This latest edition of Pig Progress takes a close look at Asia and considers the impact and consequence of ASF on the region’s wild boar population. Also, a farm in the Netherlands is discovering more about supplementary feeding of piglets during lactation – what are the benefits and how long will they last? This and more in the latest edition of Pig Progress.
The impact of ASF on Asia’s wild boar population had been under-reported for a long time. But, data from the Malaysian Peninsula make those effects tangible and confirm a new, permanent pig health reality in Asia. Pig Progress investigates on pages 8-10.
In her column on page 11, president of The Sunswine Group, Casey Bradley, talks about why disease prevention should be top of mind for animal nutritionists.
A 400-sow farrow-to-finish facility in the Netherlands was the ideal location for a farm trial to discover more about supplementary feeding of piglets during lactation. Does the effect of supporting young piglets with access to milk replacer last all the way until slaughter? This article on pages 14-17 sets to find out.
In September, SEGES Innovation held a 2-day ‘Think Piglet’ summit in Copenhagen, addressing piglet health and nutrition. The question of how to get as many healthy piglets as possible was answered from many angles. Pages 18-19.
One way to help piglets get healthily through lactation is through ‘precision breeding’, which is the application of modern biotechnology such as gene editing in animal breeding. This article on pages 20-21 looks at what this entails.
Columnist and interdisciplinary researcher, Irene Camerlink, agrees that improving pig welfare does take time. But, she says, the time is worth it. On page 26 she outline some examples why.