By Lee J. Johnston and Yuzhi Li from the West Central Research and Outreach Center at the University of Minnesota

Certain segments of our society are raising concerns about the welfare of gestating sows housed in individual stalls. These folks have asked various segments of the food marketing chain to stop buying pork that is produced using individual gestation stalls. The end result is that pork producers are being encouraged or mandated to stop using individual gestation stalls, and start housing pregnant sows in groups.
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By Scott Wiggill, Big Dutchman

Group sow housing systems have been in the spotlight over the past few decades, due to pressures from Welfare Organisations as well as food distribution chains promoting good animal welfare to consumers. We have seen this trend being implemented in Europe and other countries, including South Africa. With local producers being accustomed to traditional crates in South Africa, there is a lot of negative perception about group sow housing with regard to sow production, as well as the capital layout required for such a change. It can be discouraging for the producer, especially during the current market conditions of high input costs and low meat prices. Continue Reading →

By Dr Jacolette Jansen, Charles Street Veterinary Consultancy

Internationally there has been pressure on pig farmers to do away with dry sow stalls – either in its totality or only for a specified period of time. For many farmers the thought of converting to group housing is a terrifying concept. Since this has become a social issue many researches have started evaluating the effects of group housing on sows. Continue Reading →

By Dr Pieter Vervoort, Charles Street Veterinary Consultancy

What’s old/What’s new?

Every once in a while a pig producer needs to look at what systems and technologies are being adopted by the industry. Looking at weaners we have seen considerable changes to the housing and management in the last decade or so. If we take a quick look at what is now considered old technology we come up with the following: Continue Reading →

In this article the proposed layout of buildings for a 100-sow production unit is highlighted. The series was compiled by the ARC’s Institute for Agricultural Engineering. The layout of piggeries should be planned in such a way that it facilitates the supervision and management of the various breeding and growth stages. The proposed layout includes the most important principles. Continue Reading →

In the previous article the handling of manure, the various kinds of floors and channels as well as the flush system were discussed. In this article the structures and equipment for the handling of manure will be discussed. The series was compiled by the ARC’s Institute for Agricultural Engineering. Continue Reading →