PHOTO: ROTECNA
PHOTO: CAL MIQUELÓ
PHOTO: CAL MIQUELÓ
FARM VISIT ▶▶▶
Organic pig farming with rapid field rotation
The system is reminiscent of pig production in the UK. This farm, however, is in northern Spain, where organic outdoor production is also taking off. When Eduard Cau Barrufet decided to add an outdoor division to his conventional farm, he deviated from the British approach in one respect: he opted for rapid field rotation.
BY VINCENT TER BEEK, EDITOR, PIG PROGRESS T Profile
Name: Eduard Cau Barrufet, age 53 Function: Owner, Cal Miqueló Farm: Cal Miqueló is a three-site farrow-to-finish farm in Lleida province, Catalonia, Spain, on 250ha of land. On the first site, near Puiggròs, a conventional 1,200 sow facility is located; on the sec- ond, near L’Albi, is a 300-sow organic facility; and on the third site, near Els Omellons, the organic finisher pigs are kept. These sites are located within roughly 15km of each other. The farm also grows olive oil, organic walnuts and pistachio nuts. The solid manure from the organic farm is used on the fields.
his night is going to be an exciting one. When Pig Progress reaches out to Eduard Cau Barrufet, the farm is getting ready for something new. For the first time, weaning is going to happen at the farm’s
new organic pig site. About 300 six-week-old weaners will be moved away from the huts in the field to mobile weaner
houses. It was decided to perform this operation at 4am, be- cause that’s when all the piglets can be found inside the huts. Cau explains, “Catching the pigs for weaning purposes should normally not be much of a problem in the Spanish climate. In summer the piglets huddle together inside the huts to shelter from the strong heat of the sun. In winter, pretty much the same may happen as the piglets are trying to escape from the cold. Yet in spring or autumn, like now, with intermediate temperatures, the piglets could be anywhere during the day. They could also visit the neighbours. The piglets can run free- ly underneath the fences. That is why we have decided to do the weaning at night.”
Organic pig production in Spain When thinking of outdoor pigs in Spain, most people would think of ibérico pigs, the black breed that is allowed to forage on acorns so the meat develops a rich flavour. Keeping regu- lar pigs organically, however, is a development that has just gained momentum in the EU’s number one pig nation. Cau decided to go that way – and he designed his own method, which could work well under Spanish conditions. Being a well-travelled man with an open mind, Cau was in- spired by farms all over the planet, for instance in the UK, France, Argentina and the Netherlands as well as Australia. The concept that can be found at his farm, Cal Miqueló, is a mixture of styles mostly reminiscent of UK outdoor produc- tion, particularly as it includes the use of huts in fields for sows and their piglets. Yet there are essential differences. As space is relatively cheap in the area where he works, compared to in the UK, Cau was able to make different choices. He explains, “In the UK for a farm with 1,500 sows you need roughly 30–40ha. And after two years the entire operation needs to be moved to a differ- ent location. I didn’t want that; I’m using more space for 300 sows, with a very quick rotation system in which the fields have the chance to recover with perennial vegetation. I don’t think a similar system like this exists anywhere in Europe.”
The plan in practice The plan took shape at a 60ha piece of land in the town L’Albi where the organic facility was started in September 2020. Eduard Cau, his sons and a team of seven other people had been planning it for a number of years. As market demands change, going organic proved to be an opportunity. He said,
18 ▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 37, No. 4, 2021
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