Welcome to September’s Newsletter · FCE Weaning To Sale 2.47 2.52 2.61 2.44 2.52 Table 3. ......
Transcript of Welcome to September’s Newsletter · FCE Weaning To Sale 2.47 2.52 2.61 2.44 2.52 Table 3. ......
Welcome to September’s Newsletter
Ciarán Carroll
Welcome to the September
edition of our monthly
newsletter. It’s been a busy
month for the Pig Development
Department (PDD). Earlier this
month we held interviews for a
new Specialist Pig Development Officer to fill the
vacancy left following Seamas Clarke’s
retirement. I’m glad to announce that Emer
McCrum has been appointed to the position and
will take up her role, based at Ballyhaise, in mid-
October. Emer holds a BSc in Agricultural Science
with University College Dublin, specialising in
Animal and Crop production. She has been
working in a Technician role for the past few
months and has previously worked on a
commercial pig farm in the midlands.
The National Ploughing Championships took place
last week and once again the Teagasc PDD was
well represented in the Teagasc tent for the three
day event. It was a busy few days where we met
with both pig producers and industry people.
Next up is the annual Teagasc Pig Farmers’
Conference 2015 which will take place on the 20th
of October in the Cavan Crystal Hotel and on the
21st of October in the Horse and Jockey Hotel,
commencing both days at 1.30pm. As well as a
number of presentations, including one from
personnel at Schothorst Feed Research centre in
the Netherlands, there will also be a poster
session with information updates on some
current research projects at Moorepark. Make
sure you put these dates in your diary as it is
shaping up to be another great event. We look
forward to seeing you there again this year.
In this issue:
Interpig Figures - 2014 performance
Are you interested in a high level
business strategy course?
A guide to environmental enrichment
Anaerobic Co-digestion
September 2015
Editor: Amy Quinn
Interpig Figures - 2014 performance Gerard McCutcheon
The Irish pig sector must be able to compete in
the international market if it is to survive and
develop. At present we have higher feed prices
and feed costs than our international competitors
and we need to reduce these if we are to be
competitive and sustainable. There are three
components of sustainability: economic,
environmental and social sustainability. First and
foremost - it must be economically sustainable.
Below I present the figures from the Interpig
meeting which was held in Brazil in June 2015.
These are the figures presented for each country
representing their performance in 2014.
Please see the performance figures from
Denmark, Germany, France and the Netherlands
below. They are shown alongside the Irish
performance as per the e-Profit Monitor. The
Irish figures represent 84,000 sows or 56% of the
national herd.
The born alive figures in Ireland have improved
over the last number of years but we still have
some way to go when we compare with Denmark
and the Netherlands in particular. While they
have higher pre-weaning mortality the number of
pigs weaned still gives them a higher number of
pigs produced per sow per year. These figures are
shown below in Table 1.
Each country has a different live weight at
slaughter. It is highest in Germany at 121kg LW,
slightly lower in the Netherlands and France
(118.5 and 118.2 kg respectively), lower in
Denmark (110.6 kg) and lowest in Ireland (106.5
kg LW.) The Danes achieved the best average
daily gain with the Netherlands showing the
lowest ADG from weaning to sale. These figures
are shown in Table 2.
The other interesting point is that the sow
replacement rate is much lower for Germany and
the Netherlands than for Denmark and Ireland
(55% in both countries) with France having a 46%
sow replacement rate. The best feed per kg of
carcass was achieved in the Netherlands where
3.41 kg of feed was used to produce one kg of
carcass. These figures are shown in Table 3.
Our growth rates compare favorably to the
French, Germans and the Dutch but are lower
than the Danes. Our feed conversion figures are
similar to the Danes but much higher than the
Netherlands. The bottom line was that for 2014,
based on their feed costs, and the figures above
the average feed cost per kg of carcass was 92
cent in Denmark, 94 cent in the Netherlands, 98
cent in France, 105 cent in Germany and 116 cent
in Ireland. We need to work to reduce this cost
differential. Table 1. Components of the number of pigs/sow /year for a number of countries.
Denmark France Germany Netherlands Ireland
Born Alive/Litter 15.6 13.5 13.81 14.2 12.7
Pre-weaning Mortality % 13.6 13.8 14.62 13.3 11.2
Weaned/Litter 13.48 11.64 11.79 12.31 11.28
Litters/Sow /Yr 2.26 2.35 2.32 2.37 2.36
Weaned/Sow/Yr 30.46 27.35 27.35 29.17 26.62
Weaner Mortality 2.9 2.4 2.2 2.5 2.6
Finisher Mortality 3.7 3.6 2.5 2.3 2.4
Pigs Produced/Sow/Yr 28.45 25.71 26.07 27.77 25.34
Table 2. Feed performance from weaning to sale.
