English industry hosts ‘EU Hub’

A busy week last week! Ideas and information were coming thick and fast from our European pig industry colleagues at an ‘EU Hub’ meeting hosted by the BPEX knowledge transfer and research and development teams.

Irish and Dutch guests were also joined by Professor Paul Hughes from Australia. It was an informal chance pick up new information that could help pig producers over here improve their businesses.

The topics ranged from breeding herd parity profile to health and PPRS reduction, from new farrowing pen designs to recruiting new staff for pig farms.

Plus, an interesting idea that’s popular in the Netherlands – an internet forum which pig producers can log into to discuss and swap ideas on practical pig topics. Something for the English pig industry perhaps? You can let us know your thoughts by clicking on ‘comments’ below.

The EU Hub followed straight on from the British Pig and Poultry Fair – if you haven’t had a look yet, you can click here to see pictures of what BPEX got up to at the event. 

Room for improvement - pig reproduction priorities

Australian pig expert Professor Paul Hughes highlighted the priorities for improvement in pig reproduction this week at two BPEX Two-Tonne Sow events.

These included: 

1. Gilt management!

• Too often, producers mate gilts who are not yet cycling properly – thinking that they’re second oestrus animals when, in fact, they are still only at first oestrus.
• Gilt culling policies need to be stricter. Around 1 in 10 gilts are sub-fertile so producers should focus on good oestrus detection and then cull the last ones to start cycling. Getting rid of poorer gilts at this stage will reduce low fertility throughout the herd.

2. Feeding strategies

3. Understanding exactly what is happening with regular and irregular returns to service

Look out for more information and Paul’s full presentation soon on the news and events pages at www.bpex.org.uk

Paul has many years of pig farming and research experience at the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI).

Planning permission – doing the groundwork

The pig industry has suffered from a lack investment in new buildings, mostly in nursery and grower/finisher accommodation. A consequence of this is often poor pig performance and increased production costs.

So, when producers apply for planning permission for new buildings, it’s important to do the groundwork to make sure it goes through smoothly. 

Before applying, they need to:

• Discuss the planning application with their local planning office
• Research similar applications to identify previous problems or successes
• Consider the perspective of neighbours and local residents
• Ensure all planning application paperwork is completed thoroughly and to a high standard. Anticipate where objections could come from and put solutions in place where appropriate. For example: to improve visual impact, consider a sensitive planting scheme or see if ground-level bins can be used as an alternative to tall bulk bins.

High-quality, fit-for-purpose buildings help producers to:

• Deliver high standards of animal health and welfare
• Improve feed use and growth rates
• Reduce environmental impacts such as release of odour and ammonia
• Offer opportunities to improve labour
• Improve energy efficiency

Go to the BPEX Environment Hub for more information. You also contact Anna Davis (pictured)on 0247 647 8798 or anna.davis@bpex.ahdb.org.uk 

Lady Gaga in the farrowing house?!

Thought I'd share some of the pig headlines from the British Society of Animal Science (BSAS) conference this week. 
Apparently playing the radio increases piglet play behaviour and sow nursing behaviour. Piglets getting down to Lady Gaga was an interesting suggestion! 
Also, on gilt management, Mr Cottney's results showed that ad lib feeding gilts after service doesn't affect no. born alive but reduces farrowing rate by 8.7%.
And, diets balanced properly using peas and beans instead of soya bean meal are no different in nitrogen balance and retention. Pulses look like a useful alternative to soya... 
Click here to read the highlights on Twitter and, for full details, visit the BSAS website.

A pig vet's bugbears on farm

Vet David Chennells, MA VetMB CertPM MRCVS, told the Midland Pig Producer Club what bugs him most on pig units. It was part of a workshop focused on reducing risk of spreading disease challenge throughout pig units. Some of the bugbears he highlighted were:

• Old fridges used for vaccines – they’re always the cast offs from the domestic kitchen and yet they store £1000s worth of vaccine
• Untidy fridges
• Dirty bottles and needles

• Clogged-up fan vents and louvres
• Records stacked up unused
The photos show how a clean and tidy fridge should be and what fan vents should NOT look like!

What pigs can tell us

Pigs are inquisitive, social and have a better sense of smell than dogs. They also have a highly sensitive sense of taste. The things we know about pigs and their behaviour can be used to the stockman’s advantage when managing pigs at weaning.
Trainees on the Stockman North training programme learned more from vet Duncan Berkshire about how to get good early growth and quick growing pigs.
Trainees imagined, firstly, that they were suckling pigs. The sow and farrowing environment provided them with milk and warmth, protection (physical and immune), a hierarchy within the litter, family, social interaction and group feeding. It’s important to make the transition to weaner accommodation as smooth as possible and continue to provide these things as far as possible.
Post-weaning, feed and water and heat are priorities. Meals should be small and frequent. And water is vital, as Mark and Jack found during a competition to see who could eat biscuits the quickest!
Pigs behaviour will tell you whether they’re the right temperature or not. Read what the pigs are telling you, as well as the ventilation or temperature control dial.

2TS Finisher Challenge - the race is on

Producers from all areas of England are giving the 2TS Finisher Challenge a go. They're often pleasantly surprised when they ring up BPEX to say they're interested and find that's all that's required to 'join up'.

The knowledge transfer managers have started visiting finisher units to have a look performance records, help with how and what to record if needed and discuss what could be tried to boost pig performance between now and October.

One producer is looking at weighing before slaughter to get more ‘pigs in the box’. Another producer simply wants an assessment of his unit to see if there is any ‘tweaking’ that can be done to improve his production. In the north, two pig clubs have decided to compete against each other as combined forces!

There are 10 prizes up for grabs by pig producers , thanks to kind sponsorship from Elanco Animal Health. The two producers who make the most progress will each win a top-of-the-range tablet computer – one will go to the best contract finisher and one to the best breeder-finisher producer. There will also be regional prizes for eight more units across England. Prizes will be awarded based on the highest percentage improvements in feed conversion ratio, average daily gain and mortality

For frequently asked questions about the Challenge, click here.