6 RotecnaWorld by Rotecna, s.a.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Gener Romeu Rotecna’s President

Dear Reader, Europe no longer has 15 members, but 25. The European panorama has changed substantially, leaving many decisions to be taken. An example is the proposed legislation on animal welfar e during tr ansportation. Southern European countries ar e against the pr oposal, whereas their northern partners are in favour of it. With r egard to the newly-incorporated member states, however, little is known about what they have to say about the proposal, and it has been put on hold until further talks. Within Europe and beyond, exporting countries ar e becoming increasingly concerned about the tr aceability of meat and its effect on commer cial success. In this latest edition, we address the importance of traceability in the pork sector by studying how the identification of animals is developing.

The most successful pork-exporting country is Denmark. What are the factors which account for this success? We try to find out in the “Pig pr oduction in Denmark” section, by analysing the steps the Danish pig industry has taken – from production to marketing – to make it a leading country in pig-production. 2004 was a big year for tr ade fairs, and the Space, Eurotier and Expoaviga fairs were a must for companies wishing to exhibit new products. In this edition, Rotecna presents 4 new pr oducts, in addition to other s which were on display at these events, as we strive to extend our product range and maintain our commitment to innovation and r esearch. This year, more new Rotecna products than ever will be put on the market Gener Romeu Guàrdia

SUMMARY 4

ROTECNA WORLD EDITION: ROTECNA, s.a.

MAY 2005

ISSN: L-156-01

DESIGN: Montse Guerrero PRINT: Imprenta Barnola

ANIMAL SCIENCE RESEARCH DEPARTMENT: Maria Devant

EDITORIAL STAFF: Montse Palau

Rotecna World’s editors accept no liability for contributors’ opinion

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Gener Romeu Rotecna’s President

SUMMARY 4

ROTECNA WORLD EDITION: ROTECNA, s.a.

MAY 2005

ISSN: L-156-01

DESIGN: Montse Guerrero PRINT: Imprenta Barnola

ANIMAL SCIENCE RESEARCH DEPARTMENT: Maria Devant

EDITORIAL STAFF: Montse Palau

Rotecna World’s editors accept no liability for contributors’ opinion

ROTECNANEWS

research and

development

It is for this r eason that Rotecna S.A. decided a long time ago to test its products not only in the labor atory, but also on the livestock-pr emises where they are used, the ideal place to assess their performance. Added to this is the huge advantage of year s of know-how, which help contribute at the design stage of a new pr oduct to an optimum end result. Rotecna’s research and development rests on two main pillars: projects developed by the company itself, and those which count on the collaboration of public entities – such as universities – or private enterprises. Some of these pr ojects have been described in pr evious issues of this magazine, as well as in other media. In this issue, we publish the conclusions from a study of the W ean to Finish system using Rotecna materials and equipment, carried out with the help of a company whose studies in the por cine sector ar e widely r ecognised in our country.

Rotecna’s research and development rests on two main pillars The focus of our latest research efforts has been on feeding for gestating sows in groups. On this occasion, the Faculty of Veterinary Science of the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, whose research team make it one of the most pr estigious universities in our country, has participated with our research and development department. This project gives us fir st-hand information on two of the feeding systems which could r ealistically enable us to adapt to, and comply with European animal welfare legislation. This information will be very valuable in Spain, as gestating sows have traditionally been housed in pens, and modern livestock-farms ar e keen to be informed about the best system to be adopted, given their lack of experience in group gestation. Rotecna has thus focussed its attention on this project, leading the way in such research in the Spanish private sector.

Rotecna leading the way in such research in the Spanish private sector.

it works Designing and producing new products is no arbitrary process. Rather, it is a r esponse to market needs, in particular as perceived by the people who run business and commercial operations. For these new pr oducts to be successful, they must pr ove their worth in terms of pr acticality and reliability. How can this challenge be met? The answer is quite simple: research.

This study has also served to attract the attention of researchers at the Universidad Autónoma de Bar celona to the behaviour of gestating sows housed in pens or in gr oups. The r esearch team is headed by Doctor Xavier Manteca, an expert in animal welfar e and a member of the EFSA Animal Health and W elfare Group, which is the Eur opean Feed Safety Authority. In a country were both public and private investigation would appear to leave a lot to be desir ed in comparison with other countries, Rotecna can rightly claim that its investment in this field not only gives it prestige, but also added value to our pr oducts. Most importantly, however, it commits us to doing our job to the best of our ability.

ROTECNANEWS

research and

development

Rotecna leading the way in such research in the Spanish private sector.

RESEARCH & DEVELOP-

slat and feeding Effect of

types in a

feeding and plastic slat, using materials supplied by Rotecna.

2. OBJECTIVES An experiment was designed with a wean to finish system, to assess both types of floor , concrete or plastic slat, and both feeding systems, dry and dry/liquid, and also their interaction effect. Their effects were studied on: - Productive performance: aver age daily gain, appar ent feed intake, apparent water intake, and feed:gain r atio. Productive performance was contr olled throughout the growing and finishing period. - Presence of diseases and losses. - Evolution of the concentration of acute phase proteins, Pig-MAP and haptoglobine. - Water consumption for cleaning depending on slat type.

3. MATERIAL AND METHODS

wean to This experiment was designed with a wean to finish system, to assess both types of floor, concrete or plastic slat, and both feeding systems, dry and dry/liquid, and also their interaction effect.