Weaning to Sale performance Denmark France Germany Netherlands Ireland
Total Days 139 161 166 168 148
Kg of Gain 103.7 111.4 114.1 110.8 99.2
Kg of Feed 256.2 280.8 297.5 270.5 249.8
ADG g/day 744 692 688 660 669
FCE Weaning To Sale 2.47 2.52 2.61 2.44 2.52
Table 3. Replacement rate and calculation of kg of feed per kg of carcase.
Denmark France Germany Netherlands Ireland
Sow Replacement Rate % 55 46 41 42 55
Carcase Weight Sold kg 2378 2328 2444 2565 2061
Total Feed /Sow/Year 8725 8533 9031 8745 7599
Kg Feed per kg Carcase 3.67 3.67 3.70 3.41 3.69
Are you interested in a high level business strategy course? Mark Moore
If so, Teagasc and the UCD Michael Smurfit Business School have created a high level business strategy
course you may be interested in
I recently got a call from a farmer to tell me that
he had just completed a lengthy negotiation
session. I could sense the exhilaration in his voice
that comes from making a significant, and
successful, business move. “We were able to use
negotiation strategies and skills we learned on
the course,” he said. “And we could also identify
some of the negotiation strategies the other side
was using!”. I’m not going to tell you the farmer’s
name, but he was one of 21 participants who
took part in the first Teagasc/McMichael Smurfit
Business School course in Business Strategy. The
call proved that the course, which we first ran last
year, gave participants a business ‘edge’ in the
real world. In this article I’m going to tell you
about the course, include comments from
identified farmers, and encourage you to
consider taking part this year.
Why are we doing it?
In 2014, encouraged by Teagasc Director,
Professor Gerry Boyle, I gathered a team of
colleagues including Tom O’Dwyer, regional
managers John Moloney in Waterford/Kilkenny,
Brendan Heneghan in Galway/Clare and other
colleagues to consider how we could offer a high
level business strategy course to farmers. The
removal of quotas and the general increase in
price volatility suggested there might be a need
for increased strategic thinking. Ultimately we
decided that an alliance with the UCD Michael
Smurfit Business School was the best solution. It
would bring together the business expertise of
that organisation and the intimate knowledge of
farm businesses possessed by Teagasc. Helen
Brophy at UCD, our initial contact at UCD was
enthusiastic.
Working with Helen and Prof Pat Gibbons we
designed a course which includes topics such as:
“What is business strategy and how does it relate
to my farm business.”, “Understanding your role
as a leader”, “Preparing for negotiations” and
“Managing change and working through conflict.”
The aim is to help farmers to develop the skills
and awareness which they need to develop a
clear strategy for their businesses in volatile
times. “Having done the course you feel
confident that you have ticked all the boxes when
looking at your business as a whole,” said Martin
Quigley a dairy farmer from county Louth and a
member of the ‘Class of 2014’. Dairy farmers
were well represented but beef, tillage and pig
producers were also present. Jason McGrath
whose family produce and finish pigs in county
Waterford said: “It made me look at our
enterprise as more of a business than a family
farm.”
What’s involved?
The course is fully accredited (by UCD) and those
who complete the requirements of the course
receive a certificate. To earn the qualification
participants must attend all six days (broken
down into three days, a gap of several weeks, two
days, another gap and then a final, single, day.
The course will take place in the late autumn of
this year. The venue for the classroom sessions
will be the Lyrath hotel near Kilkenny.
Participants will stay overnight at the hotel on the
two and three day modules. By remaining at the
hotel it’s possible to get away from the day to day
pressures of running a business and focus on your
medium and long-term business goals. It also
means there are lots of opportunities for
networking and interacting with ‘classmates’.
The sessions are highly interactive with lively
discussions on business issues; this is not like
being back at school. “The course was really all
about bigger picture stuff. Where you want to go
with your farm and your business…actually your
whole life said Denis O’Donovan of Rosscarbery
Co. Cork. “It also gave us a shove to sit down as a
family and discuss where we want to be in five or
even ten year’s time.”
Mentors
As well as the Smurfit Business School ‘lecturers’
the courses are attended by Teagasc staff who
act as mentors to the participants. These mentors
all have post graduate business qualifications as
well as a deep knowledge of the technical aspects
of farming. The mentors are a ‘resource’ for the
participants on the course. While the material
delivered on the course is straightforward and
delivered in terms and language that any farmer
can understand, the mentors can help put the
material in a farming context.
