“The Canadian supply chain and reputation of the reliability of our products abroad run the risk of being significantly damaged in international markets,” said Brenna Mahoney, general manager of Keystone Agricultural Producers in a news release.

KAP joined representatives of the Manitoba Pork Council to issue a statement on July 12, day 12 of the strike.

It began July 1 when 7,500 dock workers represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) walked off the job after failing to broker a wage deal with the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA).

The strike affected two of Canada’s busiest ports—the Port of Vancouver and the Port of Prince Rupert. 

KAP and Manitoba Pork said that in the first week of the strike, they’d sent letters to the ILWU and BCMEA to highlight their concerns. They’d also contacted the federal minister of labour, Seamus O’Regan.

On July 11, O’Regan asked a federal mediator to recommend terms to end the strike. It appeared both sides had received the terms and been given 24 hours assess them, the Canadian Press reported on July 12.

“We appreciate Minister O’Regan’s directive to the federal mediator, but in contrast to the back-to-work legislation that was brought forward to address the Port of Montreal strike in 2021, the federal government has refused to take direct action that would end the strike and the associated impacts on our supply chain,” said Mahoney.  

By July 11, the cost of the strike was an estimated C$5.5 billion, Reuters reported, and had led fertilizer giant Nutrien to slow production. 

Manitoba Pork said the hog sector has been especially at risk during the labour stoppage and the days leading up to it, as about $730 million worth of Manitoban pork travels through the ports each year.  

“Some of our most valuable exports are chilled pork moving into premium markets like Japan,” said Manitoba Pork Chair, Rick Préjet. “Chilled pork cannot be even slightly delayed in getting to market.”

“Not only does this labour disruption put current sales at risk, recurring port shutdowns harm Canada’s long-term reputation as a reliable supplier,” Prejet added.

The post KAP, Manitoba Pork call for feds to end port strike appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Bernie Peet is president of Pork Chain Consulting Ltd. of Lacombe, Alberta, and editor of Western Hog Journal. His columns will run every second week in the Manitoba Co-operator.

With the current high feed prices, hog producers are continually looking for ways to cut costs without compromising pig performance. Nowhere is this more true than in the nursery, where the most expensive diets are consumed. Many producers are cautious about substituting cheaper raw materials for the traditional protein source of soybean meal because they are concerned that growth rate will be affected.

However, recently published data from trials at the University of Alberta suggest that higher levels of solvent-extracted canola meal than previously recommended can be used in nursery diets.

Canola meal is a cost-effective feedstuff for swine diets, says Dr. Ruurd Zijlstra, Associate Professor at the U of A. Compared to soybean meal, canola meal contains less crude protein (44 vs. 34 per cent, respectively) and lower net energy content (2.06 vs. 1.75 Mcal/kg, respectively). Therefore, canola meal is sold at a discount relative to soybean meal based on its lower nutrient content and the perceived risks associated with inclusion of canola co-products in pig and poultry diets.

Dr Zijlstra explains that the inclusion of canola meal in young pigs has been associated with a reduction in growth performance, likely due to its relatively high fibre level and the presence of compounds called glucosinolates which give a bitter taste to the meal. However, he points out, recent research conducted at the University of Alberta has shown that 15 per cent canola meal inclusion can partially replace soybean meal in the diet, without reducing body weight gain in weaned pigs.

GLUCOSINOLATE LEVELS ARE DOWN

A trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding increasing levels of canola meal (0, 5, 10, 15 or 20 per cent) on growth performance and diet nutrient digestibility. It was carried out at the Swine Research and Technology Centre in Edmonton at the University of Alberta. On an as-is basis, the sample of canola meal used in the diets contained 34.0 per cent crude protein, 3.5 per cent crude fat, 9.3 per cent crude fibre, 2.0 per cent lysine, 1.8 per cent available lysine, 1.56 per cent threonine, 0.71 per cent methionine, 0.98 per cent phosphorus, and 3.84 mol/g glucosinolates.

The glucosinolates level is 50 per cent lower than values reported almost 10 years ago for solvent-extracted canola meal, notes Dr. Zijlstra. This is why we can use higher levels of canola meal in pig diets without impacting feed intake.

The pelleted diets fed were formulated to provide 2.3 Mcal/kg net energy (NE) and 5 g standardized ileal digestible lysine per Mcal NE with other amino acids formulated as an ideal ratio to lysine, Dr. Zijlstra says.

Increasing the canola meal level (0, 5, 10, 15 or 20 per cent) progressively replaced the soybean meal in the diets, balancing for energy and amino acids using canola oil and crystalline amino acids.

Lactose, soy protein concentrate and herring meal at 5 per cent each, were included in the diets as specialty ingredients, he adds. The trial involved 220 weaned pigs of about 8 kg in initial weight, which were housed in 55 pens of four pigs each and had free access to the assigned pelleted diet for four weeks, starting one week post-weaning.

Over the entire period of the trial, increasing the level of canola meal in the diet did not affect body weight gain, feed intake and feed efficiency, explains Dr. Zijlstra. The final weight of weaned pigs was 21.7, 22.0, 21.5, 22.3 and 21.9 kg for 0 to 20 per cent canola meal, respectively (Figure 1).

However, increasing the dietary inclusion of canola meal linearly decreased the total tract digestibility of crude protein from 82.4 to 79.1 per cent and diet digestible energy value from 3.97 to 3.91 Mcal/kg of DM. The reduced nutrient digestibility was expected based on gradual increases in dietary fibre, he comments. These reductions in nutrient digestibility were of small magnitude and evidently did not affect pig performance.

SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS

Dr. Zijlstra points out that substituting soybean meal with canola meal results in significant savings in diet cost. Assuming wheat at $207/tonne, canola meal $255, soybean meal $420, and L-lysine- HCl $2,550, increasing dietary canola meal inclusion from 0 to 5, 10, 15, and 20 per cent, reduced feed price by $2.80, $5.60, $8.90, and $11.90 per metric tonne, respectively, he says.

For the 20 per cent inclusion of canola meal diet, feed cost per unit of body weight gain was reduced almost two cents/kg.

Canola meal is a locally-produced co-product currently included in grower-finishing pig diets, and can be a potential source of supplemental protein for young pigs, Dr. Zijlstra says. This year in Canada, Prairie producers have seeded a record of acres of canola and the production of canola meal is also expected to increase. This provides hog producers with an ideal opportunity to reduce production costs and extend the use of canola meal to nursery pigs, resulting in significant savings.

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Figure 1: Overall trial growth performance of weaned pigs fed increasing level of canolameal in the diet for 28days starting 1 week post-weaning

The post Canola Meal Levels Can Be Increased In Weaned Pig Diets appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

While many producers use pigs per sow per year as the benchmark for success in the breeding herd, there is now much more focus on lifetime productivity, driven by concern about high culling and death rates. I have discussed in the past the situation in Denmark, where sow death loss is around 15 per cent.

In the U.S., PigChamp data for 329 farms from 2010 shows a figure of 9.5 per cent. The situation in Canada is likely somewhat better, although there is little data, with the 28 farms recording with PigChamp showing a figure of 9.3 per cent. In addition to death losses, culling rate is also far too high, which means that the average productive life of sows is very short.

The cost of these losses is a concern for producers and the industry as a whole. The fewer piglets a sow produces over her lifetime, the higher the cost per piglet, primarily because of the investment at the start of her time in the herd. The overhead cost of the replacement gilt and the feed it takes to get her to first farrowing has to be amortized over her productive life. If the sow produces an average of only over four litters per lifetime rather than five, the overhead cost per piglet for that cost component is increased by 25 per cent.

INCREASED RATES

The reasons why both death loss and culling rate has increased in many countries is complex. However, there seems no doubt that the greater nutritional and physical strain on the sow as a result of the increased productivity, especially in her early life, is a major factor.

A recent study in Japan showed that gilts have an increased risk of mortality at the time of movement into the breeding herd as well as near the time of their first farrowing. It also indicated that the greatest risk period for sows is at farrowing and in the first one to two weeks after farrowing.

Understanding the periods of greatest risk can help to identify the likely causes. For the gilt, many factors can impact stress and physical injury, such as inadequate space, poor access to feed, competition with pen mates, substandard health management routines and poor handling by the stockperson. A review of these areas is appropriate if losses of young females is a problem.

Today’s extremely lean and highly productive sows are very vulnerable to deficiencies in nutrition, environment and management. The main reasons for culling are reproductive problems, lameness and physical injuries such as shoulder sores.

SAVINGS

Scientists at Iowa State University reckon that understanding and solving lameness challenges in pigs could save U.S. pork producers $23 million per year. They have just embarked on a four-year study of this issue with the aid of a $700,000 USDA grant.

“Currently, there are no science- based solutions to help producers solve lameness problems in pigs,” says animal scientist Anna Johnson. “The project’s goal is to find tools that producers can use to measure pain mitigation, lameness and make practical recommendations that can be applied to manage the problem.

“Lameness is the second-highest reason that sows leave the breeding herd early,” Johnson notes. “Problems during reproduction are rated as the No. 1 problem, but we think that lameness may be contributing to the reproduction problems.” There are currently no approved drug treatments for pigs that are dealing with pain associated with lameness, she adds.

REDUCED FAT COVER

The sow’s reduced fat cover makes her more susceptible to injury and shoulder sores may be a manifestation. The British Pig Executive (BPEX) has just published a leaflet on this topic which provides some useful guidance on how to avoid and treat the problem.

It points out that the most likely time that sores develop is in the first two weeks after farrowing, due to the amount of time the sow spends lying on a hard floor. Thin sows are more prone to get sores due to their reduced fat cover.

BPEX suggests that assessment of individual sows is done using a zero to four scale, and says that if a sow has a shoulder sore of degree three or four, euthanasia should be carried out to prevent unnecessary pain and suffering. Sows with a score of one or two can be treated in a recovery pen.

BPEX provides ten “top tips” to prevent shoulder sores, the most important of these relating to the management of body condition. It suggests a target body condition score of 3.0 3.5 throughout the sow’s reproductive cycle and advises routine condition scoring to monitor whether this is being achieved.

The key is to ensure adequate intake during lactation to avoid loss of body weight and condition. Attention to the flooring surface in the farrowing pen is also advised, so that the surface provides good grip without being abrasive. Also, if the width of farrowing crates is adjustable, BPEX suggests opening them to the widest position when sows enter the farrowing room, reducing the width at farrowing to minimize crushing and then opening them up again one to two days later.

OPENING UP

Sows will spend more time lying down when their movement is restricted. It also advises that “at risk” sows are identified and given special attention. These include thin sows, sows that have previously had shoulder sores, lame sows or those with other foot or leg problems, sick sows and old sows.

