Welcome to September’s Newsletter

Ciarán Carroll

Welcome to the September

edition of our monthly

newsletter. It’s been a busy

month for the Pig Development

Department (PDD). Earlier this

month we held interviews for a

new Specialist Pig Development Officer to fill the

vacancy left following Seamas Clarke’s

retirement. I’m glad to announce that Emer

McCrum has been appointed to the position and

will take up her role, based at Ballyhaise, in mid-

October. Emer holds a BSc in Agricultural Science

with University College Dublin, specialising in

Animal and Crop production. She has been

working in a Technician role for the past few

months and has previously worked on a

commercial pig farm in the midlands.

The National Ploughing Championships took place

last week and once again the Teagasc PDD was

well represented in the Teagasc tent for the three

day event. It was a busy few days where we met

with both pig producers and industry people.

Next up is the annual Teagasc Pig Farmers’

Conference 2015 which will take place on the 20th

of October in the Cavan Crystal Hotel and on the

21st of October in the Horse and Jockey Hotel,

commencing both days at 1.30pm. As well as a

number of presentations, including one from

personnel at Schothorst Feed Research centre in

the Netherlands, there will also be a poster

session with information updates on some

current research projects at Moorepark. Make

sure you put these dates in your diary as it is

shaping up to be another great event. We look

forward to seeing you there again this year.

In this issue:

Interpig Figures - 2014 performance

Are you interested in a high level

business strategy course?

A guide to environmental enrichment

Anaerobic Co-digestion

September 2015

Editor: Amy Quinn

Interpig Figures - 2014 performance Gerard McCutcheon

The Irish pig sector must be able to compete in

the international market if it is to survive and

develop. At present we have higher feed prices

and feed costs than our international competitors

and we need to reduce these if we are to be

competitive and sustainable. There are three

components of sustainability: economic,

environmental and social sustainability. First and

foremost - it must be economically sustainable.

Below I present the figures from the Interpig

meeting which was held in Brazil in June 2015.

These are the figures presented for each country

representing their performance in 2014.

Please see the performance figures from

Denmark, Germany, France and the Netherlands

below. They are shown alongside the Irish

performance as per the e-Profit Monitor. The

Irish figures represent 84,000 sows or 56% of the

national herd.

The born alive figures in Ireland have improved

over the last number of years but we still have

some way to go when we compare with Denmark

and the Netherlands in particular. While they

have higher pre-weaning mortality the number of

pigs weaned still gives them a higher number of

pigs produced per sow per year. These figures are

shown below in Table 1.

Each country has a different live weight at

slaughter. It is highest in Germany at 121kg LW,

slightly lower in the Netherlands and France

(118.5 and 118.2 kg respectively), lower in

Denmark (110.6 kg) and lowest in Ireland (106.5

kg LW.) The Danes achieved the best average

daily gain with the Netherlands showing the

lowest ADG from weaning to sale. These figures

are shown in Table 2.

The other interesting point is that the sow

replacement rate is much lower for Germany and

the Netherlands than for Denmark and Ireland

(55% in both countries) with France having a 46%

sow replacement rate. The best feed per kg of

carcass was achieved in the Netherlands where

3.41 kg of feed was used to produce one kg of

carcass. These figures are shown in Table 3.

Our growth rates compare favorably to the

French, Germans and the Dutch but are lower

than the Danes. Our feed conversion figures are

similar to the Danes but much higher than the

Netherlands. The bottom line was that for 2014,

based on their feed costs, and the figures above

the average feed cost per kg of carcass was 92

cent in Denmark, 94 cent in the Netherlands, 98

cent in France, 105 cent in Germany and 116 cent

in Ireland. We need to work to reduce this cost

differential. Table 1. Components of the number of pigs/sow /year for a number of countries.

Denmark France Germany Netherlands Ireland

Born Alive/Litter 15.6 13.5 13.81 14.2 12.7

Pre-weaning Mortality % 13.6 13.8 14.62 13.3 11.2

Weaned/Litter 13.48 11.64 11.79 12.31 11.28

Litters/Sow /Yr 2.26 2.35 2.32 2.37 2.36

Weaned/Sow/Yr 30.46 27.35 27.35 29.17 26.62

Weaner Mortality 2.9 2.4 2.2 2.5 2.6

Finisher Mortality 3.7 3.6 2.5 2.3 2.4

Pigs Produced/Sow/Yr 28.45 25.71 26.07 27.77 25.34

Table 2. Feed performance from weaning to sale.

