Animal activity to improve the welfare and energy and productive efficiencies in intensive production buildings of piglets

In this thesis, submitted under the modality of compendium of publications, the possibilities of using the animal activity as a predictive variable in the modern environmental control systems are evaluated. In this document it is reflected the work done during the PhD period. During the next lines, different environmental and animal variables, registered during two productive cycles in an intensive livestock farm of weaned piglets, are studied. After a deep study of the animal activity, measured with a passive infrared detector, the results point out this variable as a promising tool to be implemented in the incipient predictive control algorithms

Energy, Production and Environmental Characteristics of a Conventional Weaned Piglet Farm in North West Spain

Postweaning is one of the most sensitive and energy-demanding phases of swine production. The objective of this research was to assess the energy, production and environmental characteristics of a conventional farm with temperature-based environmental control. The selected energy, environmental and production variables were measured on farm, in a high livestock density area of NW Spain, for seven production cycles. The quantification of variables was aimed at obtaining the maximum performance with the lowest possible use of resources, focusing on animal welfare and production efficiency. The Brown–Forsythe, Welch and Games-Howell tests revealed significant differences in terms of temperature, relative humidity and CO2 concentrations among production cycles, and among the critical, postcritical and final periods. Improved humidity management resulted in a 17% reduction of climate control energy, which involved energy savings in the range of 33% to 47% per kg produced at the end of the postweaning cycle. Accordingly, adding humidity as a control variable could result in higher ventilation rates, thereby improving animal welfare, reducing heating energy use and increasing weight gain per unit climate control energy. In addition, the strong correlations found between heating energy and relative humidity (R2 = 0.73) and ventilation energy and CO2 (R2 = 0.99) suggest that these variables could be readily estimated without additional sensor costsThis research has received funding from European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (2007–2013) under the project Control and automation strategies for energy and production efficiency in weaned farms, included in the research and innovation programme for Galicia, PEME I+D SumaS

Farmers' Perspectives of the Benefits and Risks in Precision Livestock Farming in the EU Pig and Poultry Sectors

Simple Summary Smart farming is a concept of agricultural innovation that combines technological, social, economic and institutional changes. It employs novel practices of technologies and farm management at various levels (specifically with a focus on the system perspective) and scales of agricultural production, helping the industry meet the challenges stemming from immense food production demands, environmental impact mitigation and reductions in the workforce. Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) systems will help the industry meet consumer expectations for more environmentally and welfare-friendly production. However, the overwhelming majority of these new technologies originate from outside the farm sector. The adoption of new technologies is affected by the development, dissemination and application of new methodologies, technologies and regulations at the farm level, as well as quantified business models. Subsequently, the utilization of PLF in the pig and especially the poultry sectors should be advocated (the latter due to the foreseen increase in meat production). Therefore, more significant research efforts than those that currently exist are mainly required in the poultry industry. The investigation of farmers' attitudes and concerns about the acceptance of technological solutions in the livestock sector should be integrally incorporated into any technological development.Abstract More efficient livestock production systems are necessary, considering that only 41% of global meat demand will be met by 2050. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic crisis has clearly illustrated the necessity of building sustainable and stable agri-food systems. Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) offers the continuous capacity of agriculture to contribute to overall human and animal welfare by providing sufficient goods and services through the application of technical innovations like digitalization. However, adopting new technologies is a challenging issue for farmers, extension services, agri-business and policymakers. We present a review of operational concepts and technological solutions in the pig and poultry sectors, as reflected in 41 and 16 European projects from the last decade, respectively. The European trend of increasing broiler-meat production, which is soon to outpace pork, stresses the need for more outstanding research efforts in the poultry industry. We further present a review of farmers' attitudes and obstacles to the acceptance of technological solutions in the pig and poultry sectors using examples and lessons learned from recent European projects. Despite the low resonance at the research level, the investigation of farmers' attitudes and concerns regarding the acceptance of technological solutions in the livestock sector should be incorporated into any technological development

