166 The biosecurity status and its associations with production and management characteristics in farrow-to-finish pig herds Research paper – Postma, 2016)

166 Research paper – Postma – 2016 – The biosecurity status and its associations with production and management characteristics in farrow-to-finish pig herds

In Significant Impact Groups: Biosecurity
Species targeted: Pigs;
Age: Young; Adult;
Summary:
This study aimed at assessing the levels of implementation of biosecurity measures in pig production to describe possible associations between the biosecurity level and farm and production characteristics. The study was conducted in 232 farrow-to-finish pig herds in Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden, between December 2012 and December 2013. The biosecurity status in each of these herds using Biocheck.UGent. The results showed that the biosecurity on many pig farms was low. Internal and external biosecurity levels differed between countries. The external biosecurity status was highest in Germany and lowest in France. The internal biosecurity status was highest in Sweden and lowest in Belgium. External biosecurity scores were in general higher than internal biosecurity scores. Herds with more sows and more employees were likely to have a higher external biosecurity score. A higher external biosecurity positively influenced the number of weaned piglets per sow per year and the internal biosecurity score.

Where to find the original material: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26567800; https://doi.org/10.1017/S1751731115002487
Country: BE; SE; CH; DE; FR