Evaluation and Development of Standards for Swine Production Systems
PROJECT LEADERS Lee Whittington, Prairie Swine Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Bernardo Predicala, Prairie Swine Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
PROJECT OBJECTIVES • To develop a methodology for analyzing the cost/benefit of system optimization and standardization that can be applied to commercial swine farms. • To ensure that concepts identified in this project can be translated to the farm, providing a competitive advantage to Canadian pork producers.
SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT The project comprises five distinct phases. Firstly, to evaluate existing standards developed in other industries and estimate the value they bring to their respective industries. Can such approaches to standardization be applied to pork producers and do pork producers stand to gain from lessons learned in other industries? Secondly, to benchmark current systems in operating swine barns (i.e. ventilation & heating) to determine
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SWINE INNOVATION
both operating efficiency and operation expenses, and to identify strategies to improve the operation. For example, benchmarking may lead to approaches for better energy use. According to preliminary research, utility cost per pig shipped varies by a factor of 4 between highly efficient and less efficient farms. Thirdly, the project also evaluates the existing standards for livestock barns and current codes of practice for swine production to determine if they still meet the requirements of modern pig production. More specifically, we will look at the impact of major changes over the past 20 years in pig genetics (body weight, growth rate, reproductive capacity, etc.), management practices (stocking density, space allowances, etc.), technology (building materials, barn equipment, etc.) and welfare demands, among others. Also, the adequacy of the existing standards and codes, many established decades earlier, will be examined to determine if they still satisfy the requirements of modern pig production. Fourthly, to investigate opportunities for system standardization and optimization on-farm. This will involve developing a methodology for evaluating an operation and identifying what systems are not fully optimized. This is particularly important given there are so many different types of production systems in Canada. And lastly, to survey the industry to identify problems in design and operation that may lead to the development of new or modified standards or codes of practice that reflect the current environment under which modern pig production takes place.