As well as the mentors, those taking part receive
a work book which contains an outline structure
for a strategy - be it for business expansion,
family succession etc. Mentors will discuss the
progress being made by students as they develop
a unique strategy for their own business. On the
final day of the course students are interviewed
about the strategy they have developed for their
business. There are no examinations on the
course.
“It certainly broadened my perspective and
allowed me to take into account many more
dimensions of my own situation,” said Sean
Bugler from Scariff in County Clare. “You can
become preoccupied with perfecting your day to
day farming when you should really be putting
more energy into having a long term strategy.
The course really helped me focus on that,”
Is this relevant for pig producers?
The course is available to pig
producers/managers (not industry support
professionals).
This is a business course, not a technical one
so it is relevant to all sectors, including pig
producers.
Pig producers participated last year and are
others are planning to do the course this year.
Pig specialist Michael McKeon will be a
mentor again this year.
When is it?
There are two courses this year:
Course 1 Course 2
Intro day 27th Oct 10th Nov
Module 1 28th -29th Oct 11th- 12th
Module 2 24th-25th Nov 2nd- 3rd Dec
Finale 15th Dec 20th Jan
How much does it cost?
The full cost of the course is €2,200. Teagasc
clients receive a €200 discount and there is a
further discount for booking early. For further
details contact me. All materials, food and
overnight costs are included, and the course
leads to a fully accredited certificate at level 8.
The cost of the course is a tax deductible business
expense.
If interested, what should you do next?
Select which course you would like to do. Both
courses are the same they just run on different
dates. But the number of places will be limited so
it’s important that you register your interest now.
So please contact me on 087 4179131.
Alternatively you can email me at
“Fitter, happier, more productive”, a guide to environmental enrichment
Amy Haigh
Despite being domesticated for 7000 years, pigs
still demonstrate a lot of natural behaviours, and
have a strong motivation to explore their
surroundings. For instance, domestic pigs living in
a semi-natural enclosure spent 52 % of the
daylight period foraging. In commercial
husbandry systems feed is readily available, but
as each meal only lasts about 10 minutes; the
pig’s natural motivation to forage is often
redirected toward other pigs, and this is one of
the leading causes of abnormal behaviours such
as tail and ear biting.
To ensure high standards of pig welfare and fulfil
the pigs behavioural needs, European legislation
states that “pigs must have permanent access to
a sufficient quantity of material to enable proper
investigation and manipulation activities, such as
straw, hay, wood, sawdust, mushroom compost,
peat or a mixture of such, which does not
compromise the health of the animals”
(Commission Directive2001/93/EC). Exploratory
behaviour in pigs is best stimulated by materials
that are complex, changeable, destructible,
manipulable, and contain some edible parts. It is
also important that any material used is
rewarding beyond its novelty value and that
fighting for access is minimal.
Straw has been found to have the highest
potential to meet the criteria listed above.
However, the utilisation of straw can be difficult
to handle in most vacuum slurry systems which is
the most common pump used in Ireland. A
chopper filter can be included upstream of the
pump to break up any likely obstacles, but
unfortunately only one third of vacuum pumps in
Ireland have a chopper filter.
Thus there is a pressing need to identify
enrichment materials that are as effective as
loose straw, but which is compatible with slatted
flooring. Examples of possible materials include
compressed straw blocks (Fig. 1a), wood, ropes
(Fig. 1b), jute sacks (Fig. 1c), ice, mushroom
compost and low-level rooting boxes which
contain loose materials and keeps them separate
from slats. These have shown varying success
rates; for instance, biting behaviours directed at
pen mates were up to 50% lower in pens
provided with jute sacks.
Figure 1a-c: Straw pellets (a), rope (b) and jute
sacks (c) used for enrichment.
Straw pellets
Straw dispensers (Fig. 2a-b) that provide a limited
amount of a substrate can be offered as good
alternatives to loose straw, as they still allow pigs
to direct nosing, rooting and chewing activity
towards an ‘appropriate’ stimulus, while reducing
development of undesirable behaviours, and the
amount is small enough not to interfere with
slurry systems. This kind of supply system also
offers the advantage of a double interaction, in
the device itself, and beneath it on the floor,
which might mean less material can be used for
the same total amount of interest from the pigs.
