Organic pig sector in the Netherlands

The Dutch organic pig sector has shown strong growth in recent years. Although a significant share of organic of organic pork is exported, domestic consumers are continuing to buy more organic pork. To facilitate organic pig farmers, Wageningen UR and Louis Bolk Institute carry out a variety of research aimed specifically at the sector. The report contains sector facts, sector aspirations, current affairs and research projects

Farrowing accommodation for organic pigs

Newborn piglets in organic farrowing pens have a lower survival rate than in conventional farrowing pens. This difference is mainly caused by housing the sow loose compared to crated and by climatic effects of the outdoor temperature. Organic lactating sows should have at least 7.5 m² indoor area with straw and a 2.5 m² outdoor run. The aim of the project was to increase piglet survival in order to improve animal welfare as well as the profitability of organic farms. In the experiment we compared survival and behaviour in 3 pen types: type 1 with outdoor run, type 2 with an indoor run and a higher proportion of solid floor and type 3 without run. Data was analysed with Analysis of Variance using parity and liveborn piglets as covariables. Results of 131 litters in total showed 9.6a, 10.8b and 9.4a (p=0.05) weaned piglets per litter for pen type 1, 2 and 3. Fouling scores indicating dunging behaviour in the indoor lying area showed 13a, 21b and 19b (p=0.04) for pen types 1, 2 and 3. We found a tendency that litters with high survival rates used the separate piglet nest sooner for lying than the litters with low survival rates. Climatic conditions seemed to be crucial for the vitality and survival of the newborn piglets. The better climatic conditions combined with the higher proportion of solid floor resulted in a higher survival rate of the piglets. These results are currently used in a second experiment focussing on extra heating around farrowing and solid floor proportion in a new farrowing accommodation

Effect of cleaning /disinfection strategies on helminth infections in finishing pigs

Ascaris suum is the most prevalent helminth on organic pig farms (Carstensen et al., 2002) and is transmitted mainly via the faeces. The use of anthelmintics does not fit in the organic principles and preventive measures are promoted. This project focused on assessing the efficacy of a cleaning protocol for the dunging area of pens on Ascaris s. transmission to pigs. In 4 batches with 8 identical pens for 15 pigs each (n=480 pigs) 6 pigs per pen were orally infected with Ascaris s. The other pigs can be earliest infected at 10 weeks and half of the pens were thoroughly cleaned at that time. Affected livers and egg counts in the manure had to show if this cleaning protocol keeps the non infected animals free of Ascaris s. The results show no effect of the cleaning protocol on the non infected pigs. These pigs had 57% damaged livers in both treatment and 50% had positive egg counts in the manure. The conclusion is that pen hygiene does not contribute to a reduction of Ascaris s. infections

Effect of rooting area and drinker in the outdoor run on behaviour and Ascaris infection of organic pigs

Hygiene is often a problem on the outdoor runs of growing organic pigs. Manure and urine are mainly excreted outside, but spread all over the run. Reduc-ing the dirty surface may improve well being, reduce ammonia emission, improve hygiene and reduce labour and parasite infections. The presence of a rooting area and of a drinker on the outdoor run were tested in a 2x2 factorial design. The pens with the rooting areas had a higher number of pigs on the outdoor run than the pens without a rooting area (1.6 vs 1.2 pigs). This was caused by more pigs in area 2 and 3. At higher temperatures there were more pigs outside, except in the root-ing area: this was popular at all temperatures. A rooting area resulted in a cleaner outdoor area, however in some cases the root-ing area became a dunging area. An extra outdoor drinker leads to a cleaner area around the drinker, but to a dirtier indoor area. No difference in Ascaris infection was found between the four treatment combinations

Preliminary experiences on organic farrowing pen size

Preliminary results of a comparison of organic farrowing pens of 8m2 and 24m2 showed nest building behaviour and lower piglet mortality in the larger pens

Extra snijmais goed voor welzijn varkens

Vleesvarkens hebben graag een emmer snijmais. Dat blijkt uit praktijkonderzoek op Varkens Innovatie Centrum Sterksel, onderdeel van Wageningen UR. In vergelijking met stro heeft snijmais meer voederwaarde en het leidt minder snel tot verstoppingen in de mestput

Preliminary experiences on organic farrowing pen size

Background ● Newborn piglet mortality in organic herds is often higher than in conventional herds. The legal minimum of 7.5m² indoor pen surface is considered a real minimum and separation of functional areas is better with 8m² or more. ● In cooperation with organic pig farmers we started a comparison of standard and large farrowing pen

Improved health, welfare and viability in young pigs: designing an organic farrowing pen

This factsheet evaluates farrowing pen design to reduce piglet mortality and health problems. Additionally, it presents the results of the Core Organic Cofund project POWER on a farrowing pen design’s relevance for animal welfare and its environmental impact

Sensitivity of Micromachined Joule-Thomson Cooler to Clogging Due to Moisture

A major issue in long-term operation of micromachined Joule-Thomson coolers is the clogging of the microchannels and/or the restriction due to the deposition of water molecules present in the working fluid. In this study, we present the performance of a microcooler operated with nitrogen gas with different moisture levels. Relatively low-purity nitrogen gas (5.0) is supplied from a gas bottle and led through a filter to control the moisture level. The filter consists of a tube-in-tube counter flow heat exchanger (CFHX) and a heat exchanger that is stabilized at a certain temperature by using a Stirling cooler. The set-point temperature determines the moisture level at the exit of the heat exchanger. It is found that the moisture level has influence on the mass-flow rate during the cool down. Once the microcooler reaches the set cold-end temperature, the main deposition area shifts into the CFHX and the moisture level at the restriction is almost independent on the inlet moisture level of the microcooler. The moisture level at the restriction increases with the increasing cold-end temperature when the cold-end temperature is lower than the saturation temperature of the water in the nitrogen gas. Higher cold-end temperature results in higher clogging rate