Proceedings of the European Conference on Agricultural Engineering AgEng2021

This proceedings book results from the AgEng2021 Agricultural Engineering Conference under auspices of the European Society of Agricultural Engineers, held in an online format based on the University of Évora, Portugal, from 4 to 8 July 2021. This book contains the full papers of a selection of abstracts that were the base for the oral presentations and posters presented at the conference. Presentations were distributed in eleven thematic areas: Artificial Intelligence, data processing and management; Automation, robotics and sensor technology; Circular Economy; Education and Rural development; Energy and bioenergy; Integrated and sustainable Farming systems; New application technologies and mechanisation; Post-harvest technologies; Smart farming / Precision agriculture; Soil, land and water engineering; Sustainable production in Farm buildings

Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on the Mediterranean Pig. October 11 – 13, 2007. Messina - Capo d’Orlando (ME), Italy

These proceedings publish 79 communications that were distributed in six sessions and in one conference at the 6th Symposium on the Mediterranean Pig, both as main lectures, oral and poster presentation. The major arguments treated are the improvement and the management of the genetic resources, the sanitary approaches in the outdoor systems, the feeding and the rearing techniques, the quality of meat and meat products, the traceability for typical products and their socio-economical dynamics. Particular attention is given to the pig's local breeds and to their meat products, highlighting the importance to preserve the biodiversity as well as the typicality of some unique pork products. The monitoring of pig parasitic diseases is examined as well as the non conventional rearing systems used for typical pig breeds and their effects on the pork quality. It is highlighted also the importance of the products traceability and the need to better understand the purchasing dynamics of typical pork products

Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on the Mediterranean Pig. October 11 – 13, 2007. Messina - Capo d’Orlando (ME), Italy

These proceedings publish 79 communications that were distributed in six sessions and in one conference at the 6th Symposium on the Mediterranean Pig, both as main lectures, oral and poster presentation. The major arguments treated are the improvement and the management of the genetic resources, the sanitary approaches in the outdoor systems, the feeding and the rearing techniques, the quality of meat and meat products, the traceability for typical products and their socio-economical dynamics. Particular attention is given to the pig's local breeds and to their meat products, highlighting the importance to preserve the biodiversity as well as the typicality of some unique pork products. The monitoring of pig parasitic diseases is examined as well as the non conventional rearing systems used for typical pig breeds and their effects on the pork quality. It is highlighted also the importance of the products traceability and the need to better understand the purchasing dynamics of typical pork products

X Congreso Ibérico de Agroingeniería = X Congresso Ibérico de Agroengenharia : Libro de actas = Livro de atas

In 2017, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued a report on the challenges that Agriculture is facing and will face into the 21st century, which can be summarized in one question: will we be able to sustainably and effectively feed everyone by 2050 and beyond, while meeting the additional demand for agricultural commodities due to non- food uses? Agricultural engineers can contribute in this process by releasing the biological and technical constraints on crop and animal productivity, reducing the contribution of the agricultural sector to environmental degradation, and enabling agricultural practices to adapt to environmental changes. To achieve optimal results for agribusiness and the society, the expertise of agricultural engineers must be integrated with expertise from other sciences: breakthrough technologies are needed for agricultural enterprises to meet the increasing list of standards and norms in the areas of energy, animal welfare, product quality, water, and volatile emissions. Recognition of trends in society and networking and participation in debates have thus become important activities for agricultural engineers. The Iberian Agroengineering Congress series brings together Spanish and Portuguese engineers, researchers, educators and practitioners to present and discuss innovations, trends, and solutions to the aforementioned challenges in the interdisciplinary field of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. This biennial congress, jointly organized by the Spanish Society of Agroengineering and the Specialized Section of Rural Engineering of the Sociedade de Ciências Agrárias de Portugal, has proven to be an excellent opportunity to network and discuss future developments. In its 10th edition, the Congress has been held from 3-6 September in Huesca (Spain), at the Escuela Politécnica Superior, located on the Huesca Campus of the University of Zaragoza. The topics of the Congress have included the main areas of Agricultural Engineering: mechanization; soils and water; animal production technology and aquaculture; rural constructions; energy; information technologies and process control; projects, environment, and territory; postharvest technology; and educational innovation in agroengineering. The Congress has received 123 participants, who have submitted 144 papers, 86 oral communications and 58 poster. 22 universities, 4 research centers and 8 companies/professional associations have been represented. The quality of the papers presented to the congress is endorsed not only by the long trajectory of the Iberian Agroengineering Congress, but also by the edition of a Special Issue of Agronomy journal (ISSN 2073-4395) entitled “Selected Papers form 10th Iberian Agroengineering Congress”