A dispenser of compressed straw in farrowing
crates is beneficial for both the sow and piglets;
the frequency of lateral lying by the sow
increased, meaning the udder was exposed more
toward the piglets. For grower pigs, a straw
container incorporating a piece of wood attached
to chains that the pigs could manipulate to
release straw into a rooting dish, was successful
in preventing tail-biting even when some of the
pigs were undocked. Labour costs are also
minimal as the dispenser is easily replenished
when required. In a farm in Switzerland, one
straw block holder was provided per 8-10 pigs,
and 3-10 blocks lasted 50-60 days. The use of
other substrates in dispensers has also proved
successful with research finding that using
overhead racks of spent mushroom compost in a
fully slatted system significantly lowered levels of
tail biting.
Figure 2 a-b) Commercially available compressed
straw dispensers.
Ropes
Research has shown that the interaction levels of
pigs with destructible ropes are comparable to
those previously reported for straw. When
provided in farrowing pens, rope helps to reduce
tail biting activity in the piglets in later life. Pigs
are most attracted to open rope ends because
they are easier to catch hold of, and to torn rope
ends because they are easier to tear up further.
These need to be replaced regularly however, to
maintain novelty, in the same way as daily
provision of straw. In a farm in the Netherlands, a
knotted rope (to make it last longer) was
suspended from the ceiling (coiled in a bucket)
pulled to the floor once a week (Fig. 3). Rope was
also found to be successful as an emergency
measure to distract pigs after a tail biting
outbreak in a study conducted in Teagasc,
Moorepark.
Figure 3: Rope enrichment used in a farm in the
Netherlands.
Wood
Wood has also proved successful, with
horizontally suspended pieces of fresh wood
reducing tail and ear biting. These have been
used on farms in Finland at a ratio of one post per
every 9 pigs (Fig.4). These wooden posts lasted
approximately 12 weeks, depending on the
activity of the pigs.
Figure 4: Fresh wood branches provided to pigs in
Finland.
Wood holders are now commercially available
which can be placed on the wall of the pen and
will hold wood planks and posts (Fig. 5).
Figure 5: Commercially available wood holders for
wood planks and posts.
Commercially available pig ‘toys’
A number of commercially available pig ‘toys’
have also become available in the form of rubber
floor and hanging toys. They have varying
success, with some research suggesting that the
interest in them is fairly short. However, this may
be related to the fact that these are normally
suspended, and this way of presenting the
materials, rather than placing them on the floor,
may have caused problems for the pigs with
respect to getting hold of the materials. This was
also observed in a study comparing the use of
commercial hanging and floor pig toys conducted
in the pig department in Moorepark, where a
floor based toy was much more appealing to the
pigs than hanging ones.
However, one concern with floor toys is that they
could become soiled and therefore unappealing
to pigs, or that they could become ‘hidden’ in pen
corners. This was avoided in the Moorepark study
due to the design of the toy, as it was supported
by ‘legs’ so held off of the floor. In fact, pigs
interacted five times longer with floor toys in
comparison to hanging toys (See April 2015
newsletter for details).
The provision of enrichment is a legal
requirement and while there is some initial labour
and financial costs associated, the potential losses
incurred from weight loss and carcass
condemnation occurring as a result of abnormal
behaviours like tail biting, are likely to be far
greater than the costs of enrichment. This has
been highlighted in recent research in
Moorepark, which showed the considerable
economic costs of not using enrichment. While
different devices have varied in effectiveness, the
most successful are likely to be those which best
provide the pigs with the ability to fulfill their
natural need to forage. Some of the enrichment
devices highlighted here will be the focus of
upcoming research within the Pig Department,
Moorepark the outcomes of which we will update
you on in future newsletters. If you have found a
particular form of enrichment particularly
successful/unsuccessful or would like any further
information on any of the devices mentioned in
this article, we would be really interested in
hearing from you ([email protected]).
Anaerobic Co-digestion Conor Dennehy
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a process by which
organic material is broken down in the absence
of oxygen. This process generates methane-rich
biogas and digested material. Known as
digestate, this digested material is typically
lower in pathogens and organic carbon than
the original material and is rich in available
nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK).
Digestate can therefore be a valuable fertilizer.
Methane-rich biogas can be used to generate
electricity and heating. In a pig farming context,
the technology has been widely used in
continental Europe for the past 30 years
(Germany and Denmark in particular), and has
been used in China and India for much longer.
