EU PiG Newsletter May 2020

Announcing the Winners: EU PiG 2020 Grand Prix

The eight winners of the 2020 Grand Prix have been announced, with each of these innovative producers awarded the title of EU PiG Ambassador.  Their winning best practices address eight key challenges, which were identified by the industry.

Theme: Health Management
Challenges: African Swine Fever (ASF) biosecurity measures / Use of slaughter data to improve health outcomes
Winning best practices:

• DrySyst: Truck dry disinfection - Spain  
• Use of slaughter data to develop dashboard system to improve pig herd health - Ireland 

Theme: Meat Quality
Challenges: How to promote pork to consumers? / Being competitive in small-scale farming: developing a niche-market for pork
Winning best practices:

• Create awareness through company tours and the sale of unique Berkhout meat with a story - Netherlands  
• Expression of the product: union of local breed, land and men - France 

Theme: Animal Welfare
Challenges: Solutions for heat stress / Strategies for dealing with piglets from hyper prolific sows
Winning best practices:

• High-pressure fogging - Netherlands 
• Implementing KALINAT approach to fully promote the hyperprolificacy of sows - France 

Theme: Precision Production
Challenges: Reducing costs / Increasing overall farm sustainability
Winning best practices:

• 5S Lean Programme to improve work efficiency - Ireland 
• Sustainably produced ABF Rypsiporsas - Finland 

 

Further details, including pictures and videos, will be available in the coming months. In the meantime, please contact the Regional Pig Innovation Group (RPIG) leaders for further information.

The EU PiG project seeks to share the benefits of on-farm best practice between producers to promote a sustainable pig industry across the EU.  This issue focuses on four of the project's 2019 Ambassadors and how they approach key meat quality and precision production challenges. 

Theme: Meat Quality
Challenge: Replacing GMO in soy for feed production
Ambassador: Terhi Harjunmaa-Levonen, Finland

The quantity of locally grown broad beans in finisher pig feed has been increased by 200%, with a positive impact on pig performance for Finnish pig producer Terhi Harjunmaa-Levonen.



Theme: Meat Quality
Challenge: Opening farms to engage with public
Ambassador: Shane McAuliffe, Ireland

Irish producer Shane McAuliffe has opened his farms to the public, with a passion to better inform consumers about sustainable pig production.

Theme: Precision Production
Challenge: Dashboard systems/benchmarking
Ambassador: Jesper Hansen, Denmark

Danish producer Stovgaard is using a data monitoring system to record real time biological data, including water and feed intake and weights.



Theme: Precision Production
Challenge: Reducing piglet mortality
Ambassador: Theo Vernooij, Netherlands

Dutch producer, Theo Vernooij, is reducing piglet mortality through a system that focuses on a high standard of care throughout his breeding herd.

For further details about these best practices, please contact the appropriate RPIG leader.