and practical and technical research was studied
in detail at the International Snail Farming Institute and Conference of
International Snail Farmers in northern Italy in 2003.
Results of the fact finding trip were published by Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) in a report titled Farming Edible Snails – lessons from Italy.
A site was chosen in Orange, in central western NSW for the physical trial and in October 2004, the Italian method of pasture production was commenced.
The initial breeding stock (1,087 adult snails) was introduced to the first reproduction field in early November 2004. It is estimated that approximately 25,000 snails were hatched by the end of February 2005.
Approximately one third of the snails that were hatched in early January 2005, reached an acceptable marketable size (average 32mm) by the end of April 2005. The remainder continued to grow and then hibernated during the winter months of June, July and August 2005. They finished their growing in the following spring (October/November 2005) and the biological cycle commenced again with new season breeders selected from these snails.
During 2005/06 10 fields (total area of 535.5 sq m) were completed as part of the rotational system for cropping and snail production. Some of these fields were sown with crops suitable for grazing and habitat for the snails and some were fallow at any one time during the season.
One field was used for reproduction and a total of seven were used for growing during January to April.
Another field was utilised in early spring for adult snails that were harvested after the clearing of the 2004/05 production fields.
An additional field was utilised as a ‘good bug bed’ and was planted with a mix of herbs and flowers to attract predatory insects to assist in the biological control of unwanted crop pests.
Because of the high through-put of snails, it was necessary to have an efficient and effective purging facility as the final stage of production As an extension of the research project, existing building facilities were modernised and the purging capacity was expanded. An atmosphere-controlled environment was deemed necessary to keep the temperature below 23°C, to assist in the efficient purging of commercial quantities of snails and reduce snail deaths.
One thousand five hundred snails were prepared as four separate products and sent to Primary Industries Research Victoria (PIRV) for microbiological testing to determine shelf life and nutritional analysis . an important extension of the project. Results attached at Appendix B.
Results
The objectives of the research
project were met. It was found that it was possible to successfully breed
and grow large numbers of snails in a pasture production system in Australia.
Estimates showed the pasture production method was more cost effective to establish and produce snails than the current method of farming snails in Australia today.
The majority of the snails that were bred were consistent in size and there was a very low mortality rate due to acclimatisation to the environment that existed in the pasture production fields.
Approximately one third of the newly bred snails reached marketable size before they were 12 months old in the first year of production. This number increased to approximately half the number of newly bred snails in the second year of production.
This offers serious producers a significant marketing advantage over snails that are collected and grown out in enclosures or greenhouses. Collected snails are often aged and therefore are not as palatable as younger snails.
The snails were bred and grown in natural environmental conditions and it was observed that the snails responded sensitively to environmental factors. While the snails remained reasonably active during unusually hot weather, they became lethargic and lost some body weight, in spite of multiple water misting applications. As soon as the weather cooled and rain was received, the snails resumed their normal growing activity.
It was determined that snail farming in the pasture production system in Australia is a seasonal occupation. Snails must have winter hibernation as part of the full biological cycle in order to breed successfully in spring.
The results of the microbiological testing showed that fresh snail meat contained in spring water has a shelf life of nine days when refrigerated at 4°C. Two other products were tested along with the nutritional analysis and the results are shown at Appendix B.
Relevance to stakeholder groups Industry
Now that the research project has been completed, Australia’s fledgling snail production industry has reliable, practical data to inject into business plans of a new entrant to Australian new animal product industries . edible snails.
Interest in the research project has been extensive and numerous requests for information have been received by the principal researcher.
Communities
Communities will benefit
from the completion of the project as there now exists potential for a
reduction in exposure to garden pesticides with the commencement of demand
for live ‘foundation’ stock from the domestic garden.
Policy makers
With some vision and subtle
lobbying it may be possible to encourage policy makers to apply disincentives
to importers of processed snail meat from various overseas areas, as a
means of assisting a domestic snail industry to replace imported product.
Others
The completion of the RIRDC
funded research project provides hard data to further underpin 20 years
of practical experience in Australian snail production, processing and
marketing by the principal researcher.
Australia now has a local intellectual resource that is backed up with scientific data and research results, conducted in Australian conditions, that is equivalent to that offered by some traditional European snail production and marketing organizations.
Recommendations
This report and its associated
PowerPoint presentation be promoted to the following target groups:
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