3.1 Experimental animals A total of 364 cr ossbred pigs (Lar ge White x Landrace*Large White), half of which wer e male and half female, of about 21 ± 3 days, were used. 3.2 Experimental facilities The experiment was carried out in the commer cial farm SAT Carraturégano in Cantalejo (Segovia, Spain). Identical

der during the fir st 40 days of life. In every r oom there was a water meter to contr ol the water intake of each type of feeding. During the fir st four weeks, animals had floor heating in the heated ar ea, and the air was heated with delta tubes. Ventilation was forced during the experimental period.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT of ROTECNA, SA Carlos Piñeiro R&D Manager PigCHAMP Pro Europa, S.A. Joaquín Morales PigCHAMP Pro Europa, S.A.

1. BACKGROUND The wean to finish system helps to reduce the stress caused by moving piglets fr om the nursery to the growingfinishing phase, mainly due to the transport and the establishment of new social hierarchies after mixing. It is also is healthier because this system allows a higher pr evention and control of infectious diseases. As it is an emergent system, there are many doubts about what the facilities and management conditions must be like. In the first case, two of the factors which should be studied are the type of floor and feeding system. Regarding the type of floor, a concrete slat is much colder than a plastic slat, and during the fir st days after weaning the animals may spend mor e energy for ther moregulation, affecting growth rate and feed efficiency. Furthermore, other factors such as hygiene and cleaning

should be considered. The plastic slat is easier to clean, which means savings on time and water , and is mor e hygienic. As for feeding systems, ther e are two main alternatives: dry feeding with a nipple drinker , the traditional system which is habitually used in wide ar eas, or a dry/liquid system with a bowl drinker . The fir st offers good feed efficiency ratios, due to lower food wastage, although growth rate is not optimal. In addition, the nipple drinker system usually shows a higher water wastage, which also leads to higher medication wastage in water and purine levels generated. The system of a drinker with a level of water makes water more easily available to the animals, because no mechanisms have to be activated, and also wastes less water than the nipple drinker. The aim of the pr esent experiment was to compar e the dry feeding system and concr ete slat with a dry/liquid

3.3 Feeding Four types of diets were administered, according to age

Image 1 – Experimental room.

rooms (Image 1) with 10 pens (2.94 m x 3.4 m) were used, with 14 animals per pen (0.714 m2/animal). The floor was divided in 3 sections:1.2 m with slat closed to the wall, 1.2 m of smooth floor with water conduction heating and 1 m of slat closed to a central corridor of 0.9 m. Half of the pens in each r oom had a concr ete slat, while the other half had a plastic slat. Also, half of the pens had a Gr ow feeder with a nipple drinker and a drinker with a VRH water level, while the other half had feeder s for dry feeding with separate drinkers. Animals had a Maxitolva fee-

3.4 Experimental design The effects evaluated were: - The type of feeder: 1. Concrete + nipple drinker (Dry feeding) 2. Grow feeder + VRH (Dry/liquid feeding) - The type of floor: 3. Concrete slat (Concrete) 4. Plastic wean to finish. slat (Plastic) The resulting design was a r andomised factorial block design with two main effects, 2 types of feeding x 2 types of floor, resulting in 4 experimental treatments (Table 2). 3.5 Controls The following aspects wer e controlled throughout the experimental period: -Individual weight of animals and contr ol of feed intake

RESEARCH & DEVELOP-

slat and feeding Effect of

types in a

feeding and plastic slat, using materials supplied by Rotecna.

3. MATERIAL AND METHODS

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT of ROTECNA, SA Carlos Piñeiro R&D Manager PigCHAMP Pro Europa, S.A. Joaquín Morales PigCHAMP Pro Europa, S.A.

3.3 Feeding Four types of diets were administered, according to age

Image 1 – Experimental room.

RESEARCH & DEVELOP-

per pen at 21, 28, 40, 60, 74, 88, 1 02, 116, 130, 144 and 158 days of life, and also the apparent daily water intake per room. - Presence of diseases, their treatments and losses (weight and date) were registered. - Blood was sampled in 120 animals at 2 1, 28, 40, 74, 88, 1 02, 116 and 158 days of life). - Room temperature was registered every 3 h (Gemini Data Logger). - Time of cleaning for each type of slat. On the basis of these contr ols, the following parameters were evaluated: - Productive performance: aver age daily gain, feed intake and feed efficiency. - Water intake in each feeding type. - Number of losses. - Blood samples were taken to analyse the serum concentration of acute-phase pr oteins, Pig-MAP and haptoglobine. The analyses were made in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology of the University of Zaragoza, using the radial immunodifussion method. - Time of cleaning for both types of slat.

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The productive performance observed throughout the experimental period was the same or higher than that usually obtained in experimental farms for every age. The percentages of losses registered, deaths and animals removed were 9.9 %, 6.0% and 3.9%, respectively. No statistical differences were observed between feeding systems and types of slat. 4.1 System of feeding and type of slat Table 3 shows the effect of the feeding system (Grow feeder vs concrete) and type of slat (concrete vs plastic wean to finish) on productive performance throughout the experimental period. Sex effect is included in the statistical model because it was almost always significant, while the nonsignificant interactions were excluded.

