The big challenges of the future of global pig production are food safety, antibiotic use, animal welfare and the environmental impact, all aspects defined in sustainable production. The industry has very high production standards however consumers often don't value this.
Ingelheim, Germany, 13 December 2016 – Having reached the milestone of 1 billion doses sold since launch, yet another vaccine of Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health crosses a significant threshold making it one of the leading vaccines for the control of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae globally(1).
During the last fifty years or so, disease control in the pork industry has evolved mainly relying on antimicrobials, vaccines, elimination (depopulation, repopulation, eradication, modified early weaning), and/or regional control depending on the disease.
Pig production has responded to the challenge of increased global demand for pork by a process of consolidation and increased size to capture benefits of economies of scale. Over the last 25 years the swine industry has evolved in order to increase production performance, health and animal wellbeing towards age segregated or multiple site production models. In general, it can be stated that the changes in production systems have produced a positive effect in the health status of pigs by improving the way we raise pigs today.
Han Swinkels
Early and excessive iron supplementation can negatively influence health
Piglets are born with minimal iron-reserves (40 mg). This low iron concentration is a natural defence mechanism directed at combatting bacterial infections during and after birth.
Sow milk provides piglets with about 1 mg Iron/day. With a daily need of about 7 mg there is only sufficient iron for about 4 to 5 days.
Understanding the epidemiology of Mhp, relies on accurate detection of the pathogen in live pigs. The videos below provide a detailed guide to using the most advanced techniques to detect the pathogen on your farm.
Get the latest news on Swine Health Subscribe to our newsletter