How to reduce piglet mortality figures?
Both the Netherlands and Denmark are under societal pressure to reduce piglet mortality figures. What do both countries do to meet these novel demands?
By Erik Ordelman, Boerderij, the Netherlands
Lowering piglet mortality rates is a constant challenge for pig producers. Denmark has succeeded in reducing this from 22% in 2004 to 16% in 2010.
T
he Danish pig industry has felt the effects of increased societal pressure to reduce piglet mor- tality figures since 2010. In that year, the Danish government launched an initiative to reduce pig- let mortality by installing a taskforce. Its goal: by
2020, 1 more piglet per litter should survive than in 2014. Rikke Ingeman Svarrer, project manager at the Danish Pig Research Centre (VSP), part of SEGES, explained that this tar- get is a major challenge for pig producers. She was interviewed by Boerderij, a sister title to Pig Progress. Nevertheless, the Danish mortality figures are not as high as they appear to be, as in Denmark, stillborn piglets form part of mortality figures. The Danish industry has initiated a double track to achieve a reduction of piglet mortality. On the one hand, using breeding
techniques, sows can be selected that will combine both excel- lent maternal qualities with high vitality piglets. For this pur- pose, the key figure ‘LG5’ was developed – or the number of piglets alive at day 5 post-farrowing. This figure will make up 28% of the Danish breeding goal. The second track is to reduce mortality by applying manage- ment measures. A start was made in nucleus facilities, which managed to reduce mortality from 22% in 2004 to 16% in 2010. On the basis of the results achieved in nucleus farms, the taskforce concluded that a similar improvement can be made at multiplication farms when applying improved management.
Project PattegriseLIV A 2014 evaluation of the multiplication farm outcomes, resulted in the start of the project PattegriseLIV in 2015 (see box on next page). Its goal was to give an extra impetus to attempts to reduce piglet mortality. The main instrument in doing so is to share the participating farms’ practical experiences with pig producers. Altogether 30 farms participated in the project. Their results as well as management are being analysed and communicated to other pig producers. One year after the start, the Danes have thus managed to make a good analysis of the large differences between farms with regards to piglet mortality. These differ- ences offer opportunities to reduce mortality and form the
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PHOTO: JORIS TELDERS
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