Type of Feeding Dry/liquid feeding, with the Grow Feeder, promoted a higher voluntary feed intake throughout the experimental period (P < 0.0 1). In the nursery period (21 – 60 d), the effect was shown at the end, up to 50 days, when the maxitolva was removed. This result suggests a higher adaptation of the animal to this type of feeder in comparison with the tr aditional concrete versions. The higher feed intake with the feeding dry/liquid could be due to two main factors; a higher food wastage, or a higher voluntary feed intake. The lower feed efficiency (2.40 vs. 2.30; P < 0,0 1) suggests that the Grow feeder led to a higher food wastage. However , the higher average daily gain also suggests that the Gr ow feeder also promoted a higher voluntary feed intake. The same effect was observed in body weight evolution throughout the experimental period (Table 4). At the earliest ages, nursery and the first half of the gr owing phase, (until 88 days of life) when the effect of temperature is more critical, the main differ ences were observed between both types of slat, and piglets allotted in plastic slat showed the highest body weights. However, in the finishing phase (88-158 days of life) the effect of type of feeding was pr ogressively more important, although differences were not significant, and pigs fed with a dry/liquid system reached the highest final average body weight. At the end of the finishing phase, a feeding x slat interaction effect was observed, as animals fed with concrete feeders showed a higher body weight when they were allotted in concr ete slats than in plastic slats, while animals fed with Grow feeder showed the opposite effect, i.e. a higher body weight in plastic slats. W e do not have any explanation to account for this interaction effect.

Figure 1 shows the evolution of the differ ent productive performance parameters (average daily gain; ADG, feed intake; FI and feed: gain ratio; FGR) throughout the experimental period. In the case of FI, the interaction time x type of feeder is significant due to a pr ogressive

increase in the differ ence between experimental tr eatments. The same effect is observed in FGR, suggesting that food wastage increases with age. Time x type of feeder was also significant for ADG. This type of feeder, Grow feeder, allows optimum feed intake, maximizing the growth rate. However, regulation should improve to minimize the food waste. All the animals showed a drop in ADG and FGR at 88 days of life, a r esult usually observed in pr evious experiments done in the same commer cial farm. Furthermor e, this moment is associated with an incr ease in the basal concentration of the acute-phase pr oteins (also observed in the present study, section 4.2), biomarker s of the animal stress. This may ther efore suggest that it is a critical period in the productive life of pigs, pr obably coinciding with the loss of maternal immunity . With the Gr ow feeder, animals were more able to pass this critical moment than with the feeder of concr ete (graphic 1), allowing a higher expression of the pr oductive performance, especially with regard to ADG. Also, water intake (Table 5) was higher in dry feeding with nipple drinkers, than with dry/liquid feeding and VRH drinkers (7.5 vs 5.8 l/d; P = 0.14). The higher water wastage with the nipple drinkers entails higher purine levels. Type of slat.

The type of slat did not produce significant differences in productive performance in the total experimental period (Table 3). However, in the nursery period (21-60 d), plastic slat, and better thermic insulating, pr omoted a higher average daily weight gain (P < 0.01) and, consequently, a better feed efficiency (P < 0.0 1). The opposite effect was observed in the gr owing-finishing periods, and concr ete slats promoted the highest average daily gain (P = 0.051) and the best feed efficiency (P = 0.059). The higher pr oductive performance in nursery period with plastic slats is the consequence of a higher efficiency due to the lower energy requirements assigned to heat pr oduction. In the growing-finishing period, the higher gr owth rate of animals in concrete slat responds to a compensatory effect. The different response to type of slat observed in nur sery and growing-finishing periods pr oduced an inter action effect slat x time (Gr aphic 2), except for FI (P=0,3 1), the evolution of which was similar between both types of slat throughout the experimental period. After the experimental period, cleaning time for each type of slat was different, being higher for concrete slats than for plastic wean-to-finish slats (147.5 vs 85.5 min per room; P = 0.000 1). The plastic slat is less dirty and

easier to clean. The gr eater cleaning time means higher water wastage. In the pr esent study, assuming a waterflow of 400 l/h in the cleaning–water compressor, the use of the plastic slat makes for a 42% saving on water in comparison with the concrete slat. The higher consumption of cleaning-water incr eases the volume of purines, and has a greater environmental impact as a result. 4.2 Acute-phase proteins serum concentration. No significant differences were observed between experimental treatments in the serum concentr ation of both acute-phase proteins analysed. None of the factor s evaluated seem, therefore, to have any significant effect on animal welfare. However, some differences were observed between sexes, always produced by a higher Pig-MAP and lower haptoglobine concentr ations in males than in females, respectively. This result has also been observed in previous studies and suggests a higher susceptibility in males to the Pig-MAP, and in females to the haptoglobine. This result has been found in previous experiments. The evolution described by both acute-phase proteins was similar between experimental tr eatments, and no effect was observed between experimental tr eatments (P>0.05 for feeder x time and slat x time). A dr op in the concentration of both pr oteins at 88 days of life was observed, especially in Pig-MAP, associated with the drop observed in productive performance. Again, this r esult suggests that it is a critical period for the animal.