Weaning to Sale performance Denmark France Germany Netherlands Ireland

Total Days 139 161 166 168 148

Kg of Gain 103.7 111.4 114.1 110.8 99.2

Kg of Feed 256.2 280.8 297.5 270.5 249.8

ADG g/day 744 692 688 660 669

FCE Weaning To Sale 2.47 2.52 2.61 2.44 2.52

Table 3. Replacement rate and calculation of kg of feed per kg of carcase.

Denmark France Germany Netherlands Ireland

Sow Replacement Rate % 55 46 41 42 55

Carcase Weight Sold kg 2378 2328 2444 2565 2061

Total Feed /Sow/Year 8725 8533 9031 8745 7599

Kg Feed per kg Carcase 3.67 3.67 3.70 3.41 3.69

Are you interested in a high level business strategy course? Mark Moore

If so, Teagasc and the UCD Michael Smurfit Business School have created a high level business strategy

course you may be interested in

I recently got a call from a farmer to tell me that

he had just completed a lengthy negotiation

session. I could sense the exhilaration in his voice

that comes from making a significant, and

successful, business move. “We were able to use

negotiation strategies and skills we learned on

the course,” he said. “And we could also identify

some of the negotiation strategies the other side

was using!”. I’m not going to tell you the farmer’s

name, but he was one of 21 participants who

took part in the first Teagasc/McMichael Smurfit

Business School course in Business Strategy. The

call proved that the course, which we first ran last

year, gave participants a business ‘edge’ in the

real world. In this article I’m going to tell you

about the course, include comments from

identified farmers, and encourage you to

consider taking part this year.

Why are we doing it?

In 2014, encouraged by Teagasc Director,

Professor Gerry Boyle, I gathered a team of

colleagues including Tom O’Dwyer, regional

managers John Moloney in Waterford/Kilkenny,

Brendan Heneghan in Galway/Clare and other

colleagues to consider how we could offer a high

level business strategy course to farmers. The

removal of quotas and the general increase in

price volatility suggested there might be a need

for increased strategic thinking. Ultimately we

decided that an alliance with the UCD Michael

Smurfit Business School was the best solution. It

would bring together the business expertise of

that organisation and the intimate knowledge of

farm businesses possessed by Teagasc. Helen

Brophy at UCD, our initial contact at UCD was

enthusiastic.

Working with Helen and Prof Pat Gibbons we

designed a course which includes topics such as:

“What is business strategy and how does it relate

to my farm business.”, “Understanding your role

as a leader”, “Preparing for negotiations” and

“Managing change and working through conflict.”

The aim is to help farmers to develop the skills

and awareness which they need to develop a

clear strategy for their businesses in volatile

times. “Having done the course you feel

confident that you have ticked all the boxes when

looking at your business as a whole,” said Martin

Quigley a dairy farmer from county Louth and a

member of the ‘Class of 2014’. Dairy farmers

were well represented but beef, tillage and pig

producers were also present. Jason McGrath

whose family produce and finish pigs in county

Waterford said: “It made me look at our

enterprise as more of a business than a family

farm.”

What’s involved?

The course is fully accredited (by UCD) and those

who complete the requirements of the course

receive a certificate. To earn the qualification

participants must attend all six days (broken

down into three days, a gap of several weeks, two

days, another gap and then a final, single, day.

The course will take place in the late autumn of

this year. The venue for the classroom sessions

will be the Lyrath hotel near Kilkenny.

Participants will stay overnight at the hotel on the

two and three day modules. By remaining at the

hotel it’s possible to get away from the day to day

pressures of running a business and focus on your

medium and long-term business goals. It also

means there are lots of opportunities for

networking and interacting with ‘classmates’.

The sessions are highly interactive with lively

discussions on business issues; this is not like

being back at school. “The course was really all

about bigger picture stuff. Where you want to go

with your farm and your business…actually your

whole life said Denis O’Donovan of Rosscarbery

Co. Cork. “It also gave us a shove to sit down as a

family and discuss where we want to be in five or

even ten year’s time.”

Mentors

As well as the Smurfit Business School ‘lecturers’

the courses are attended by Teagasc staff who

act as mentors to the participants. These mentors

all have post graduate business qualifications as

well as a deep knowledge of the technical aspects

of farming. The mentors are a ‘resource’ for the

participants on the course. While the material

delivered on the course is straightforward and

delivered in terms and language that any farmer

can understand, the mentors can help put the

material in a farming context.