The attention that is now being paid to sow productive lifetime is long overdue and research is starting to provide some answers to help improve this parameter. If an average of five litters per lifetime is not being achieved, then some of the areas mentioned above are worth investigating.

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Themainreasonsforcullingare reproductiveproblems,lamenessand physicalinjuriessuchasshouldersores.

The post Extending The Sow’s Productive Lifetime appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Pelleted feed made of finely ground ingredients is considerably more efficient than more coarsely ground feed provided in meal form, according to a recently published large-scale trial carried out in Northern Ireland.

Reported by Dr. Elizabeth Magowan, the work was carried out by the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) at Hillsborough in conjunction with two feed companies. She notes that the differences are such that the cost of feed would have to be $32/tonne cheaper to compensate for the benefits of feeding a pelleted ration composed of finely ground ingredients.

Manufactured commercial diets are commonly finely ground and in pellet form, whereas diets made on the farm are normally more coarsely ground and usually in meal form.

“As expected it takes more energy, and is therefore more expensive, to produce a finely ground pellet compared with a coarsely ground meal diet, aside from the extra mechanical equipment required,” Magowan says. “However, previous research has suggested that offering pigs feed in pellet form improves the efficiency of feed use. Furthermore, other research studies suggest that when particle size within the feed is small, feed efficiency is better than when the particle size is large.”

However, she adds that few studies have investigated if these two processes – pelleting and fine grinding – have cumulative benefits on feed efficiency.

Two trials were conducted to compare pig performance during the finishing stage when using either meal or pelleted feed with “fine” or “coarse” particle size. The finely ground diets were manufactured using six four-mm screens and the coarsely ground diets were made using a combination of two 14-mm and four 10-mm screens,” Magowan says. “The coarsely ground diets had a similar particle size profile as those generally adopted in farm milling operations.”

The particle size profile of the diets after “fine” or “coarse” grinding is shown in Table 1. In both trials, pigs were offered feed from a wet and dry single-space feeder.

The nutrient specifications of the diets used were the same and the main ingredients were barley (41 per cent), wheat (36 per cent) and soybeans (19 per cent), providing a digestible energy level of 3,250 kCals per kg, crude protein of 16.7 per cent and total lysine of 9.6 g per kg.

TWO TRIALS

In the first trial, carried out on a commercial production unit, the growth rate of pigs between 55 and 110 kg given feed in either meal or pellet form was similar, at 881 g per day. However, although there was no statistically significant difference, a numerical improvement of three per cent in feed efficiency was observed when pellets were offered instead of meal.

“In the commercial herd, there were issues with separation of the meal diet due to the blowing of the diets into the feed bins,” says Magowan. “Although this problem was reduced when the feed was blown in with less force, it does raise concerns regarding the use of meal in auger systems.”

The second trial was carried out at the AFBI research herd and compared not only meal and pellets but also both forms of the diets composed of either finely or coarsely ground ingredients.

Table 2 shows the performance of pigs and feed cost calculations when these four diets were fed.

“As in the commercial herd, the growth rate of pigs was similar for all diets,” Magowan says. “However, daily feed intake was reduced by 4.5 per cent and feed use efficiency was improved by 5.5 per cent when pellets were offered compared with meal.”

She notes that feed efficiency was also improved by 3.1 per cent when the particle size was “fine” compared with “coarse.” The beneficial effects of pelleting and fine grinding appear to be cumulative and economically large differences in feed cost were calculated, Magowan adds.

“This study suggests that a 20 pound sterling ($32)-per-tonne differential in diet cost is required in order to compensate for the deterioration in feed efficiency when a ‘coarse’ meal was offered compared with a ‘fine’ pellet,” Magowan says. “Overall, it cost an extra 1.8 p (2.9 cents) to gain each kilogram of live weight during the finishing phase when meal was offered compared with pellets.”

There was no effect of diet form or particle size on stomach ulceration (a problem more frequently experienced where finely ground diets are used) in either trial. Also, there were no effects on carcass quality parameters such as back fat depth or dressing percentage.

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Pigs

———

TABLE 2: PIG PERFORMANCE AND FEED COSTS FOR DIFFERENT DIET FORMS

Av. daily gain (g/day)

Av. feed intake (g/day)

Total feed used (kg)

Feed efficiency

Cost/kg live weight gain*

Trial 2, AFBI Research Unit, costs based on $1.60 per pound sterling.

*Based on a diet cost of $400/tonne

FINE MEAL FINE PELLET COARSE MEAL

927 3,465 170 2.66

$1.06

924

2,311

159

2.50

$1

900 2,442

169 2.72

$1.09

COARSE PELLET

919 2,382 165 2.60

$1.04

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PARTICLE SIZE (%)

TABLE 1: PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION IN FINELY OR COARSELY GROUND DIETS

2 mm

1.4 2 mm

0.5 1.4 mm

< 0.5 mm

FINE

0.5 12.7 59.0

27.7

COARSE

6.7 34.0 41.2

18.0

The post Pellets And Fine Grind Most Efficient For Pig Diets appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Recent research by Dr. Denise Beaulieu at the Prairie Swine Centre suggests that the response of newly weaned pigs to two dietary regimes based on a simple low-cost diet and a more complex and therefore higher-cost diet is not affected by either birth weight or creep feeding. And, surprisingly, pigs fed the more complex diet for either one or four days after weaning did not perform better than those fed the simple, low-cost diet.

