Blog

In a growing sector, with increasingly prolific genetics, in which health is essential to guarantee the future, there are important differences between farms. Productivity and costs are two basic factors to assess whether a farm is doing things right. But what are the keys to being among the best? We spoke with Joan Wennberg, veterinary consultant, to learn the 6 keys to being a model farm.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is the potentially devastating disease with the greatest economic impact in the swine industry today.

Dositronic M allows on-site individualization and control of sow feeding parameters quickly and intuitively via the control panel, which helps increase feed and water intake and improve productivity.

Given the huge success of the TR2, Rotecna expands its range of dry feed hoppers to fattening with the TR3D. This is a new two-sided model with three outlet nozzles, designed to supply large pens of animals. The V-shaped design of the side nozzles means animals can be arranged diagonally, whereby they can eat peacefully without bothering each other, thus avoiding fights and feed wastage.

In 2014, the Cooperativa d’Ivars invested in a refurbishment and extension of this farm of 2,000 sows in Valfarta (Huesca), where in 2017 they installed Rotecna's Doisitronic electronic feeding system in all of their farrowing pens. After three full production cycles, the farm has achieved some excellent figures, with an average of 38 piglets weaned per sow and year. We spoke to Orlando, the manager of the farm, to learn about the work they are doing with the Dositronic.

Have a feeding system capable of supplying food to a large number of pigs per pen is a major need in markets where swine production is growing. Feed represents around 70 % of production costs. It is therefore very important to optimize its management with feeding systems that can offer both precise and effective operation, allowing the animals to eat peacefully without wasting feed.

With the aim of protecting pig farms from the major impact on the sector of the entry of serious diseases, biosecurity is gaining ground as one of the topics of greatest relevance to the future of the sector. Given this scenario, veterinarian and a biosecurity advisory Josep Casanovas analyses the main challenges and errors in the field of biosecurity. On this occasion, we'll address external biosecurity, and in a future edition we will focus on it internally.

Well-homogenised slurry is important in preparation for a good solid-liquid separation process.

One aspect that contributes to the improvement of animal health and decreases environmental impact is the materials that are used inside the farm. This comparative study will demonstrate how polypropylene panels decrease the consumption of cleaning water by 46.5%, and therefore also production of pig manure, in comparison to concrete panels; require 21.5% less time for cleaning and, most importantly, carry a much lower microbiological burden once cleaned and disinfected.

Ad libitum feeding allows for larger and more homogeneous litters.

"With more than 20 years of experience in the pig industry, Alberto Pascual, with two farms of 2,500 sows each in Avila, decided to take things a step further and, in 2016, started a project from scratch to build a breeding farm for 3,000 sows. In the design of the new operation, Alberto went for a very different type of farm, with new management methods, high biosecurity measures and a clear commitment to energy efficiency."

Jaume is the third generation of the Alòs family to run this farm located in Almenar, which currently has 400 mothers.

Proper slurry management is one of the main challenges of the future of the pig sector. Faced with growing pig numbers and increasingly more demanding administrative requirements in environmental terms, livestock waste limits the growth potential of farms, especially in areas with a high concentration of pig production in very little space. Having efficient and cost-effective equipment on farms for the separation of solids is posited as the best solution to this problem.

Custom-made fattening panels are a durable, hygienic solution adapted to new pig housing models.

By using the Ni-2 Mobile, we were able to reduce heating consumption in farrowing pens by 30%.