As well as the mentors, those taking part receive

a work book which contains an outline structure

for a strategy - be it for business expansion,

family succession etc. Mentors will discuss the

progress being made by students as they develop

a unique strategy for their own business. On the

final day of the course students are interviewed

about the strategy they have developed for their

business. There are no examinations on the

course.

“It certainly broadened my perspective and

allowed me to take into account many more

dimensions of my own situation,” said Sean

Bugler from Scariff in County Clare. “You can

become preoccupied with perfecting your day to

day farming when you should really be putting

more energy into having a long term strategy.

The course really helped me focus on that,”

Is this relevant for pig producers?

The course is available to pig

producers/managers (not industry support

professionals).

This is a business course, not a technical one

so it is relevant to all sectors, including pig

producers.

Pig producers participated last year and are

others are planning to do the course this year.

Pig specialist Michael McKeon will be a

mentor again this year.

When is it?

There are two courses this year:

Course 1 Course 2

Intro day 27th Oct 10th Nov

Module 1 28th -29th Oct 11th- 12th

Module 2 24th-25th Nov 2nd- 3rd Dec

Finale 15th Dec 20th Jan

How much does it cost?

The full cost of the course is €2,200. Teagasc

clients receive a €200 discount and there is a

further discount for booking early. For further

details contact me. All materials, food and

overnight costs are included, and the course

leads to a fully accredited certificate at level 8.

The cost of the course is a tax deductible business

expense.

If interested, what should you do next?

Select which course you would like to do. Both

courses are the same they just run on different

dates. But the number of places will be limited so

it’s important that you register your interest now.

So please contact me on 087 4179131.

Alternatively you can email me at

Mark.moore@teagasc.ie.

“Fitter, happier, more productive”, a guide to environmental enrichment

Amy Haigh

Despite being domesticated for 7000 years, pigs

still demonstrate a lot of natural behaviours, and

have a strong motivation to explore their

surroundings. For instance, domestic pigs living in

a semi-natural enclosure spent 52 % of the

daylight period foraging. In commercial

husbandry systems feed is readily available, but

as each meal only lasts about 10 minutes; the

pig’s natural motivation to forage is often

redirected toward other pigs, and this is one of

the leading causes of abnormal behaviours such

as tail and ear biting.

To ensure high standards of pig welfare and fulfil

the pigs behavioural needs, European legislation

states that “pigs must have permanent access to

a sufficient quantity of material to enable proper

investigation and manipulation activities, such as

straw, hay, wood, sawdust, mushroom compost,

peat or a mixture of such, which does not

compromise the health of the animals”

(Commission Directive2001/93/EC). Exploratory

behaviour in pigs is best stimulated by materials

that are complex, changeable, destructible,

manipulable, and contain some edible parts. It is

also important that any material used is

rewarding beyond its novelty value and that

fighting for access is minimal.

Straw has been found to have the highest

potential to meet the criteria listed above.

However, the utilisation of straw can be difficult

to handle in most vacuum slurry systems which is

the most common pump used in Ireland. A

chopper filter can be included upstream of the

pump to break up any likely obstacles, but

unfortunately only one third of vacuum pumps in

Ireland have a chopper filter.

Thus there is a pressing need to identify

enrichment materials that are as effective as

loose straw, but which is compatible with slatted

flooring. Examples of possible materials include

compressed straw blocks (Fig. 1a), wood, ropes

(Fig. 1b), jute sacks (Fig. 1c), ice, mushroom

compost and low-level rooting boxes which

contain loose materials and keeps them separate

from slats. These have shown varying success

rates; for instance, biting behaviours directed at

pen mates were up to 50% lower in pens

provided with jute sacks.

Figure 1a-c: Straw pellets (a), rope (b) and jute

sacks (c) used for enrichment.

Straw pellets

Straw dispensers (Fig. 2a-b) that provide a limited

amount of a substrate can be offered as good

alternatives to loose straw, as they still allow pigs

to direct nosing, rooting and chewing activity

towards an ‘appropriate’ stimulus, while reducing

development of undesirable behaviours, and the

amount is small enough not to interfere with

slurry systems. This kind of supply system also

offers the advantage of a double interaction, in

the device itself, and beneath it on the floor,

which might mean less material can be used for

the same total amount of interest from the pigs.