“The period immediately post-weaning is characterized by problems such as low feed consumption, poor growth rate, and increased incidence of diarrhea,” says Beaulieu. “Reducing the interval between weaning and resumption of feed consumption can mitigate these issues, thus the piglet must be encouraged to begin consuming solid feed upon entering the nursery.”

The objective of her trial was to examine factors which may ecourage resumption of solid feed in the nursery, such as provision of creep feed in the farrowing room, diet quality and piglet body weight at weaning. Over a 15-week period, pigs weaned at 28 days were weighed and the 24 heaviest and 24 lightest pigs were assigned to a pen, with four pigs per pen. Half of the litters had been provided with creep feed in the farrowing room from day 21 to weaning. Within each body weight grouping, these six pens were then assigned to one of three treatments (Table 1).

“Thus each week there were six pens of the heaviest and six pens of the lightest pigs and two pens per treatment per weight group,” notes Beaulieu. “Care was taken to ensure that the time between the removal of the piglets from the sow and access to feed in the nursery was the same for all piglets and all weeks.” Video recording was used to identify which pigs consumed feed and when.

“Diets were formulated to meet or exceed amino acid, energy, vitamin and mineral requirements for pigs of this age and body weight,” says Beaulieu. “The ‘complex’ diet used corn instead of corn DDGS and contained whey, plasma, blood meal and fish meal, while the ‘simple’ diet met requirements using wheat, soybean meal, canola meal and corn DDGS.”

At November 2010 ingredient prices, the “complex” diet cost $723 per tonne and the “simple” diet $344. “While both diets met all the nutrient requirements for piglets of this age and weight, ingredients in the complex diet should supply additional benefits such as improved palatability and aiding the immune system,” she says. “We hypothesized that the complex diet would be especially beneficial for lightweight piglets and those that had not received creep in the farrowing room.”

COMPARING TREATMENTS

The three treatments were A; the complex diet only on day one, B; the complex diet on the first four days, followed by the simple diet and C; the simple diet throughout (Table 1).

“Surprisingly, dietary regime had no effect on piglet performance during the first 14 days in the nursery,” says Beaulieu. “Weight at 14 days, average daily feed intake, average daily gain and feed conversion efficiency were all unaffected. Additionally, regardless of whether the piglets received creep in the farrowing room, or were of light or heavy birth weight, provision of either a simple or a complex diet had no effect on the same performance parameters during the first 14 days in the nursery.”

There was an interesting interaction between diet and birth weight category on growth rate immediately postweaning.

“Piglets which were heavier at weaning lost weight during the first day post-weaning regardless of diet complexity. In contrast, piglets which were lighter and receiving a complex diet maintained their body weight.”

Beaulieu adds that piglets which were heavier at weaning were still heavier by day 14, however, their rate of gain was actually less than the lightweight piglets and thus the difference between the heavy and lightweight piglets was less by day 14 than at day zero. This is apparently due to greater feed efficiency of the lightweight piglets because feed consumption was similar.

In conclusion, Beaul ieu says feeding a simple diet, formulated to meet all nutrient requirements, did not reduce the growth of piglets when compared to a complex diet fed for one or four days postweaning. Switching from a complex to a simple diet after one day reduced feed intake to a greater extent than switching after four days post-weaning, she adds. She notes that in the trial environment, where piglets were in groups of four, there was no competition for feeder space and lightweight piglets performed as well as the heavyweight piglets.

“This indicates that environmental factors such as feeder access need to be examined in order to improve the poor performance of smaller pigs experienced on commercial farms,” she suggests. “We are currently carrying out another trial to reexamine the response to creep feeding in a more commercial setting.

“The complex diet was approximately $380 per tonne more than the simple diet,” Beaulieu points out. “Feeding regime B would cost about $0.35 more per piglet than A, and $0.38 more per piglet than feeding regime C. We expect this difference to be greater if the piglets are housed in a more competitive environment and have a less-than-ideal health status.”

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B C

Table 1: Treatment regimes

Treatment Feeding regime

A Complex diet day 0 to 1, Simple diet day 2 to 14

Complex diet day 0 to 4, Simple diet day 5 to 14 Simple diet day 0 to 14

The post Early Nursery Performance Not Affected By Diet Complexity appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Bernie Peet is president of Pork Chain Consulting Ltd. of Lacombe, Alberta, and editor of Western Hog Journal. His columns will run every second week in the Manitoba

The Prairie Swine Centre (PSC) plays a unique role in the Canadian pork industry as one of the few establishments carrying out practical research focused on the needs of pig producers.

Like everyone in the pork sector, it has faced enormous challenges over the past few years, being forced to close its 600-sow Elstow barn and shed staff in order to survive. But now that industry fortunes are reviving, it is getting back into top gear and rehiring some key staff. Its 2010 annual report shows that even during hard times it continued a varied program of research projects in the areas of nutrition, engineering and ethology (animal behaviour). The report is available from the PSC website prairieswine.ca.

CUTTING ENERGY COSTS

Energy cost is a big issue for producers and previous PSC research showed huge variations between individual farms. Not only is there the opportunity to save costs through ensuring heating and ventilation systems are designed, operated and maintained correctly, but there is new technology that can cut energy costs dramatically.