5. CONCLUSIONS Under these experimental conditions, we can conclude that in a wean-to-finish system: 1. Dry/liquid feeding pr omotes a higher voluntary feed intake than dry feeding. This type allows a higher growth rate, but also leads to higher food wastage. 2. The plastic slat promotes better productive performance in nursery ages (21-60 days of life) than the concr ete slat. In the gr owing and finishing period, no differ ences were observed between types of slat. 3. The nipple drinker promotes higher water wastage than the bowl drinker. 4. The plastic slat contributes to a cleaner envir onment for the animal, saving time and r educing water wastage in cleaning by 60%. 5. At around 88 days comes a critical moment in the animal’s life, as demonstrated by the fall in productive performance and its correlation with an increase in the concentration of the Pig-MAP. In the wean-to-finish system, the consequences of this period are less severe than in the traditional two-phase system.

RESEARCH & DEVELOP-

TECHNO-

Feeding Ball Taking advantage of the Space (Fr ance), Eurotier (Germany) and, later on, Expoaviga (Bar celona) fairs, Rotecna brought out a new product in its feeder range. Feed Ball is a feed dispenser which is activated by the natural rooting movement of the animal.

a new feed dispenser ADVANTAGES: o Quick learning process. o Easy disassembly of mechanism for cleaning. o Multi-purpose. o Constant supply of fresh feed. o Avoids stress in sows.

Feeding Ball is designed to allow the animal access to the amount of feed which will satisfy its hunger . The design also guarantees that not a gr am of feed is wasted, and that it is always consumed while fresh. The animal taps gently on the ball of the mechanism, and the quantity of feed stipulated by the dispenser control falls into the Sow Bowl, or any other type of feed bunk. The producer is able to r egulate the exact amount of feed that drops each time the animal brings its snout up to the ball.

One of the main featur es of Feeding Ball is that the mechanism is easy to disassemble for cleaning, meaning that it can be cleaned and disinfected r egularly, thus preventing feed blockages. Rotecna is confident that this latest innovation in pig nutrition will pr ove to be a leading pr oduct in the coming years.

Unlike other systems, the animal regulates its feed intake without having to eat all the feed in one go. Also, as the amounts that fall may be small, no leftover feed remains in the feed bunk, and the animal’ s appetite stays healthy, as it will have permanent access to a fresh ration of feed. Feeding Ball is designed for use in delivery pens, wher e the sow’s nutrition is very important, especially with regard to quantity. However, the product is also a good option during gestation, gr oup gestation – bearing in mind European animal welfar e legislation - and even during fattening. The animals ar e very quick to learn how to use it, as the movement required of them is instinctive.

TECHNO-

a new feed dispenser ADVANTAGES: o Quick learning process. o Easy disassembly of mechanism for cleaning. o Multi-purpose. o Constant supply of fresh feed. o Avoids stress in sows.

TECHNOLOGY ADVANTAGES:

Heating

o o o o o o

Non-slip Adjustable temperature. Comfortable plate for piglets. No tricky corners for easy- cleaning. Full thermal transmission. Highly resistant.

HF16C, contains 16 independent switches to make the heating system more versatile. Each plate may be switched on or off depending on the number of delivery pens in use, thus leading to saving on ener gy. In addition, the electric plate cir cuit is literally stuck to the surface, allowing for full transmission of heat. This distinguishes it from other plates on the market which tr ansmit heat simply thr ough contact, with a resulting reduction in performance of 10%. While the Rotecna heating plate is the only one which is totally injected, other s on the market are produced in other manufacturing systems, which means that they ar e both less powerful and restricted to working at low pr essure, with the pr oblems and limitations that this involves. The Rotecna model can stand double the amount of pr essure that other currently available models can take.

600x400 The perfect complement There is no doubt that the Rotecna slat range is the widest on the market. Ther e has now been a new addition to the family: the heating plate, which is the fir st of its type in the Rotecna range. The 600 x 400 heating plate comes in two models: hydraulic and electric. The fir st model is based on an internal water flow which provides the right temperature for piglets, while the second provides heat by means of an electric element circuit.

With this new pr oduct, Rotecna has complemented the widest slat r ange on the market with a model which is ideal for delivering and weaning.

The 3.3-litre hydraulic heating plate is very low on consumption. One of its most outstanding features is that the water circuit is incorporated in the plate and welded in a single part, thus eliminating tricky corners where dirt can hide. Also, its design makes it highly r esistant and able to take the weight of a sow without suffering any damage. As for the electric model, Rotecna has devised two types or r egulators, which can heat up to 40 plates. One of the r egulator models, the

drawing 3 delivery pens

TECHNOLOGY ADVANTAGES:

Heating

o o o o o o

Non-slip Adjustable temperature. Comfortable plate for piglets. No tricky corners for easy- cleaning. Full thermal transmission. Highly resistant.

With this new pr oduct, Rotecna has complemented the widest slat r ange on the market with a model which is ideal for delivering and weaning.

drawing 3 delivery pens

SOMETHING ABOUT … The festival began as an informal pr oject to set up a popular caracolada (a very lar ge communal meal of snails) and hold a gastr onomy contest, and also to programme a communal meal on the banks of the River Segre. And so it was that in 1980 gr oups of friends began to form the fir st “colles”, which wer e coordinated by Manolo Calpe, one of the people who had the idea of setting up this popular festival. The first edition enjoyed the participation of 12 “ colles”, 300 participants and 4,000 visitors, and a gastronomy contest and other activities wer e organised to add to the festivities.

