Wrapping up November: What’s new in the world of pigs?

New African Swine Fever manual published

The African Swine Fever (ASF) manual, initiated by Boehringer Ingelheim and compiled by veterinary experts, was officially published by China Agriculture Press. Following China’s ASF outbreak in August 2018, the company began to work with experts to review relevant publications and research papers and, with the help of the Chinese Veterinary Medical Association, it turned a handbook into an extended manual.

Disinfectant by MS Schippers effective against ASF

MS Megades Novo by MS Schippers has passed independent tests for combatting ASF. The product is approved for the control of bacteria, yeasts and viruses in housing and means of transport, and does not damage materials such as the paintwork on trucks. Tests by The Pirbright Institute in the UK show that at a dosage of 0.25% the drug killed more than 99% of the ASF virus at 4°C and with 5 minutes of exposure.

The company has also been named the 2019 National Pig Awards NPA Allied Member of the Year. These awards are staged annually by the UK swine magazine Pig World to recognise excellence and innovation in the pig sector.

AgriSyst involved in British precision project

Dutch-based pig data solutions and software company AgriSyst has recently won a tender, organised by the British Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), a statutory levy board. The project, which revolves around precision agriculture, will last for 3 years. In the project, main emphasis is on pig growth data.

Hog Slat opens new South Dakota USA store

Livestock equipment manufacturer and supplier, Hog Slat, has opened a new 460m² store in South Dakota, USA. The store will carry a full line of production equipment for swine producers featuring the company’s line of Grower Select ventilation and feeding equipment.

Interdamo launches backpack tank

At the recently held EuroTier Latina America, Italian/US-based veterinary tool manufacturer Interdamo launched the ‘Dose & Go’. This is a backpack tank connected to a doser pump. The tank’s capacity is 2.5 litres. The device is doser-pump compatible and matches with all dosers made by the company. Using the backpack tank instead of a bottle allows users to work with autonomy and practicality. It can be used on large farms with pigs/piglets or cows/calves.

Salmonella vaccine available to UK and Irish pig producers

Pig producers in the UK and Ireland have been given a new means of defence in the fight against salmonella with the launch of Salmoporc, a live, attenuated vaccine from Ceva. This vaccine, which has been well-proven in Germany and Poland, is the only one licensed for pigs in the UK and Ireland. It is administered orally to piglets and through subcutaneous injection in sows and aims to protect against salmonella typhimurium and its monophasic variants.

Weda: pen concept for organic operation

German livestock equipment company Weda has equipped the German Arche Wilhelminenhof farm with new Be.Well pens, a concept that focuses on the health and well-being of the pigs. With the concept, the company is reacting to industry demand for product solutions that ensure animal welfare and protection. The products are suited to conventional and organic animal farming.

Parker’s new filtration to protect against airborne diseases

Parker HVAC Filtration introduces 2 new filtration products, namely PurAg SlimBox Filter (left) and PurAg V-Bank Filter (right), both designed specifically for the agriculture industry. Both filters can be installed in livestock facilities as pathogen barrier filters to trap airborne viruses and the dust particles they travel on, thereby preventing them from entering the building and contaminating swine populations.

Vilomix adds another 40,000 tonnes of capacity

While Danish premix company Vilomix celebrated its 40^th anniversary, it also announced a new production line at their existing factory in Lime, Denmark, which adds an additional 40,000 tonnes of capacity to existing production. Customers had the opportunity to see the 3,500m² warehouse, the new production line and 20m high silo tower.

New ADM livestock feed facility in Vietnam

Archer Daniels Midland has opened its new feed plant in Ha Nam, Vietnam. The facility includes 3 warehouses for storing raw materials and finished goods. Technology at the plant includes modern pneumatic transfer of raw materials, full automatic control, a biomass boiler to provide a renewable energy source, an automated micro-dosing system to ensure accurate nutrient content, and an automatic bagging line and palletising robot.

Partnership between INRA and Phileo

INRA and Phileo (Lesaffre) have signed a partnership agreement in the field of nutrition and animal health. Initially focused on demonstrating the beneficial effects of probiotics on production performance, the collaboration has evolved towards more in-depth studies that make use of increasingly sophisticated tools in the field of metagenomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics applied to immunology and microbiology.

Zoetis completes acquisition of Phoenix Lab

Having completed the acquisition of Phoenix Central Laboratory for Veterinarians, Zoetis can now provide more comprehensive diagnostics products and services as an enhanced value to veterinarians in the US. Reference laboratories and point-of-care diagnostic testing offer veterinarians a single source for a full spectrum of tests, as well as access to Board-certified specialists and pathologists to support test results.

Bayer symposium attracts 290 professionals

In total 290 pig professionals from 15 countries attended the Bayer European Swine Symposium in Madrid, Spain, last September. On the menu were developments involving piglet health and well-being. Speakers included Prof Paolo Martelli, University of Parma, Italy, Prof Dr Anja Joachim, University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria; Prof Dr Jens Peter Nielsen, University of Copenhagen, Denmark and Prof Dr Nicole Kemper, University of Hannover, Germany.

Fibre summit explores role of dietary fibre in pigs

Organised by AB Vista, the first International Fibre Summit recently took place in Barcelona and brought together specialists from 16 universities across 6 continents. The 3-day event explored the changing role of dietary fibre in monogastric nutrition with the aim of improving animal performance. According to the company, an advanced understanding of fibre is opening new horizons for feed formulators.

Hipra roadshow discusses intradermal pig vaccines

More than 50 swine veterinarians attended the first Hipra roadshow in Germany to discuss the intradermal route for pig vaccination. The intradermal application of vaccines with a needle-free injector involves the administration of around 0.2ml of a vaccine. The Unistrain PRRS vaccine against PRRS obtained approval for the intradermal route in 2015 with the use of the Hipradermic needle-free device.

Barentz receives investment from Cinven

Cinven, a private equity firm, has agreed to invest in Barentz to assist the company to accelerate global expansion. Headquartered in the Netherlands with production facilities in Europe, North America and Asia, Barentz distributes ingredients and additives to customers globally.

Topigs Norsvin making steps in Denmark

Breeding company Topigs Norsvin has made its first steps on the Danish genetics market, reports Boerderij. Since about 1 year, the company is in contact with 3 farms which are breeding Topigs Norsvin 70 sows. The total capacity of these farms is 1,300 sows – which, running at full speed, could deliver 16,000 TN-70 sows. The company’s boar semen will be delivered from a Norwegian AI-station. In total, 15 swine farms are involved in trying out the new genetics.