Engineer Dr. Bernardo Predicala has been comparing the use of a ground-source heat pump (GSHP) or a heat exchanger with conventional heating. The ground-source heating system, also known as a geothermal heat pump, involved burying 1,800 ft. of polyethylene pipe in 10-ft.- deep trenches near the barn. The pipes contained 20 per cent methanol/80 per cent water solution for absorbing heat from the ground for heating and for using the ground as a heat sink when cooling was needed. A 1,500- cfm aluminum core heat recovery ventilator recovers the heat energy from the exhaust air stream by heat transfer to the incoming fresh air stream.

The comparison was carried out over the winter of 2010-11 in rooms of grow-finish pigs. “Pig performance in all three rooms was relatively similar, although feed intake tended to be lower in the rooms with the GSHP and heat exchanger compared to the conventional room,” says Predicala. “After one heating season, the use of the heat exchanger and ground-source heat pump system resulted in a 52 per cent and 39 per cent reduction in energy consumption (Figure 1) for heating and ventilation, respectively, relative to the conventional forced-convection heater.”

He adds that more data is required to more comprehensively compare the three systems. Despite the considerably higher cost of these new approaches, such large energy savings could well mean that we need to reconsider the way hog barn heating and ventilation is engineered.

LARGE-GROUP FINISHING SYSTEMS

Research on pig behaviour has primarily looked at group housing for gestating sows and large groups of finishing pigs. In practice, large-group auto-sort systems (LGAS) have not been universally successful, mainly due to a lack of understanding of their design relative to the pig’s requirements. Drs. Harold Gonyou and Jennifer Brown have studied the behaviour and productivity of pigs in LGAS with two different food court designs compared to those in conventional pens. One of the two LGAS layouts was laid out with feeders located in the centre of the food court, while in the other they were placed against the walls.

No differences in performance or feeding behaviour were found for the two food court arrangements studied. However, large-group auto-sort systems pose some significant challenges to pigs in terms of eating behaviour, says Dr. Gonyou. “Because the feeders can only be accessed through a sorter scale, the cost of moving to the feeders is greater than in small pens,” he explains.

“Despite these restrictions pigs pass through the sorter and eat in a typical diurnal pattern similar to that seen in small pens.” However, he notes, pigs in LGAS pens only enter the food court two to four times each day and have fewer meals (five versus 10-15) than in small pens. They compensate by eating longer during each meal. They also move freely about the food court, eating from several feeders each day.

Young pigs, who require more time to eat, may display a higher midday rate of eating, indicative of restricted feeder space, Gonyou points out. “We believe that a key to making food courts work effectively is to make sure the pigs know that food is present by introducing them to the food court, rather than the loafing area,” he says. “The food court should be spacious enough so that pigs have access to all of the feeders, and a feeder space should be provided for every 10-12 pigs.”

IS CREEP FEEDING WORTHWHILE?

Over the last 10 years there has been a trend towards higher weaning age. However, although creep feeding prior to weaning is widely practised, a PSC survey indicated that producers are still uncertain about its benefits. Nutritionist Dr. Denise Beaulieu studied groups of the heaviest and lightest pigs weaned at 28 days that had either received creep feed for seven days prior to weaning or had not. Creep feeding increased weaning weight by 130 grams/day, but this was not statistically significant.

“Also, contrary to what we had hypothesized, piglets which had not received creep feed had improved growth during the initial two weeks post-weaning,” Beaulieu says. Feed intake was unaffected and therefore overall feed efficiency was improved in non-creep-fed piglets, she adds. Overall, creep feeding had no sustained benefit in either light-or heavyweight pigs during the nursery phase, Beaulieu says.

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4,342 1,663

Room Ground-source heat pump

Heat exchanger Control Heating Energy Consumption (GJ) Ventilation

8,915

2,978 4,071

3,142

Total

7,320 5,733

12,057

The post Innovative Research Addresses Industry Challenges appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

In my previous article, I explained how the Danish industry is improving productivity and reducing production costs through a focused research and development program which quickly delivers solutions to producers. The degree of co-operation and co-ordination in the industry ensures that challenges are promptly identified and addressed.

A good example of this is the research being carried out by the Pig Research Centre (PRC) on improving sow longevity. Sow mortality rates in Danish herds started to increase in the mid-’90s when average annual sow loss was seven to eight per cent. Between 1996 and 2006, it steadily increased to 15 per cent, where it remains today. The increased death loss has resulted in an average replacement rate of over 50 per cent, compared with 44 per cent in 1996. Some high-producing farms replace 60 per cent of their herd each year. In addition to the high economic cost of this, there are significant welfare implications.

Is the high level of mortality related to increased productivity and the resultant nutritional and physical burden on the sow? This is difficult to prove or disprove. The trend was established well before new genetic-selection techniques were introduced in 2003, which subsequently resulted in litter size increasing by half a pig per year.

We also know that Danish breeding stock, when used in other countries, does not appear to suffer from such a problem. That makes it more likely to be related to nutrition, health, housing conditions or management. A range of PRC projects have been examining a number of influences.

SHOULDER LESIONS

Shoulder lesions are a major source of sow death loss, especially because of strict laws on the transport of injured pigs which mean that affected sows have to be euthanized on the farm. Several projects have investigated both the extent of the problem and possible solutions. The use of soft rubber mats for sows that are showing signs of shoulder lesions has proved effective on some farms.

Increasing lactation feed intake through more frequent feeding may also help to maintain fat cover in the shoulder area and reduce the incidence of lesions. This is particularly effective when combined with good management of sow body condition, another area on which the project has focused.

