Breeding reduces environmental impact with 1% per year Results of a new study by Wageningen Livestock Research, the Netherlands, show that breeding reduces...
"Every pig producer can limit consequences of PRRS" More knowledge about PRRS virus should lead to a more targeted fight against that disease, which is difficult to...
Rabobank: The Netherlands will lose many pig producers Pig farming in the Netherlands is about to change profoundly, according Rabobank in a report casting a look into...
How to get small piglets to eat more? What influences feed intake of small piglets? Researchers from the Netherlands looked at the effects on feed...
Antibiotic usage in Dutch pigs dropped by 1.9% in 2017 Antibiotics usage in the Netherlands’ pig industry has dropped further. In 2017, the country’s swine sector...
Smart pig farming at VIV Europe 2018 The international livestock event VIV Europe is around the corner – it will be held from 20 to 22 June. This...
Pig Progress to host seminar on Smart Pig Farming Smart tools and big data are key at a special event to be held by Pig Progress on 21 June during the upcoming...
Measuring climate quality inside pig buildings Measuring climate quality is a novel method using big data. A trial group of 22 pig farmers in the Netherlands...
Decades of pig manure management evaluated The total number of pig farms in the Netherlands may have come down over the last decades, the amount of pigs...
8 Modern swine innovations in the Netherlands Clever software applications, environmental tools as well as animal health solutions were key at this year’s...
Livestock ESBLs and human ESBLs are not the same Meat consumption does not necessarily lead to ingestion of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Instead, humans tend...
WHO’s antimicrobial guidelines: Protest and applause A recent publication on the responsible use of antibiotics by the World Health Organization (WHO) has led to a...
Emotional events impact both pigs as well as pen mates For pigs, negative and positive events may have consequences that extend beyond their duration. This applies to...
Crossbred information is important when breeding pigs Selecting purebred animals based on crossbred performance instead of purebred performance has a large impact on...
Save the date: International Week for Smart Food Production The first-ever International Week for Smart Food Production will take place from 18-22 June 2018, in the...
Converting pig producers into hygiene specialists Disease pressure is growing as pig farms grow in size. Applying very strict hygiene protocols can help lower the...
Why you should benchmark your pig farm In this globalised world, information is available everywhere. On the web, there are lists of virtually...
One health – are we getting any closer? The UK have produced their joint ‘One Health Report’ on human and animal antibiotic use sales and resistance,...
MRSA in Danish pigs – what can we learn? The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration has just published a MRSA risk assessment, which really includes...
BLOG: Antibiotic bans – past, present and future Antimicrobial substances have played a very important role in pig production for decades, whether originally...
BLOG: Human antibiotic resistance. The myth dispelled! The constant attacks on the veterinary profession about their use of antimicrobials and that it is the cause of...
Cephalosporin use – Shock, horror – or is it? Many newspaper journalists like to use the ‘Shock, horror’ tactics to get stories noticed. Increasingly, it...
ESVAC data - Antibiotic use dropped 10% The ESVAC data for 2011 showed that in the 20 European countries that reported for 2010 and 2011 that there was...
BLOG: Antimicrobial use monitoring – what is the best... Following on from my last weblog, how should we move forward with monitoring of antimicrobial use in pigs in the...
Antimicrobial resistance in the Netherlands Following the massive reduction in the use of antibiotics in the Netherlands (>50%) by the veterinarians over...
BLOG: Pioneering in the East I must admit – it was a bit of a gamble. When travelling out for the China Animal Husbandry Expo I was not sure...
A different subject: Talking about smaller litters Attending a conference on the end of piglet castration in the European Union, held in Amsterdam, the...
Misinterpretations in conventional media In early September I am speaking about the role of the media with regard to Precision Livestock Farming in the...
Toxoplasma gondii control – an ongoing challenge I was a bit shocked by a recent study that looked at Toxoplasma gondii prevalence in pigs. In many countries one...
Animal welfare: a science or not? Treating animals with care and respect is very important and (I hope) there is hardly any discussion about its...
Where pigs meet design This will not be a blog about nutrition but about design! My apologies for all the swine nutritionists out there...
MRSA in pigs – quo vadis? Next month the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) is meant to report on their EU-wide survey of pig farms to...
Training piglets to grow from the start Pigs have a lot of potential for growth. In order to live up to that, it’s important to train the animals’ guts...
