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Latest Blogs (1-10 of 260)
Where there is a will, there is a way: the story of the successful bid to host the IPVS 2012
Now is the time for me to tell you about how we came to host the 22nd IPVS Congress in Korea. Hope all of you have been looking forward to this story.
Expeller soymeal
A product, of usually small-scale production, expeller soybean meal is an interesting ingredient that is offered at a competitive price. Produced by expulsion of oil, rather than solvent extraction, expeller soybean meal contains a high(er) level of oil (up to 10% depending on extraction efficiency) and consequently higher energy value compared to traditional soybean meal.
More on antimicrobial resistance – sorry!
At the risk of being boring, I came across two articles, which were of interest, in the ongoing debate over veterinary use of antimicrobials.
Bakery meal
Bakery meal is a hugely undervalued ingredient. It is a source of a number of problems, but on the other hand, it can be a tremendous ingredient in any high-quality piglet formula. Let me explain...
Prophylactic use of antimicrobial drugs
It always worries me when politicians make generalised statements about technical matters, like the banning of the prophylactic use of antimicrobials in agriculture, which has recently come from the European Parliament, when you expect they have no practical experience of managing a pig farm and probably have never even visited one.
Phytases and phytases
Undoubtedly, the most successful enzyme for pigs is phytase. At least, this is evidenced by the commercial records for this enzyme, and the plethora of available phytases in the market.
Why aren’t you using AIV?
AIV (Annual Investment Value) is a very underused measurement term by pig farmers the world over. Pig producers have a vast range of options in how best to spend their hard-earned capital. There are at least 100 feed additives to choose from, over 120 medicinal products and double that number of pieces of pig equipment, all of these from the very cheap to the extremely expensive. AIV (I invented the term 25 years ago) narrows the choice to a considerable extent.
Animal activism – to report or not?
Every now and then we get questions from worried readers – why do we report on actions carried out by animal activists?
Looking back at my first IPVS Congress
The first IPVS Congress that I attended was the one in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1990, which remains one of the most memorable and interesting experiences in my life. Only seven people attended from my country - three professors, a staff from an animal health company, and myself, who at that time was working as a swine practitioner in the largest swine company in Korea.
The Romanian way
‘Sleeping giant’ – to me this qualification used to evoke words like ‘large’, ‘potential, ‘opportunities’ and ‘growth’. Last week I visited one of these sleeping giants in Europe, especially when it comes down to pork production: Romania.