the pearl of Lleida

L’aplec del cargol

Over the years, the festival has extended its activities to include concerts, str eet parades, and an Aplec poster competition. Among the curiosities of this event is Lleida’s feat of getting into the Guiness book of records in 1988 for the world’s biggest ever grill of snails, with 1150 kilos of snails being cooked on a 493.94 squar e metre grill. The soul of the party, apart from the snail, of course, are the numerous “colles” which come together to celebrate the Aplec, each with its own uniform. In addition to the activities pr ogrammed by the or ganisers of the event, each “colla” or group of friends can also organise its own activities, which ar e open to visitor s. Undoubtedly, however, the most spectacular moment comes at midday , when lots of “ colles” get to work around the stoves. Ther e are recipes to suit all tastes; snails a la llauna or a la gormanta, a la vinaigrette, with

onion and tomato, a la brutesca, etc. Many of the dishes are accompanied by the most delicious sauces, such as alliolli – garlic and olive oil – mayonnaise and vinaigrette. The snail may be a small cr eature, but a good dish of snails can satisfy even the biggest appetite. Many different types of snail can be found in Catalonia, but when it comes to gastr onomy, the bover variety is the most sought after . Other types ar e also highly appreciated, however, especially in succulent dishes such as the cabrita (the little goat) snail , the mor o ( the Moor), the judío (the Jew) or la caragolina . To cook them, the fir st thing to do is to go out and look for them after a fall of rain, though they are also to be had at the market place. Before they are ready for cooking, they should be left to fast in a special wickerwork snail basket. This way, anything they have fed on during their life in the country will be eliminated. Before putting them in the casser ole dish, they should be boiled, and then they can be cooked with pigs’ tr otters, chicken, rabbit, or simply “a la llauna”, but over a fire made with thick branches, and not over a stove. The passion felt by the r estaurateurs of Lleia for the snail has led them to cr eate highly original dishes, such as snail canapés, caramelised snails, or even spaghetti with snails au gratin. To coincide with its 25th anniver sary, the Aplec del Caracol of Lleida was declar ed a National Festival of Touristic Interest by the Spanish government.

May, 12,000 participants, 100 “colles” (associations), the consumption of 12 tonnes of snails, 200,000 visitor s, music and dancing, and all in one weekend! The celebration of the Aplec del Car gol (the Gathering of the Snail), which goes back 25 year s, has made this city in the south-east of Catalonia the capital of this small, slimy creature. In fact, the snail is a fundamental ingredient in the local cuisine, although it is also held in high esteem in the rest of our country.

the pearl of Lleida

L’aplec del cargol

FUTURE

Traceabilit y in the pig producF. Madec, Geers, P. Vesseur, Blaha, N. Kjeldsen.

R. T.

(Extract from the article “Traceability in pig pr oduction

Individual pig identification has became important in last years. The objectivegoes far beyond disease control. 16

Given that profit is the princi pal goal of farm manager s, the holistic approach towards the pig unit tends to pr evail over consideration of individual pigs. However, to better achieve this goal, br eeding pigs ar e considered individually for the purpose of recording reproduction results. As a consequence, pigs are individually identified even on pr oduction farms and this is the corner stone for appropriate herd management, in particular r egarding culling strategy. The method of pig identification selected will differ, depending on the type of farming encountered (breeding, rearing, multiplying or fattening farms). In all cases, an official standard system of farm identification is required, which is r ecognised and used nation-wide. Each farm number must be unique. In farrow-to-finish operations, a single identification by the farm number is sufficient to trace pigs fr om the slaughterhouse back to the farm.

When a trading process involves two or more partners, the situation changes. Each pig must carry the farm identification marks for each premises on which it has r esided, to allow tracing from the slaughterhouse back to the farrowing farm. If a trading partner keeps the pigs in his own facilities for a period of time, this step must also be identified. This can be of par amount importance in r egard to disease transmission, since pigs from several sources can be mixed befor e being dispatched throughout the country or exported abroad. Written documents that corr elate with the identity of the pigs ar e required to give details of each successive location in which the pigs were kept. The objective goes far beyond disease control. Increasingly, retailers and consumer s demand to know more about the pigs, especially regarding health and welfar e status and above all r egarding the feed supplied to the animals. Therefore, enhanced r equirements for pig identification and associated documentation are emerging in conjunction with new quality control strategies. Electronic identification and data recording The need for identification Identification of farm animals was probably first introduced when animal husbandry was developed, as a means of pr oving ownership. In some countries, identification became compulsory, to allow tr acing of animals back to the farm of origin in case of the spr ead of notifiable diseases. This identification took the form of external marks, such as brands, back tags, bangle tags, tattoos and ear tags. The principal criteria for a good animal identification system were as follows: – permanency – low cost – ease of application – legibility at a working distance. However, to keep animal husbandry cost-effective, improvements have

to be made with respect to genetics, health, feed efficiency, product quality and consistency , and pr oduct safety. To achieve these pr oduction goals, specific new management techniques have to be applied, pr eferably within a total quality management system, including the hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) concept, fr om production, marketing and slaughter , to consumption. New technology is now available in the meat industry that allows the sorting of individual animals into uniform outcome gr oups. By using digitalised video images, ultrasound techniques and the standar d weighing scale, integrated with electronic identification and appr opriate software, animals can be managed so that many of the normal car cass discounts are avoided. In addition, some packing plants have developed electronic trolley tracking systems, which allow the tr acking of indivi dual carcasses throughout the plant, including the electr onic collection of carcass data on every animal. By using electronic ear tags to link the live animal record with the carcass record in the computer of the plant, a whole-life performance record can be automatically created for literally millions of animals. The most fundamental basis of total quality management (TQM) is that the root of all variation in a product or process must be under stood and must be solved. The information supply for problem solving and mar-

