8 Modern swine innovations in the Netherlands

The LIV was held March 6-8 in Venray, the Netherlands.

Pig syringe and marker in one

VADA products, a company set up by students, developed a syringe to vaccinate and mark piglets in one go. To achieve this, they added an atomiser to a Henke-Sass-Wolf syringe, aimed at the side of the animal during vaccination.

The device is sold for a total of € 200, which would include a carry-on container with marking liquid. VADA products is still looking for an agent.

App for monitoring piglet weights

The Netherlands-based data and ICT company Agrisyst showcased an app for monitoring piglet weights. With this type of techniques, it is possible to record data without an increase in labour, according to the company.

Using digital techniques this way it is possible to record a pig’s entire lifespan. It is possible to record both data of groups of animals as well as individual pigs. For Agrisyst, it does not matter which type of ear tag is being used.

Photo: Bert Jansen

Mobile app for daily registration

Agrovision, also from the Netherlands, introduced PigVision Mobile, a mobile app to register all daily actions inside the pig house. The app, which connects to sow management programme Pig Manager, sends out an alarm in case unlikely values are being entered.

The app can be used both online and offline. By scanning a bar code at the sow’s card, all data show up on-screen.

Photo: Bert Jansen

Cool pig manure pits

A novelty on the fair was this type of cooling manure pit, to be used for farrowing houses, which came into existence as a result of a co-production between Intercontinental and R&R Systems. The former provided the manure pit, the latter the cooling system, allowing the manure never to get warmer than 15ºC at a maximum level of 12 cm, hence weekly removal of manure is a necessity.

With this technique, the ammonia reduction of the manure pit is 85%, in turn making air scrubbers a thing of the past. The manure pit is available in different sizes. The cooling system will be integrated in the frame and uses a heat pump.

Photo: Bert Jansen

Pump and grow for piglets

Danish company Agrokorn developed Pump ’n grow, an additional, automatic milk dispenser for lactating piglets. The system comes with a container, a pump and a drinking basin with valve and nipple.

Using fairly thin tubes, only little milk will remain inside the system, hence the animals always have access to fresh milk. Cleaning can be done manually. The system cost between € 25 to € 45 per farrowing pen.

Photo: Bert Jansen

Wireless scanner for gestating sows

Dutch company MS Schippers introduced a wireless scanner. The device works using wi-fi as well as Bluetooth and can scan for pregnancy, record scanned images; read digital ear marks and measure backfat thickness.

The scanner comes with an iPad; its price is comparable with those of regular scanners, according to the company. The backfat measuring is often being done to measure the sow’s condition.

Photo: Bert Jansen

Euthanising piglets using nitrogen

Another innovation by MS Schippers: a new method involving gaseous nitrogen, for euthanising poor-doing piglets. This gas will be caught in soap bubbles, closing off the piglets’ trachea. The piglets will be placed in a crate that in turn can be placed inside the device.

It’s possible to euthanise piglets up to 25 kg. According to the company, nitrogen would be a more pleasant gas than CO₂. Especially at larger farms with many employees, there is a demand for euthanisation methods that do not affect staff too much. Price: around € 2,000.

Photo: Bert Jansen

Euthanising piglets with CO2

An innovation using CO₂ was presented by Agro TopShop, the device being called ‘CO₂ box-500’. The device works for animals up to 5 kg and makes sure the animals come to die.

The euthanasia process is fully automised, with the device taking care of maintaining a constant CO₂ level during the process. The device costs € 2,490 and comes with training.

Photo: Bert Jansen