142 Using the Biocheck UGent scoring tool in Irish farrow-to-finish pig farms_ assessing biosecurity and its relation to productive performance (Research paper – Da Costa – 2019)
Click here for resource
Significant Interest Groups: Biosecurity
Species targeted: Pigs;
Age: Young; Adult;
Summary:
Biosecurity is one of the main factors affecting disease occurrence and antimicrobial use, and it is associated with performance in pig production. The aim of this study was to describe the biosecurity status in a cohort of Irish pig farms, and to study the impact of biosecurity on farm performance. External biosecurity score was high compared to most countries due to the characteristics of the Irish pig sector (i.e. purchasing only semen and breeding gilts on farm). The internal biosecurity score was lower and had greater variability among farms than other EU countries. Data analysis showed the biosecurity practices explained 8, 23, and 16% of variability in piglet mortality, finisher mortality, and average daily gain, respectively. Our results point out that lower performing farms need to improve practices related to the environment, region, feed, water and equipment supply, and the overall management of the different production stages.
Where to find the original material: https://rdcu.be/b40Qv; https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-018-0113-6
Country: IE; BE: ES
English
Danish
Dutch
French
German
Greek
Latvian
Romanian
Spanish