ket orientated pr oduction can only be efficient within a concept of electronic data interchange. In the animal industry, with unavoidable variation in genetics, the r oot of most variation in economically important traits is the individual animal, while some of the variation can be explained by the health regime of the animal. This means that the process of animal pr oduction will never be br ought ‘under control’, in TQM-terms, until tools are in place to manage the variation that cannot be otherwise explained. The variation in question is at the level of the individual animal, ther efore requiring individual animal management and individual animal identification. These production goals place additional constraints on an animal identification system. The system must use a life number , be tamperproof, adaptable to automatic coding and modern data r etrieval systems, standardised, safe for the consumer, must not damage or cause excessive pain to the animal and must r emain cost-effective. Traditional identification systems are not compatible with these new technical specifications, e.g. losses of ear tags ar e reported to r ange from 5% to 60%, and external identifiers are not tamperpr oof; they can be removed (12), and brands or tattoos can be damaged or can fade away. However, the principal restriction is that the animal number must be visually detected and r ecorded

FUTURE

Traceabilit y in the pig producF. Madec, Geers, P. Vesseur, Blaha, N. Kjeldsen.

R. T.

(Extract from the article “Traceability in pig pr oduction

Individual pig identification has became important in last years. The objectivegoes far beyond disease control. 16

SWINE PRODUCTION IN

FUTURE manually, which can easily introduce errors and is labour intensive. Reading errors are estimated at 6 per 100 animals, compar ed to 1 per 1,000 for electr onic devices (2). In addition to the labour cost, the expense of corr ecting errors in the subsequent data handling pr ocedures must also be consider ed in the total cost of the system. Field experience with electr onic identification The first approach involved injecting transponders of differ ent sizes into different body sites. This pioneering work revealed the pr oblems of migration, losses and technical failures of tr ansponders (12). Transponders require a minimal r eading and tr ansmission range, which is dependent on the signal tr ansmission range of both the r eader and transponder. The power allowed determines the applied field strength to a large extent. Personnel experienced in the implanting technique can inject approximately 150 animals per hour . For pigs, implantation in the base of the ear (subcutaneously) appears to give the best results one year after being injected (losses < 2%, [i.e. dr op-outs and technical failur es]) (12). Infections should be lower than 1%. However, the skill of the per son injecting the tr ansponders determines the final overall result to a large degree. Application by inexperienced operators can incr ease losses up to 7%, which is unacceptable. When pigs with implanted transponders are slaughtered, recovery of the transponder can be a pr oblem. Transponders injected in the head of the animal do not r emain with the carcass throughout the slaughter process. When the head is r emoved, the transponder is separ ated from the carcass. Hence, another method must be found to automatically link the carcass identity with identifica tion of the hook that holds up the carcass before being cut into hams, loins, shoulders, etc. (17). When the transponder is not injected pr operly, migration or loss may occur . This

leads to a loss of certainty as to whether the tr ansponder has been recovered. To ensure that all transponders are recovered, special detectors (i.e. readers and metal detectors, in case of non-functional transponders) must be installed at the end of the slaughterline, so that carcasses can be checked if a transponder was reported at the beginning but not at the end of the line. A potential means of avoiding tr ansponders in the food chain is the use of electronic ear tags. Losses with the curr ent ear tags have been reported to be lower than 2% for pigs after a single tagging (Ministry of Agriculture, Belgium, 1996, unpublished findings). However, problems may occur in the slaughterline, since superficial burning of the car cass may damage the plastic ear tag or the tr ansponder contained within. Normal recovery time from a pig carcass is from 3 sec to 5 sec. Recovery of tr ansponders is also necessary to close the cir cle and thus avoid fr aud. Good results were obtained by implanting pigs under the dew claw of the hind legs (J.D. McKean, unpublished findings). The transponder remained in the carcass throughout slaughter, no migr ation problems were encountered and if the hind feet wer e discarded, pork approved for human consumption could be guaranteed not to contain the transponder.

Denmark : Producing for the By Jorgen Jensen, Public Relations Manager, Danske Slagterier. (The Danish Bacon & Meat Council)

SWINE PRODUCTION IN

Denmark : Producing for the By Jorgen Jensen, Public Relations Manager, Danske Slagterier. (The Danish Bacon & Meat Council)

SWINE PRODUCTION IN

The co-operative system Much of the success of the Danish bacon and pork industry can be attributed to the unique co-operative system that integrates the whole production chain from breeding to processing. Today, there are two lar ge co-operative groups, Danish Cr own and TiCan, both major player s in the global market. The companies ar e owned by the pig pr oducers themselves. Each pr oducer member has one vote regardless of the size of its her d, and the producers elect the Board of Representatives and the Board of Directors. The producers are obliged to deliver pigs to their slaughterhouses. Likewise, the slaughterhouses are obliged to take delivery of all of their producers’ pigs. This system guarantees a stable supply, which is important when establishing long-term contracts with customers across the world. The integration in the Danish bacon and pork industry means that producers, abattoirs and meat processors can operate factories at near full capacity and quickly adapt to the changing demands of r etailers and consumers. Common goals Danish Crown and TiCan cooperate through the industry organisation, Danske Slagterier (Danish Bacon & Meat Council), which is funded by the pig producers through a statutory levy and a subscription fee from its member companies. This pr oduces an annual turnover of ar ound

DANISH PIGMEAT EXPORTS BY COUNTY

360 million Danish kr oner, which helps fund a wide variety of pig industry pr ojects and initiatives.