PRC is also investigating whether it is possible to reduce shoulder lesions through breeding. It has recorded their incidence during the lactation period in nine herds, carrying out four or five assessments per sow. A total of 77,300 evaluations showed that if a shoulder lesion is defined as a lesion of minimum one cm in diameter, lesions were recorded in 20.1 per cent of the 17,091 lactation periods observed. The probability of a sow developing a shoulder lesion between her first and last parity was 27.1 per cent.

The information is being analyzed in order to calculate genetic parameters for shoulder lesions and the correlation with body condition, herd and season. If a reasonably high heritability for lesions is established, it will be possible to increase resistance to this problem through genetic selection.

FEET AND LEGS

Foot and leg problems are another major cause of sow loss through culling. Several PRC projects are looking at the causes of leg disorders and the impact of management and housing conditions during the gilt stage. Herd investigations revealed that the most common reasons for lameness were chronic changes in the joints, arthritis and hoof injuries. The veterinarians involved in the project concluded that very few cases of lameness were triggered by an infection and that treatment to relieve pain, rather than giving antibiotics, is most appropriate. Moving the most badly affected sows to a hospital pen also has a positive impact on recovery rate.

Now that most Danish farms use group sow housing, the introduction of gilts into groups during gestation is receiving considerable attention. Good introduction techniques can reduce the degree of injuries leading to lameness.

“These are often due to leg problems that are largely attributed to conflicts related to the formation of hierarchy that takes place within the first days in a new group,” says the PRC report. “Because of their low weight, gilts and young sows are the lowest ranking in a group of gestating sows.”

An ongoing trial on two farms is comparing how the type of group (stable or dynamic) and the social grouping (gilts and sows together and gilts only) impact survival until third parity. PRC has recently published a manual which outlines best-practice management for the management and handling of gilts which, it hopes, will contribute to improved sow longevity.

RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE

Putting all this research into practice is where the Danes gain the advantage over their competitors. Often, PRC uses commercial farms to implement its findings in association with advisers and veterinarians, such as in the ongoing “Sow Life” project. This involves 17 farms, all with high sow mortality. The pig advisers, veterinarians and PRC representatives visited the farms and specific advice was given to the pig producers on what to do on their farm to reduce mortality rates.

As might be expected, some farms were more successful than others in reducing sow mortality, however, on average it was improved and overall, gross margins increased.

“The systematic advisory process with joint visits from pig adviser and vet and with the participation of all key staff members of the farm proved very productive,” says the report.

Such “real life” demonstrations are extremely effective in conveying information to pork producers. Combined with regular publications and fact sheets, local information meetings, and a comprehensive website, they ensure that Danish producers stay ahead of the game and maintain their competitiveness.

———

bernie peet

Peet on Pigs

———

Reducingshoulder lesionsisone examplewhere resultsfromseveral projectsareshared withtheindustry.

The post Danish Research Targets Sow Longevity appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Despite losing money for most of the last four years, Danish producers are optimistic they can survive and prosper by improving productivity and efficiency.

Danish producers are certainly not low-cost producers, and must also deal with a barrage of regulations, emanating both from the European Union and their own parliament. So they must constantly battle to increase output.

Their ally in this fight is the Danish Pig Research Centre (PRC), which has 155 employees dedicated to finding answers to industry challenges, both technical and political. Funded by checkoffs and grants, the centre has a budget of $21 million. In conjunction with the national farm advisory service, it monitors the performance of about one-third of the national herd, in order to evaluate the impact of its work and identify new areas for research.

FEWER PRODUCERS

Rationalization has seen the number of producers fall to only 5,000 about 2,100 operating farrow-to-finish systems and the rest either specialist finishers or weaner production units.

The average size of sow farms producing weaners has grown considerably over the last 10 years, with over two-thirds of sows housed on farms with more than 500 sows.

While overall sow numbers have declined, the country’s 1.1 million sows produce 27.5 million pigs per year due to exceptionally high breeding herd productivity. Pigs per sow/year in 2009-10 stood at an average of 27.6 and that figure has been increasing by 0.5 pigs/year since 2003. The top 25 per cent of producers averaged 29.9 pigs weaned/ sow/year, with a litter size of 14.8 born alive and 13 pigs weaned per litter.

Over the last few years it has been more profitable for producers to sell 30-kilogram weaner pigs in Germany, leading to a reduction in throughput for processor Danish Crown. In 2010, an estimated eight million weaners were exported and Danish Crown responded by rationalizing its processing facilities.

MORE EXPORTS

The number of pigs processed in Denmark has fallen from 22.6 million in 2004 to 19.3 million in 2009.

PRC estimates that a farrow-to-finish producer lost about $15 per pig in 2009 and $11 in 2010. It notes that, in 2009, investment in new facilities and refurbishment was only one-third of the normal level.

Despite the reduced level of investment, Danish producers have not shirked from responding to legislation on sow housing.

The Danish government enacted legislation in 1998 to phase out sow stalls by 2013, which was followed by a similar EU law in 2001. A survey by PRC showed that by 2010, nearly 70 per cent of producers had already completed the transition to loose housing, while 94 per cent of the 700 producers surveyed expected to be in production after 2013. Not only that, but they expected to increase their sow numbers by an average of 14 per cent.