On-Farm Anaerobic Digestion
Increased demand for technology which can
reduce the greenhouse gas emissions
associated with the Irish agricultural sector has
seen renewed interest in the use of anaerobic
digestion on Irish farms. The use of AD in pig
farms is of particular interest in Ireland as,
unlike the dairy industry, pig farms can
generate a large and seasonally stable quantity
of fresh manure. While pig manure does
generate a greater amount of biogas than
cattle manure, the yield is still quite low.
Coupled with the low tariff paid for energy
generated by on farm AD plants in the Republic
of Ireland, this means that on farm AD plants
treating pig manure alone are not currently
viable.
Co-digestion
However the use of additional feedstocks to
boost biogas yields is a means of making the
on-farm AD plant concept viable. While the use
of energy crops such as maize, miscanthus and
grass has been widespread, recent concern
over the environmental sustainability of using
such feedstocks and an increase in their cost
has reduced their popularity.
Credit-NNFCC
Using organic residues such as brown bin waste
(comprised typically of food waste and garden
trimmings) as a feedstock alongside manure is a
concept with some merit. Such waste generates
high biogas yields, however digesting such
wastes alone can lead to an unstable process.
The addition of the on farm manure to brown
bin waste can stabilize the process and increase
biogas yields. These increased biogas yields
along with potential additional revenue
streams in the form of gate fees from taking in
brown bin waste may make on farm AD plants
in Ireland a viable concept. Taking in brown bin
wastes as a feedstock does result in increased
costs however, the Animal By-product
Regulations relating to the digestion of food
waste along with manure are more stringent
than those for manure alone. While technical
solutions such as this may make on farm
anaerobic digestion a viable proposition, a
change in governmental policy relating to
renewable energy generation from anaerobic
digestion will be required to fully unlock the
potential contribution the pig industry could
make to mitigating Ireland’s greenhouse gas
emissions.
Did you know?
Germany has 7900 agricultural AD
plants
There are currently 6 licensed AD plants
in the Republic of Ireland
The tariff for energy generated from on
farm anaerobic digesters in the Republic
of Ireland is 11 to 15c/kWh compared to
22 to 28c/kWh in Northern Ireland.
Conor is a PhD student on the SFI-funded Green-Farm Project,
investigating the concept of on-farm anaerobic co-digestion of food waste
and pig manure in Ireland. Conor is supervised by Prof. Xinmin Zhan of
NUI Galway, Dr. Peadar Lawlor of Teagasc and Dr. Gillian Gardiner of
Waterford Institute of Technology.
Student Profile Conor Dennehy
Location: Department of Civil Engineering, NUI Galway
Research Interests: Anaerobic digestion, wastewater treatment, greenhouse gas emission
mitigation
Contact details: [email protected] & +353 (0)87 984 0276
Teagasc Pig Farmers’ Conference 2015
The Teagasc Pig Farmers’ Conference for 2015
will take place next month at 1.30pm on the 20th
and 21st of October. The conference will be held
in the Cavan Crystal Hotel on Tuesday the 20th of
October and on Wednesday the 21st of October in
the Horse and Jockey Hotel. This year’s
conference features a number of excellent
presentations and a poster session covering a
wide range of topics. We encourage all those
involved in the sector to attend the conference
and not to miss the opportunity to meet fellow
producers and get the latest information that the
Teagasc Pig Development Department have
compiled for this year’s event.
Ploughing Championship 2015
Several members of the Pig Development
Department research and advisory staff were
present throughout the 3 day event. The event
provided an excellent opportunity to meet with
clients and industry contacts, as well as
promoting the use of pig manure as a valuable
tillage and grassland fertiliser.
New Arrival
We are delighted to welcome Alberto Torres
Pitarch to the Pig Development Department.
Alberto started in September and is a PhD
candidate examining feed Enzymes as a means of
improving feed efficiency in pigs. Alberto is
supervised by Dr. Peadar Lawlor of Teagasc and
Prof. John O’Doherty of UCD.
Health & Safety Training
Teagasc plan to hold a series of Half-Day Farm
Safety Code of Practice Training Courses over the
winter months. Safety training is now mandatory
under the recently announced TAMS II schemes.
To obtain payment under these schemes farmers
must have completed the Half-day Farm Safety
course or the ‘Green Cert’ within the previous 5
years. For more information please visit
http://www.teagasc.ie/publications/2015/3703/T
AA5_HealthandSafetyA5_2015.pdf.
Discussion Groups
We currently are looking to set up an additional
discussion group in the Kerry-Limerick area. There
are currently several groups underway
throughout the country that have proved to be
extremely successful, with farmers finding them
very beneficial. If you are interested in joining
this group please contact your local advisor.