Denmark: Anaesthetics prior to piglet castration The Danish pig industry will start castrating its piglets with the usage of anaesthetics as from 1 January 2019....
WEBINAR: The effect of dietary stress at weaning Dietary stress at weaning will be the key topic of an upcoming webinar by Pig Progress and Hamlet Protein.
Germany: Anaesthetics mandatory at pig castration As from the beginning of 2019, German pig farmers are no longer allowed to castrate without anaesthetics. That...
Humic acids in feed lead to better weaner performance Just-weaned piglets thrive when humic acids are added to their diets.
New EU rules for copper in pig feed approved Proposed changes for copper levels in swine feed as well as diets for other animals have been officially...
Do ‘nurse sows’ suffer from their role? Sows that are being used as ‘nurse sows’ after weaning have not been observed to suffer from any long-term...
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...
Absence of protein can protect pig foetuses from PRRS The absence of an essential virus receptor protein in dams completely protects piglet foetuses from...
Wrapping up April: What’s new in the world of pigs? April was a relatively quiet month in terms of innovations or take-overs in the international swine business....
Methionine in the spotlight at Adisseo pig event Adisseo zoomed in on the effect of methionine and selenium in sows, piglets and pork at a 2-day event in...
8 Modern swine innovations in the Netherlands Clever software applications, environmental tools as well as animal health solutions were key at this year’s...
Cooling pads for sows developed at Purdue University US-based Purdue University has developed personal pig cooling pads, to help them cool down while feeding the...
Wrapping up February: What’s new in the world of pigs? Big Data and sensor technology increasingly make their entry into the global swine business, so much became...
Which management practices maximise piglet survival? French researchers have established a list of do’s and don’ts on the basis of a survey amongst farrow-to-finish...
Alibaba: Artificial intelligence inside Chinese pig farms Chinese E-commerce giant Alibaba is introducing artificial intelligence technology for inside pig farms, like...
Keeping zinc out by using prefermented rape seed The medicinal use of zinc oxide can be replaced by adding prefermented rape seed through pig diets, according to...
Striving for perfection in free farrowing pens Welfare and housing expert Vivi Aarestrup Moustsen has been involved in Danish trials to test 10 different...
Sows in the Champions League - how can we help? Playing in Champions League for sows is possible – but not without hard work from staff – and sows, writes...
The importance of implantation (I) Implantation is an important stage in a successful gestation cycle – and it is a phase that is not to be...
Mixing weaners without tears Mixing weaners has always been a bit of a problem and is likely to become a bigger problem in the European...
Zinc: Diarrhoea treatment in piglets and… children The use of high levels of zinc oxide in piglet diets for prevention of post-weaning diarrhoea is a hot topic...
Loose house farrowing systems – where do we start? From an animal welfare standpoint, much focus has been placed on assessing how the sow’s environment during...
How do we know the nursing capacity of sows? Ideally, 90% of our sows should wean at least 15 piglets at each weaning – and do so again and again… They could...
Some sows are better mothers than others Neonatal piglet mortality is a challenge for all sow holders – but for some more than others. There is no doubt...
BLOG: Consumerism – analysis or just more politics? We are all consumers but I have to say I was disappointed when the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) ‘The...
BLOG: PEDV – A disaster waiting to happen in the EU Although we have African Swine Fever (ASF) knocking on our Eastern door, Europe needs to wake up to the...
BLOG: Diseases running west There is a somewhat unwanted parallel between North America and Europe at the moment, as in both continents,...
Cephalosporin use – Shock, horror – or is it? Many newspaper journalists like to use the ‘Shock, horror’ tactics to get stories noticed. Increasingly, it...
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...
Perfect piglet feed Sometime ago, I was asked to make 'the perfect' piglet feed without regards to cost. Rightly so, a couple weeks...
A different subject: Talking about smaller litters Attending a conference on the end of piglet castration in the European Union, held in Amsterdam, the...
Inulin Since 2004, I have been using inulin indirectly and incidentally, being unavoidably present in one of my...
Stronger piglets with less oxidative stress Oxidative stress is one of the processes happening inside a pig’s gut during and after weaning. Feeding trials...
22 piglets at one sow and it's no problem Modern genetics have created hyperprolific sows, which regularly have litters with more piglets than teats. The...
Supporting fat digestion in weaned piglets Modern animal production requires pigs to grow fast and for that reason, energy dense diets are formulated. Oils...
A good start is vital for healthy piglets Raising healthy piglets from start through weaning is a challenge not to be underestimated, impacting...
A balanced approach in sow and piglet diets Correct feed and correct feed ingredients help both sows and piglets perform better. If in diets, everything is...
A sandy pig farm at the shores of the Yangtze China, with half of all the global pig population within its borders, has an abundance of different pig holding...
Piglets in the era without zinc oxide Many solutions have existed to avoid the occurrence of post-weaning diarrhoea, but one by one they are...
Better sow performance with the right minerals Times are long gone when supplying minerals to pigs was a matter of one-size-fits-all. Sows have a different...
DanBred CEO: "Pig farms grow and so will we" In terms of organisation, the Danish pig breeding sector is reinventing itself. Thomas Muurmann Henriksen is CEO...
A tropical view on heat stress in sows Heat stress in pigs can vary strongly depending on the region where the animals are being kept. As a tropical...
8 Danish tips to help reduce antibiotics Danish pig producers are among the highest performing in Europe and have been achieving consistent health and...
Yangxiang aims high with sows on many floors Chinese pig company Yangxiang go where few have gone before: with the construction of pig farms with 7, 9 or...
An isotonic drink for pigs – what is it? Did something good ever come from the 2014 PEDv outbreak in North America? Well, definitely yes – one of the...
An easy farrowing enhances piglet health Sometimes, when humans feel bad, early help can help them to perform as usual, which in turn helps them to be...
Feeding can provide but also cost energy In the last episode of this series, a fourth strategy is explored to counteract heat stress. Where earlier...
Creep feeding helps nursery pigs thrive Creep feed is traditionally offered to piglets in their first few weeks of life to allow them to get used to...
Photo report: Dan Yu Breeding Farm, China The Danish pig industry is rapidly building up its presence on the shores of China. In recent years, a breeding...
2 tips to create the right farrowing environment Mature sows perform best when room temperatures are between 18-21°C (65-70°F), while young piglets require a...
PHOTO REPORT: Krannestrup Farm, Denmark Danish pork producer Niels Aage Arve at Krannestrup Farm is happy to have new systems tested at his modern...
Swiss castration method Switzerland is one of Europe's leading countries with regard to the piglet castration discussion.