Page 12 of articles about facilities-equipment in Articles

The European Welfare Quality® project has developed systems to objectively evaluate animal welfare on farms and slaughterhouses in order to identify the causes of deficient wellbeing and to assess farmers on possible improvements.

In previous articles we have discussed the need for good cleaning and disinfection, how to clean properly and how to disinfect. Now we come to the agents used, and it is vital to realise that the right choice of detergent and disinfectant is a pivotal part of any cleaning and disinfection programme.

In the last article we looked at the need for thorough complete cleaning of a building, room or equipment in any efficient biosecurity programme. If done properly this will reduce the pathogen burden hugely as shown by a typical reduction in bacterial counts by 99%.

In order to try to control the environment, it is important: - Be able to evaluate it. - Be familiar with the needs of different types of animals. - Implement corrective measures to adapt to those needs.

Is the lighting in warehouses up to standard? Are the manipulable materials the right ones?

It is much more difficult to achieve a good quality of cleaning if the surface you are trying to clean is particularly pervious to water (for example wood) and has many cracks and hidden areas.

Man is possibly the only animal capable of living in practically all places in the world, regardless of the climate. This is due to his capacity to construct buildings to isolate himself from the climate however extreme it may be, maintaining an environment which allows him to survive. As domestic animals live together with man, they have to take advantage indirectly of this capacity.

The new test on animal welfare in swine herds will demonstrate your knowledge on the welfare of weaned piglets.

Is the European normative for welfare observed? Verify it with our test!

The Danish pig producers’ research organisation has tested a number of different designs. They recommend pen dimensions of 2.7x1.8 m to accommodate modern prolific breeds.

Test your knowledge on the European legislation about the minimum standards for the protection of pigs (2001/88/EC of 23/Oct/2001 and 2001/93/EC of 9/Nov/2001)

Water is the most essential nutrient to livestock nutrition and must be considered as much as possible. It should be drinkable, it should not contain harmful substances and should be readily available for the animals concerned.

The gestation unit is basically a parking unit where sows should be kept comfortable to allow the pregnancy to develop

The mating and control unit is one of the most important elements of a sow unit. Thus, it must facilitate a high pregnancy rate, high number of piglets, uniform body condition, sow longevity and a low return rate.

The vast majority of new farms are fully integrated with land to produce feed ingredients and for slurry disposal, feed manufacture, farms, slaughter and processing.

Trials have shown that a group size of 15-25 pigs per pen is ideal and it also coincides with the capacity of most feeders on the market.