DANISH PIGMEAT EXPORTS BY COUNTRY

Through the industry organisation producers and companies can set some common goals in areas such as br eeding, specialist production, veterinary standar ds, quality programmes and generic marketing. Many quality standar ds are nationally enforced through the industry or ganisation to ensure that all Danish bacon and pork products meet uniform quality criteria. If necessary , statutory disciplines ar e used against pr oducers to maintain the required standards. Farmers and supply Today, Denmark has a total of 1 1,000 pig farms. Most of them are highly specialised units. Some farmer s keep both sows and finishers and some only finisher s, while others only keep sows and sell their weaners on to other her ds in Denmark and abroad. The total pig population in Denmark is 13 million. In 2003, Danish pr oducers supplied a total of 24.6 million pigs, of which the majority were slaughtered in Denmark at Danish Cr own and TiCan. 1.9 million pigs were exported, the majority of them weaners to Germany. Environmental regulation Danish pig producers experience some of the toughest environmental legislation in the EU. The number of pigs and other livestock allowed is linked to land available for slurry spr eading. Producers must have the capacity to stor e slurry for nine months, and ther e are detailed r equirements regarding the covering of slurry tanks. Each pr oducer must pr ovide an annual plan for slurry disposal to be formally approved by the authorities. Likewise, all new buildings and r efurbishments are subject to detailed planning restrictions and to a full envir onmental assessment. The level of nitr ogen application in Denmark is limited to 140 kg per hectar e as opposed to the EU-r equirement of 170 kg per hectare. As a r esult of good environmental practice, nitrogen application from pig farms in Denmark has r emained

good practice for many years. The two most important food safety measures are the surveillance pr ogrammes for salmonella and residues in meat. Research and development

constant for the last 20 years, while in the same period pig production has increased from 15 to more than 24 million pigs per year. Meat processing and food safety Fresh and frozen pork cuts tailored to customer requirements account for most Danish exports. The bulk of Danish pork cuts are then further processed into local pr oducts in markets acr oss the world. The r est is used for bacon, canned meats and r eady-meals. As a r esult of lifestyle changes and differing market demands, it is essential that the Danish industry continuously develops new products and keeps ahead of consumer requirements. Every year numerous new products are tested and introduced in many markets across the world. High veterinary standards are vital for the continued success of Danish bacon and pork exports. The co-oper ative system provides a commercial incentive for producers and their companies to maintain the highest standard of meat safety. Each company must carry out self-audits and produce documentation to guar antee meat safety. A surveillance programme carried out by the Danish V eterinary Service has ensur ed

PIG PRODUCTION IN DENMARK

Pig Produced (m.)

Pork has been a major part of Danish food cultur e for thousands of years. Legend has it that in the ancient halls of V alhal, home of the mythical god Odin, fallen Viking heroes feasted daily on delicious pork from a r emarkable pig, Saerimmer , who was able to r eplenish the supply of meat every day. A lot has happened since then. T oday the bacon and pork industry is one of Denmark´s main export businesses. The Danes fir st set their sights on England with the invasion of the Vikings in the first millennium, but it was not until 1847 that they realised that the only way to conquer the Anglo-Saxons was through their stomachs. Armed with stocks of bacon, the Danes have secur ed their place in British life in a mor e peaceful manner. Today the Danes have conquered further afield. Denmark is the world´s largest exporter of bacon and pork. 85 per cent of total pr oduction is exported to around 130 countries.

Research and development is fundamental to ensuring that Denmark maintains a leading edge in the international pork and bacon business. The National Committee for Pig Br eeding, Health and Pr oduction, which oper ates within the framework of the Danish Bacon and meat Council, is r esponsible for primary production. The committee’ s main goals are to increase efficiency and output for pig producers and to acquire new knowledge in areas such as animal welfare and the environment. The Danish Meat Resear ch Institute is owned by the meat industry . Its r esearch and development pr ogramme covers almost all areas of meat pr oduction from transport and slaughter technology to processing and chilling methods. Recent work has focused on the automation of slaughter, cutting and boning processes. Export success The success of the Danish bacon and pork industry is remarkable given that Denmark is a small country with a population of just over five million. Exports have incr eased dramatically over the last 30 years. In 1975, 600,000 tonnes of bacon and pork wer e exported. Since then the figur e has nearly tr ebled to 1.7 million tonnes in 2003, earning in excess of 24 billion Danish kroner. The most important markets in Europe are Germany, the UK, Italy , Sweden and France, and sales ar e boosting in the new EU-countries in Centr al and Eastern Europe. Overseas, Japan, the US and Russia are the largest customers, while Australia and China are emerging as promising new markets. The well known DANISH logo is used in a number of markets to pr omote a high quality product. Since its intr oduction in the UK many years ago, the DANISH brand has achieved success across the world, particularly in Japan wher e more than 300 million retail packs per year carry the famous logo.

