Page 12 - Australian Pork Newspaper

Small pigs show big potential in new AFBI research
OVER the past four Its main aim was to the point of delivery to three presentations
2, ‘Growth response of low and average birth- weight pigs to sow lactation feed intake,’ studied the benefits of increasing sow lactation feed intake on the pre weaning growth rate of the litter.
body weight, allowing constrained by work-
years, pig researchers at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute have been working to understand the implica- tions and challenges of the increasing number of small pigs born in large litters.
better understand the implications – for the farmer and for the animal – of having to deal with the increased number of small pigs born in large litters.
the animals – that had recently been installed in both the nursery and finisher facilities at AFBI Hillsborough.
aligned to Dr Samuel Hawe’s PhD work are highlighted.
the animal to reach the necessary development before being fed a lower quality diet.
force, time and produc- tion costs.
The project, ‘Un- derstanding and over- coming the barriers posed by small pigs’, was co-funded between UK’s Department of Agricul- ture, Environment and Rural Affairs and Pig Regen Limited.
Lastly, the project also studied a new feeding system – similar to liquid feeding but only mixing water and diet at
These results have been compiled into tech- nical reports and a series of eight presentations, which can be viewed through AFBI’s You- Tube channel.
The study showed that piglets born with low birth weight (<1.0kg of live weight) were almost 10kg lighter at slaughter than their counterparts.
Highlighting the need to introduce further measures post-weaning.
“For instance, if you don’t have time to spend increasing the feed in- take of all the sows in the farrowing room, gather the small piglets in a few sows and focus on those reduced number of sows.
A further aim was to identify management and nutritional strategies that could boost the per- formance and welfare of small pigs.
The work generated some interesting results which will be of signifi- cance to farmers and the wider pig industry.
Presentation 1, ‘What is the significance of compromised pigs on commercial farms?’, overviews the findings from Samuel’s work which quantified the performance of piglets born with low birth weight on four Northern Irish farms.
The study showed that sows in Northern Ire- land have the capacity to reach average feed in- takes of 8.6kg/day (peak daily intake of 11kg), 2kg above the national average.
First, the study found that the positive im- pact of higher lactation intake by the sows on piglets’ weaning weight was not maintained post- weaning.
“Hopefully, the results reported in this series of presentations will help farmers target their efforts in such a way which maximising the return on investment.
The project studied a new feeding system, similar to liquid feeding but only mixing water and diet at the point of delivery to the animals.
This finding suggests that nursery stage should be the target stage in order to improve low birth weight piglets’ per- formance.
The conventional re- gime, in which post- weaning diets are in- troduced to pigs based on age, was compared with a ‘tailored regime’ where post-weaning diets were introduced to pigs based on their
More information, AF- BI’s YouTube channel and links to the pres- entations can be found by visiting afbini.gov. uk/news/new-research- findings-optimising-po tential-small-pigs
In this first instalment,
In addition, the in- creased feed intake by the sows resulted in low birth weight pig- lets reaching weaning weights of ~7.9kg, sim- ilar to their counterparts from sows with a na- tional average feed in- take.
Second, the study found that allowing the pigs to reach a desired body weight before in- troducing a new diet re- sulted in improved per- formance of small pigs.
“If you can afford to introduce higher speci- fication diets for your small piglets but not across all the rearing process, focus on the nursery stage.
The study showed that most of the mor- tality among low birth weight piglets occurred pre-weaning, suggesting that improving lactation nutrition should be a pri- mary focus of interven- tion.
Finally, Presentation 3, ‘Tailored post-weaning feeding regime for low birthweight pigs’, fol- lowed animals from weaning to finish.
Grouping your pigs in pens by body weight and allowing the smaller ones extra time to reach the target weight before introducing the next diet could be a simple solu- tion to improve overall performance without the need of introducing new diets on the farm.
“If it is not possible to introduce extra or higher specification diets, work with the same ones you have but don’t follow blindly a set allowance or calendar, look at the animals before changing diets, be sure they all have reached the desir- able weight before intro- ducing the next diet.”
In addition, the study found that during the nursery stage the differ- ence between low birth weight piglets and their heavier counterparts was bigger than in any other stage.
Two different post- weaning feeding regimes for low birth weight pig- lets were compared.
Agri-Food and Bio- sciences Institute head of the monogastric re- search group Dr Ramon Muns said, “In most of the cases, farmers know that better nutrition and better feeding manage- ment will improve the performance of their pigs and especially of the smaller ones.”
Boar Stud Manager
WESTPORK, Western Australia’s largest pork producer, is currently seeking a detail oriented and dependable person to manage a new boar stud facility north of Perth in Western Australia.
In early 2022, a new facility will be established. The boar stud manager will be responsible for all day-to-day tasks while overseeing and assisting a small team to maintain the ef cient operations of the boar stud and laboratory including:
• all tasks required for superior quality semen production;
• the collection, processing and packaging of semen;
• animal husbandry and health management;
• accurate record keeping; and
• maintenance of the facility and equipment.
The manager must maintain effective communication with all farm staff, customers, veterinarians and the extended management team. This role must ensure that strict adherence to all established biosecurity policies and the Australian Pork Industry Quality Assurance program is maintained.
To be successful in this role, candidates will need to:
• have experience in the swine industry or livestock reproduction environment;
• have excellent people, communication and leadership skills;
• have appropriate knowledge of computer systems and electronic data collection; and
• be a dependable and self-motivated person with heightened attention to detail.
If you are ready to take the next rewarding step in your career, apply for this position by sending a current résumé and cover letter to Richard Evison at jobs@westpork.com.au
Following from the first study, Presentation
“However, farmers are
The project aim was to better understand the implica- tions for the farmer and for the animal of having to deal with the increased number of small pigs born in large litters.
Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute head of the monogastric research group Dr Ramon Muns.
Agreement targets PRRS- resistant gene-edited pigs
its existing relationship with the FDA, insights into the pork sector, its established supply chain and its distribution channels in the world’s biggest pig markets, in- cluding China, Europe and the US.
The Roslin Institute has produced pigs that can resist PRRS by editing their genetic code.
RESEARCHERS and commercial partners will continue to col- laborate on developing pigs resistant to por- cine reproductive and respiratory syndrome.
Edinburgh Innovations commercialisation ser- vice, Genus will con- tinue planned work for testing multiple genera- tions of pigs and con- ducting studies required for approval by the US Food and Drug Admin- istration.
The research received funding from Genus and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Re- search Council.
The Roslin Institute and animal genetics company Genus have signed an agreement to produce pigs that are resistant to PRRS, a respiratory disease that costs around A$3.4 bil- lion each year in the US and Europe alone.
PRRS causes breathing problems and death in young animals and can result in preg- nant sows losing their litter.
Project leaders say that by partnering with Genus, the Roslin In- stitute will benefit from
The university and Genus hope the li- censing agreement will lead the way to gene- edited, disease-resistant pigs being available to global pork-producing markets.
Vaccines have pre- dominantly failed to stop the spread of the virus that causes PRRS, which is endemic in most pig-producing countries worldwide.
With the signing of the agreement, facilitated by the Roslin Institute
The Roslin Institute has produced pigs that can resist the disease by editing their genetic code.
Page 12 – Australian Pork Newspaper, October 2021
www.porknews.com.au