panting and cooling their skin. Panting increases airflow and evaporation of water from the lungs, which releases heat. In addition, pigs lie on cool surfaces or in cooler shaded areas to help dissipate heat from their bodies, or they cover themselves in water or mud to help with evaporative cooling.
Management options Building structure The following alterations in the housing system are recom- mended: increasing structural strength and insulation of buildings to withstand higher winds, using natural light when possible and LED light bulbs when artificial light is needed, providing creep boxes in a farrowing unit to decrease the overall building temperature, installing solar panels for energy usage and considering outdoor or partial outdoor finishing to save energy.
Manure handling Scraper systems cause a significant reduction in a barn’s air emissions and provide better barn air quality. With a scraper system, manure is moved out of the barn twice or more each day, resulting in fewer anaerobically created gases. In addi- tion, incorporating energy recovery systems, such as anaer- obic digesters, into housing designs will result in improved energy balance.
Ventilation Ventilation systems should be designed to ensure uniform air quality throughout the barn at specific parameters, including temperature, humidity, air speed and carbon dioxide concen- trations. Centrifugal fans are more efficient than axial fans, and they work better against external wind forces and are easier to maintain. In addition, ceiling inlets throughout the barn provide uniform and good air quality in the barn. Fans and inlet controls need to be synchronised and controlled by at least two temperature sensors per room to ensure proper and uniform conditions.
Conclusion The potential impacts of climate change on the swine industry are not limited to the effects of high ambient temperature on pig health, welfare and performance. Climate change can also affect feed cost, and since feed costs comprise around 60–70% of the total costs of production, the swine industry needs to minimise the current and future impacts of climate change on productivity and profitability to remain competitive. Various adaptation options are available for building housing systems to ensure climate improvement for pigs. However, further re- search should be conducted by government and non-govern- ment agencies on climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience strategies to minimise the adverse effects.
▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 38, No. 4, 2022 37
This drone pic- ture of a pig farm shows what can be done to prepare for warmer tem- peratures: add solar panels on the roof.
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