SWINE PRODUCTION IN

DANISH PIGMEAT EXPORTS BY COUNTY

360 million Danish kr oner, which helps fund a wide variety of pig industry pr ojects and initiatives.

DANISH PIGMEAT EXPORTS BY COUNTRY

good practice for many years. The two most important food safety measures are the surveillance pr ogrammes for salmonella and residues in meat. Research and development

PIG PRODUCTION IN DENMARK

Pig Produced (m.)

SWINE PRODUCTION By Johnny Mathiasen, MSc (Animal Science), The National Committee for Pig Production, The Danish Bacon and Meat Council

transmitted from larger to smaller pigs. Farrow-to-finish herds are now being designed with sectioned compartments so that an entir e unit may be filled and emptied at one time. Healthy pigs without antibiotic growth promoters In 1998, the Danish farmer s voluntarily agreed to abandon the use of antibiotic growth promoters for finishing pigs. This was followed by another voluntary agreement in beginning of 2000, declaring a national ban on the use of antibiotic gr owth promoters for weaner s and growers. These agreements caused problems for quite e few farmer s, especially the piglet producers during the post-weaning period. However, the farmers have now learned to deal with these pr oblems, and the use of antibiotics has decreased dramatically in Denmark. Danish farmers produce more than 11 percent of all pigs in the EU but use only ar ound one percent of all antibiotics in the EU. Feeding

Life on

Daily feeding is a very important routine for the farmer. Both the feeding strategy and feed composition are important factors in obtaining healthy and efficiently fast-growing pigs.

PIG PRODUCERS

High production costs compared to a number of international competitors and strict envir onmental regulations mean that pig pr oducers have to impr ove efficiency constantly to maintain their competitive edge. The typical pig producer The average herd size has incr eased during the past

Housing systems and animal welfare Consumers have become incr easingly aware of animal welfar e issues in r ecent years, and in this r espect Danish farmer s are ahead of most other EU countries. Denmark has rigor ously implemented all EU welfare legislation with effect from the 15th of May 2003, and in many areas animal welfare practice is significantly above the minimum level r equired. For example, Danish pigs can now have a cool shower during extended warm spells; mor e and more sows live in confinement-fr ee systems; more than 50 per cent of the 900,000 Danish sows are group housed. In addition to this, Denmark is the only EU country where the authorities inspect five percent of all her ds every year to ensur e that animal welfar e guidelines ar e being followed. Since such high standards can be quite difficult to meet in every detail, pr esenting the farmers with a number of challenges. A good example is the demand for enrichment materials for all gr owers and finishing pigs. Many old housing systems ar e not designed for the use of str aw because of the fully slatted floor s, and ther efore the farmers are forced to find other approved enrichment materials that will better suit their housing systems. However , all new systems for weaners and finishing pigs are now built with partially slatted floor s and the possibility of using enrichment materials and sprinkling systems.

the A comprehensive national br eeding programme, high quality raw materials, high productivity and adaptability to ever changing demands fr om markets acr oss the world are some of the key factors in the success, Danish pig producers have achieved over the years.

units were introduced replacing the old feed unit: FUgp (feed units for pigs including lactating sows) and FUgs (feed units for gestating sows).

decade. However, the number of pig pr oducers has decreased. Today, more than 18 per cent of all supplier s produce more than 3,000 pigs, whereas only 3.5 percent produced more than 3,000 pigs ten years ago. This trend is set to continue in the future, and we expect that there will be only 3,000 pig producers by 2010 compared with approximately 11,000 producers today.

Around 50 percent of Danish pig feed is manufactur ed as compound feed, while the remaining 50 per cent is mixed on the farm. Most feeds are a compound of basic raw materials (wheat, barley, soy protein etc.) and additives. In the inter est of food safety , the Danish authorities must approve each farmerÂ´s decision to use additives whenever he mixes his own feed on the farm. This legislation is aimed both at ensuring healthy feed for the pigs and maintaining a high level of food safety for the consumers.

Traditionally, the production of piglets and finishing pigs has always been carried out in the same complex of buildings. Danish pig pr oducers are becoming incr easingly interested in multi site systems, in which sows, weaner s and finishing pigs ar e housed on their individual pr oduction sites. This eliminates the risk of diseases being

Most pig feed is based on a national nutrient standard, which specifies recommended amounts of differ ent nutrients for each gr oup of pigs (e.g. boars, gilts, gestating sows, lactating sows, weaner s, growers and finishing pigs). In 2002, a new feed evaluation system was intr oduced in Denmark. This system is based on the physiological ener gy value of the nutrients and on their standardised digestibility, and two new feed

Future strategy The main challenge for the futur e is to maintain a high level of efficiency and adaptability. The National Committee for Pig Production remains convinced that Danish producers have the capacity and commercial drive to keep ahead of competitors in ar eas such as efficiency , food safety, environmental practice and animal welfare. A number of ongoing r esearch and development programmes implemented by The National Committee ar e designed to achieve this ambition.

SWINE PRODUCTION By Johnny Mathiasen, MSc (Animal Science), The National Committee for Pig Production, The Danish Bacon and Meat Council

Life on

Daily feeding is a very important routine for the farmer. Both the feeding strategy and feed composition are important factors in obtaining healthy and efficiently fast-growing pigs.

PIG PRODUCERS

units were introduced replacing the old feed unit: FUgp (feed units for pigs including lactating sows) and FUgs (feed units for gestating sows).