A dispenser of compressed straw in farrowing

crates is beneficial for both the sow and piglets;

the frequency of lateral lying by the sow

increased, meaning the udder was exposed more

toward the piglets. For grower pigs, a straw

container incorporating a piece of wood attached

to chains that the pigs could manipulate to

release straw into a rooting dish, was successful

in preventing tail-biting even when some of the

pigs were undocked. Labour costs are also

minimal as the dispenser is easily replenished

when required. In a farm in Switzerland, one

straw block holder was provided per 8-10 pigs,

and 3-10 blocks lasted 50-60 days. The use of

other substrates in dispensers has also proved

successful with research finding that using

overhead racks of spent mushroom compost in a

fully slatted system significantly lowered levels of

tail biting.

Figure 2 a-b) Commercially available compressed

straw dispensers.

Ropes

Research has shown that the interaction levels of

pigs with destructible ropes are comparable to

those previously reported for straw. When

provided in farrowing pens, rope helps to reduce

tail biting activity in the piglets in later life. Pigs

are most attracted to open rope ends because

they are easier to catch hold of, and to torn rope

ends because they are easier to tear up further.

These need to be replaced regularly however, to

maintain novelty, in the same way as daily

provision of straw. In a farm in the Netherlands, a

knotted rope (to make it last longer) was

suspended from the ceiling (coiled in a bucket)

pulled to the floor once a week (Fig. 3). Rope was

also found to be successful as an emergency

measure to distract pigs after a tail biting

outbreak in a study conducted in Teagasc,

Moorepark.

Figure 3: Rope enrichment used in a farm in the

Netherlands.

Wood

Wood has also proved successful, with

horizontally suspended pieces of fresh wood

reducing tail and ear biting. These have been

used on farms in Finland at a ratio of one post per

every 9 pigs (Fig.4). These wooden posts lasted

approximately 12 weeks, depending on the

activity of the pigs.

Figure 4: Fresh wood branches provided to pigs in

Finland.

Wood holders are now commercially available

which can be placed on the wall of the pen and

will hold wood planks and posts (Fig. 5).

Figure 5: Commercially available wood holders for

wood planks and posts.

Commercially available pig ‘toys’

A number of commercially available pig ‘toys’

have also become available in the form of rubber

floor and hanging toys. They have varying

success, with some research suggesting that the

interest in them is fairly short. However, this may

be related to the fact that these are normally

suspended, and this way of presenting the

materials, rather than placing them on the floor,

may have caused problems for the pigs with

respect to getting hold of the materials. This was

also observed in a study comparing the use of

commercial hanging and floor pig toys conducted

in the pig department in Moorepark, where a

floor based toy was much more appealing to the

pigs than hanging ones.

However, one concern with floor toys is that they

could become soiled and therefore unappealing

to pigs, or that they could become ‘hidden’ in pen

corners. This was avoided in the Moorepark study

due to the design of the toy, as it was supported

by ‘legs’ so held off of the floor. In fact, pigs

interacted five times longer with floor toys in

comparison to hanging toys (See April 2015

newsletter for details).

The provision of enrichment is a legal

requirement and while there is some initial labour

and financial costs associated, the potential losses

incurred from weight loss and carcass

condemnation occurring as a result of abnormal

behaviours like tail biting, are likely to be far

greater than the costs of enrichment. This has

been highlighted in recent research in

Moorepark, which showed the considerable

economic costs of not using enrichment. While

different devices have varied in effectiveness, the

most successful are likely to be those which best

provide the pigs with the ability to fulfill their

natural need to forage. Some of the enrichment

devices highlighted here will be the focus of

upcoming research within the Pig Department,

Moorepark the outcomes of which we will update

you on in future newsletters. If you have found a

particular form of enrichment particularly

successful/unsuccessful or would like any further

information on any of the devices mentioned in

this article, we would be really interested in

hearing from you (Amy.Haigh@teagasc.ie).

Anaerobic Co-digestion Conor Dennehy

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a process by which

organic material is broken down in the absence

of oxygen. This process generates methane-rich

biogas and digested material. Known as

digestate, this digested material is typically

lower in pathogens and organic carbon than

the original material and is rich in available

nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK).

Digestate can therefore be a valuable fertilizer.

Methane-rich biogas can be used to generate

electricity and heating. In a pig farming context,

the technology has been widely used in

continental Europe for the past 30 years

(Germany and Denmark in particular), and has

been used in China and India for much longer.

On-Farm Anaerobic Digestion

Increased demand for technology which can

reduce the greenhouse gas emissions

associated with the Irish agricultural sector has

seen renewed interest in the use of anaerobic

digestion on Irish farms. The use of AD in pig

farms is of particular interest in Ireland as,

unlike the dairy industry, pig farms can

generate a large and seasonally stable quantity

of fresh manure. While pig manure does

generate a greater amount of biogas than

cattle manure, the yield is still quite low.