Interview CEO Yingzi: Monitoring more than just pigs Chinese companies have, at a rapid pace, started to develop advanced technology to monitor, measure and manage...
Feeding by-products to pigs – how do the Dutch do it? In the past, pigs were mainly fed leftovers from food or household production, to add value to by-products. On...
Job satisfaction in a pig-friendly farm The Bosgoed-Brink family in the Netherlands constructed a finisher pig house with pens for large groups. Both...
Research farm teams up with the world In a world that is increasingly connected, research has to reflect that. At Cargill’s Global Innovation Center...
Will Big Data change the future of pig genetics? Big Data is the next big thing in the world of animal husbandry. The concepts have a lot of potential, although...
Pig breeding farm relocates as Beijing expands Tai Xin Fu Min farm promotes itself as being the largest English Large White breeding herd in China....
Open air houses for German finisher pigs Idealism for more welfare and a better environment made the German family Ahrens-Westerlage invest in open air...
A pig producer who’d rather play golf Good production results, no debt whatsoever and with promising investments in solar panels. Sbarra farm in...
Fermented feed is the future for pigs Applying fermentation is definitely the way ahead – that is the conviction of Dutch feed company ForFarmers. The...
Research: Profitably moving away from antibiotics Reducing antibiotics while choosing alternative strategies to ensure animal health can lead to €2.67 more profit...
After the Brexit: Where will UK pig production go? For health expert David Burch, it came as a huge surprise that a majority of UK voters chose to leave the...
How to reduce piglet mortality figures? Both the Netherlands and Denmark are under societal pressure to reduce piglet mortality figures. What do both...
Antibiotic use and resistance in people There seems to be a constant barrage of attacks against antibiotic use in the pig industry at the moment by all...
Tail biting: still an enigma in pig science Tail biting may prove to be a lasting problem in pigs despite serious attempts to find ways to overcome it. A...
Pig farming flourishes in China with Dutch help Professional pig farming has taken a big leap in China, and often the Dutch are reeled in to help. Which help do...
Technology leads the way at CAHE Chongqing was the location for this year’s annual China animal husbandry expo (CAHE). Pig Progress was there to...
Review: Future Farming Theatre at GFIA Europe The recent Future Farming Theatre at GFIA Europe, in the Netherlands, was a great success. Did you miss it? Not...
Wens Group’s new sow complex, China One of the latest additions to the Wens Group’s growing pig empire in China was the construction of a 5,000 sow...
VIV Asia 2015 through the lens - UPDATED More booths, more surface, more exhibitors and more visitors. The biennial animal husbandry trade show VIV Asia...
PHOTO REPORT: Agromek 2014 Only two weeks after the world of livestock met in Germany, now it’s the turn for Agromek in Herning, Denmark....
Video: VIV Europe 2014 in review VIV Europe was held from 20th-22nd May in the Jaarbeurs exhibition hall in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Photo Report: VIV Europe 2014 After four years of waiting, VIV Europe opened its doors in Utrecht, the Netherlands again. Here is an...
Photo Report: Dutch Pig Tour of Excellence May 19, 2014 – for the first time Pig Progress organised a Dutch Pig Tour of Excellence, showing some of the...
CLASSENS FARM: The Netherlands Technically it is possible, so why not just follow and monitor finisher pigs individually? Toon Classens, from...
SAFEPORK 2011: The Netherlands The most southern provincial capital of Maastricht in the Netherlands is hosting the 9th SafePork conference, an...
SMEENK FARM: The Netherlands Within less than two years, all breeding farms in the European Union have to keep their gestating sows in group...
RAISING BOARS CONFERENCE: Netherlands In an increasing number of European countries the practice of castration is being discussed. Under pressure of...
DEKKER FARM: The Netherlands In the whole of the Netherlands, about fifteen two-storey pig farms can be found. The housing approach offers...
VIV EUROPE: Netherlands After an absence of four years in the Netherlands, VIV Europe returned to Utrecht, and all had high hopes for a...
ORDELMAN FARM: The Netherlands Approximately one in six pig producers in the Netherlands recently admitted to be suffering from respiratory...
ALLTECH LECTURE TOUR 2010: Netherlands The Alltech European Lecture Tour, which is currently in full swing, highlights this year's theme: Bounce Back....