Senior Piggery Stockperson

A senior piggery stockperson manages pig housing, feeding, health monitoring, and breeding operations on commercial pig farms in Australia. They supervise junior staff, maintain animal welfare standards compliant with the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines, and coordinate day-to-day herd management to optimise productivity and biosecurity. They work in intensive or outdoor piggery systems, managing feed systems, waste, health treatments, and record-keeping for breeding stock, piglets, and market-ready pigs.

Monitor pig health daily, identifying signs of disease, injury, or poor condition and reporting to farm management or veterinarians. Administer prescribed medications, vaccines, and treatments to pigs under veterinary instruction, maintaining accurate treatment records. Supervise junior piggery workers and casual staff, allocating daily tasks, induction training, and providing feedback on animal handling and welfare practices. Operate automated or manual feeding systems, calculating and adjusting feed rations based on pig age, weight, and stage of production. Manage pig movement between housing facilities, including weaning, grading, sorting for market, and loading onto transport vehicles. Maintain biosecurity protocols including footbaths, vehicle wash-downs, and restricted access to pig housing to prevent disease entry. Record pig performance data including growth rates, feed intake, farrowing records, and mortality, inputting into farm management software. Conduct routine maintenance on piggery infrastructure including feeders, drinkers, ventilation systems, and housing repairs, liaising with mechanics or contractors as needed.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate IV or Certificate III with at least two years of on-the-job training (ABS skill level 3). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

The work is physically demanding, smelly, and happens every single day regardless of weather or public holidays. You'll handle sick and dying animals regularly, which takes an emotional toll. Pay tops out well below skilled trades, and farm closures mean job security isn't guaranteed. Biosecurity means you're isolated from other workers and can't easily move between farms.

Realistically, jobs are only in rural areas near intensive pig operations: there's no remote work option and limited positions outside these regional clusters. You'll need to live near a farm.

• Administer drugs to facilitate breedingcore
• Administer treatment to animalscore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Goal Setting and Planningcore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Inventory Trackingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Record Managementcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Workload Self-Managementcore
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Advise customers on appropriate pet care
• Advise on animal purchase
• Advise on animal welfare
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracy
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Data Entry and Accuracy
• Process Improvement Identification
• Report Writing
• Supplier Communication
• Written Communication

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

Last updated: 30 October 2026