Coupled with the low tariff paid for energy

generated by on farm AD plants in the Republic

of Ireland, this means that on farm AD plants

treating pig manure alone are not currently

viable.

Co-digestion

However the use of additional feedstocks to

boost biogas yields is a means of making the

on-farm AD plant concept viable. While the use

of energy crops such as maize, miscanthus and

grass has been widespread, recent concern

over the environmental sustainability of using

such feedstocks and an increase in their cost

has reduced their popularity.

Credit-NNFCC

Using organic residues such as brown bin waste

(comprised typically of food waste and garden

trimmings) as a feedstock alongside manure is a

concept with some merit. Such waste generates

high biogas yields, however digesting such

wastes alone can lead to an unstable process.

The addition of the on farm manure to brown

bin waste can stabilize the process and increase

biogas yields. These increased biogas yields

along with potential additional revenue

streams in the form of gate fees from taking in

brown bin waste may make on farm AD plants

in Ireland a viable concept. Taking in brown bin

wastes as a feedstock does result in increased

costs however, the Animal By-product

Regulations relating to the digestion of food

waste along with manure are more stringent

than those for manure alone. While technical

solutions such as this may make on farm

anaerobic digestion a viable proposition, a

change in governmental policy relating to

renewable energy generation from anaerobic

digestion will be required to fully unlock the

potential contribution the pig industry could

make to mitigating Ireland’s greenhouse gas

emissions.

Did you know?

Germany has 7900 agricultural AD

plants

There are currently 6 licensed AD plants

in the Republic of Ireland

The tariff for energy generated from on

farm anaerobic digesters in the Republic

of Ireland is 11 to 15c/kWh compared to

22 to 28c/kWh in Northern Ireland.

Conor is a PhD student on the SFI-funded Green-Farm Project,

investigating the concept of on-farm anaerobic co-digestion of food waste

and pig manure in Ireland. Conor is supervised by Prof. Xinmin Zhan of

NUI Galway, Dr. Peadar Lawlor of Teagasc and Dr. Gillian Gardiner of

Waterford Institute of Technology.

Student Profile Conor Dennehy

Location: Department of Civil Engineering, NUI Galway

Research Interests: Anaerobic digestion, wastewater treatment, greenhouse gas emission

mitigation

Contact details: c.dennehy2@nuigalway.ie & +353 (0)87 984 0276

Teagasc Pig Farmers’ Conference 2015

The Teagasc Pig Farmers’ Conference for 2015

will take place next month at 1.30pm on the 20th

and 21st of October. The conference will be held

in the Cavan Crystal Hotel on Tuesday the 20th of

October and on Wednesday the 21st of October in

the Horse and Jockey Hotel. This year’s

conference features a number of excellent

presentations and a poster session covering a

wide range of topics. We encourage all those

involved in the sector to attend the conference

and not to miss the opportunity to meet fellow

producers and get the latest information that the

Teagasc Pig Development Department have

compiled for this year’s event.

Ploughing Championship 2015

Several members of the Pig Development

Department research and advisory staff were

present throughout the 3 day event. The event

provided an excellent opportunity to meet with

clients and industry contacts, as well as

promoting the use of pig manure as a valuable

tillage and grassland fertiliser.

New Arrival

We are delighted to welcome Alberto Torres

Pitarch to the Pig Development Department.

Alberto started in September and is a PhD

candidate examining feed Enzymes as a means of

improving feed efficiency in pigs. Alberto is

supervised by Dr. Peadar Lawlor of Teagasc and

Prof. John O’Doherty of UCD.

Health & Safety Training

Teagasc plan to hold a series of Half-Day Farm

Safety Code of Practice Training Courses over the

winter months. Safety training is now mandatory

under the recently announced TAMS II schemes.

To obtain payment under these schemes farmers

must have completed the Half-day Farm Safety

course or the ‘Green Cert’ within the previous 5

years. For more information please visit

http://www.teagasc.ie/publications/2015/3703/T

AA5_HealthandSafetyA5_2015.pdf.

Discussion Groups

We currently are looking to set up an additional

discussion group in the Kerry-Limerick area. There

are currently several groups underway

throughout the country that have proved to be

extremely successful, with farmers finding them

very beneficial. If you are interested in joining

this group please contact your local advisor.