Genetics plays a huge role in the ever-increasing productivity and the vast majority of producers use breeding stock from the industry’s own breeding organization DanBred. In the four years until mid-2010, the number of piglets per litter alive at Day 5 has increased by an average of 0.45.

Now that 30 pigs weaned per sow has become commonplace in Denmark, PRC has started a project aimed at solving the problems that arise from exceptionally high litter size.

Sow feeding is one area of investigation.

“Colostrum differs from sow milk, and at the beginning of lactation, sows do not produce much milk,” notes a PRC report. “Therefore, a transition diet is being studied for use around farrowing that contains less protein and more medium-chain fatty acids originating from coconut oil.”

COCONUT OIL

The project will evaluate whether additional coconut oil increases the level of the energy source glycogen in newborn piglets and whether the sow’s production of colostrum is increased. The transition diet will be fed from either one, three or five weeks before farrowing until five days post-farrowing.

Providing sufficient pen space for large litters to suckle is also receiving attention. PRC had previously determined that the width of the area occupied by the sow when she lies down and the piglets when they nurse should be a minimum of 127 cm (four ft. two ins.). This “lactation width” is considered an important measurement.

“New crate designs for use in traditional farrowing pens have been developed that meet the recommended lactation width,” says the PRC report. “These crates are currently being studied to establish the effect of increased lactation width on the number of weaned pigs per litter and litter weight at weaning.”

PRC researchers have shown that sows with 15 teats only weaned 15 pigs in 10 per cent of the observed situations. On the other sows with 15 teats, runts were moved to another litter or piglets died either because they had a bad teat or because they could not compete. They are now investigating how to distinguish good teats from bad teats on gilts during the growth period. Also, they are looking at whether a teat needs to be suckled during the gilt’s lactation period in order for it to function well in the following lactation.

In demonstration herds, four local pig advisers are investigating if it is possible to increase productivity by four pigs from 28 to 32 weaned pigs per sow/year or from 31 to 35 weaned pigs per sow/year. This and similar projects are the key to the continual progress that Danish producers are making and will ensure their continued competitiveness.

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With the current high price of feed ingredients, hog producers are looking for alternative sources of energy and protein in order to reduce costs, without compromising performance.

Producers in Western Canada have a range of alternative ingredients available, including distillers grains, faba beans, peas, extruded canola meal, flaxseed and lentils.

The question is how to use them to maximum advantage.

Researchers at the University of Alberta have an ongoing program of nutritional research which provides guidance for producers and their nutritionists. One of their most recently completed trials looked at feeding lentils to weaner pigs.

“Lentil is an important export legume seed produced in Western Canada,” said Dr. Ruurd Zijlstra, associate professor in the department of agricultural, food and nutritional science. “Most of the 1.3 million tonnes of lentil production is exported to the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East for human food consumption. Due to quality concerns of this year’s Canadian crop and the large increase in domestic pulse crop in India, lentil is available for feed at 40 per cent of regular cost.”

LESS CRUDE PROTEIN

Compared to soybean meal, lentil contains less crude protein (18 to 35 per cent) and amino

Peet on Pigs

acids, but provides more net energy, Zijlstra notes. Replacing dietary soybean meal with lentil could have an economic advantage when surplus production or low food-grade lentil is available for inclusion into swine diets, he says.

“Limited research has been conducted feeding lentils to swine,” Zijlstra said. However, previous reports indicate that inclusion of up to 40 per cent of lentils, entirely replacing soybean meal in the diet, may not affect growth performance of grower-finisher pigs.”

The recommended inclusion in diets for weaned pigs is 10 to 20 per cent, although some reports indicate that substitution of soybean meal with up to 30 per cent of lentils in the diet does not reduce weaned pig performance, he said.

There is a suggestion that the anti-nutritional factors contained in lentil seed might limit its inclusion, especially in diets for young pigs. A recent trial carried out at the University of Alberta and reported by Dr. Zijlstra and Jose Landero from the university, together with Dr. Eduardo Beltranena from Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, suggests that the growth performance of nursery pigs is maintained with levels of lentil of up to 22.5 per cent in the diet.

NUTRITION

The sample of green lentil used in the trial contained 27.3 per cent crude protein, 1.0 per cent crude fat, 4.1 per cent crude fibre, 1.75 per cent lysine, 1.62 per cent available lysine, 0.89 per cent threonine, 0.19 per cent methionine, 0.42 per cent phosphorus, and 3.0 mg/g of trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA), the anti-nutritional factor. “This level of TIA is normal for lentil, slightly higher than for field pea, and lower than for chickpea,” said Dr. Zijlstra.

The feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding increasing levels of lentil (zero, 7.5, 15, 22.5 or 30 per cent) on growth performance and diet digestibility. “The diets fed were formulated to provide 2.33 Mcal/kg net energy (NE) and 5.0 g standardized ileal digestible lysine per Mcal NE with other amino acids formulated as an ideal ratio to lysine,” explains Dr. Zijlstra.

“Increasing lentil level progressively replaced the soybean meal in the diets so that 20 per cent soybean meal and 10 per cent wheat was gradually replaced with 30 per cent lentil with a correction for energy and amino acids using canola oil and synthetic amino acids.”

The diets also contained five per cent lactose and five per cent herring meal, as specialty ingredients, Dr. Zijlstra notes. In total, 240 weaned pigs averaging 9.0 kg in weight were fed the trial diets for a period of three weeks. Individual pig body weight and pen feed disappearance were measured weekly.

REDUCED GAIN

For the entire 21-day trial, increasing lentil inclusion linearly reduced daily weight gain. “Differences in feed intake were not observed during the 21-day study,” Dr. Zijlstra said. “Pigs maintained final body weight up to 22.5 per cent inclusion of lentil, with similar daily weight gain and feed efficiency.”

However, the 30 per cent inclusion of lentil caused an 11 per cent drop in both daily weight gain and feed efficiency and reduced body weight by six per cent at the end of the trial. Pigs fed 30 per cent lentil were 1.3 kg lighter by the end of the trial than pigs fed diets without lentil.

“Assuming wheat at $207, lentil $215, soybean meal $420, and L-lysine-HCl 2,550 $/tonne, increasing dietary lentil inclusion from zero to 7.5, 15, 22.5, and 30 per cent, reduced feed cost by $1.54, $2.60, $4.13, and $5.19 per tonne, respectively,” Dr. Zijlstra comments. “For 22.5 per cent inclusion of lentil, feed cost per unit of body weight gain was reduced 0.64 cents/ kg.” However, he says, increasing lentil inclusion up to 30 per cent increased feed cost per unit of gain due to reduced animal performance. Feeding more than 22.5 per cent lentil in the diet was not cost effective, Dr. Zijlstra concludes. “The results of this study indicate that lentil inclusion should not exceed 22.5 per cent in diets for weaned nursery pigs to maintain similar performance as those fed a soybean meal diet.”

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By the end of next year, pig producers in the European Union should have converted any existing sow stall housing into group housing. Legislation requires them to house sows in groups for all but four weeks of gestation.

In practice, it is unlikely that all producers will meet the deadline, which will create all sorts of trade issues. Producers in member states that have completed the conversion will press for a ban on imports from those countries that have failed to meet the legislation. In addition, it is becoming increasingly clear that a significant proportion of producers will just quit production.

The total sow herd in Europe may shrink by as much as 30 per cent when stricter animal welfare rules come into place in 2013 in the EU, according to an analyst at the Dutch bank ABN Amro. Wilbert Hilkens, the bank’s sector manager for animal industries, says: “Even if it would only be 15 per cent, this could be a significant reduction. This will mean lower meat production, with demand that stays at the same level and will increase on the other continents.” According to the bank, for about 20 per cent of its customers in the pig industry, investments in animal welfare may not be feasible.

HIGHER PORK PRICES

The impact of this reduction in pork production is likely to be significantly higher pork prices, benefiting those producers that remain in business. One of the main beneficiaries will be Denmark, which is close to meeting the legislation already and which exports 80 per cent of its production. This could have a knock-on effect in world markets because the Danes will sell less pork into lower-value markets such as Russia and more to its EU neighbours.

Because the EU market is protected by import tariffs and a host of other barriers to trade, Canadian processors will not be able to take direct advantage of the high pork prices. Even if the EU relaxed import tariffs to reduce prices, there would be a requirement that imported pork meet the production standards used in the EU, including the sow housing component, which would limit trade.

I have commented before about the phasing out of sow stalls in Australia and the likely effect on trade with Canada. Australian producers have agreed to move to group housing by 2017, while their neighbour New Zealand will complete the move by 2015.

Australia is Canada’s fourth-largest export market by value and combined with New Zealand accounts for $144 million worth of trade out of the total pork export value of just over one billion dollars. Losing those high-value markets would likely result in a reduction in the total value of Canadian pork exports.

Frustratingly, the demand from those markets would probably be met by the large U.S. integrated producers such as Smithfield and Cargill who already have a significant part of their production systems converted to group sow housing.

LOCAL LOBBY

In North America, the pressure from lobby groups on sow stalls is starting to increase and public sentiment also appears to be changing.

Seven U.S. states – including Michigan, Arizona, California and Florida – have banned sow stalls through voter ballots, while Maine, Colorado and Oregon have banned stalls through state legislative initiatives.

While the time scale for this change varies, there is little doubt that such legislation will be enacted. In response to public and economic pressures, some of the larger pork production businesses have made changes to their sow housing or committed to doing so.

In Canada, opposition to sow stalls is focused mainly on Manitoba. Manitoba Pork’s recently published strategic document – Embracing a Sustainable Future – includes a commitment to encouraging producers to phase out sow stalls by 2025.

CAMPAIGN

Two vocal animal rights organizations, Canadians for the Ethical Treatment of Food Animals and the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals have launched a campaign apparently aimed at moving that date to 2017.

“At the very least, sows deserve to be housed in groups on straw, where the animals can root around and socialize with each other, the way pigs are meant to do,” says an email to supporters. The two organizations have asked people to write letters to Manitoba Pork, created a website ( helpthepigs.ca), and have also been running television commercials in Manitoba.

So where does all this leave Canadian hog producers? First, the industry must accept that change will come eventually, the question is when. Manitoba Pork has taken a brave step and laid out a time scale of 14 years, but it has no power to compel producers to change.

That time scale could be shortened considerably if lobby groups were effective at changing the public mood, or if retailers forced a change as they have done in parts of Europe, or if key export markets demanded sow stall-free pork.

Producers will make changes to their systems in response to economic signals and that would be the best route to change. Legislation on the issue is the last thing our financially fragile industry needs, but even without it, there seems no doubt that a sow housing revolution is coming. Industry organizations need to prepare for this by providing practical solutions for producers so that change can be made cost effectively and without compromising performance.

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