Breeding

The English pig industry has clearly identified the need to improve reproductive performance as key to achieve the 2TS target. BPEX is providing support to the industry’s efforts to improve reproductive performance in pig herds in four key areas:

Promoting best-practice on-farm
Development of an auditable quality standard for AI
Establishment of a reference laboratory for semen analysis
Promoting and using farm recording as an essential management tool

The English breeding herd performance is significantly poorer than our close European neighbours, resulting in a higher, less competitive cost of production. The poor English performance results from small litter sizes and reduced farrowing rates, producing fewer litters per sow per year than our competitors.

The challenge is to increase the born alive litter size by at least one pig per litter, and the number sold per sow per year by at least two pigs.

Solving summer reproductive problems

Heat stress is caused when a pig's body temperature rises above certain limits, this can have a negative impact on reproductive performance. As we move into summer and periods of higher temperatures make sure you take action as appropriate to minimise heat stress in your pigs. A handy guide to the problems you might encounter, and how to address them, can be found here.

Solving autumn reproductive problems

Autumn can arrive and catch you unawares. Preparing for the conditions and problems that can occur at this time will help you minimise its affect on the herd's performance. A handy guide to the problems you might encounter, and how to address them, can be found here.

BPEX AI Standard for Porcine Semen Quality in Pig AI Centres

The BPEX AI Standard is based on agreed Best Practice principles and procedures that are followed by the AI centres. Its introduction further extended the chain of assurance to include AI to give producers confidence that the product arriving on their farm was produced to a consistently high standard.

BPEX AI Standard

In September 2006, the BPEX standard for porcine semen quality in Pig Artificial Insemination (AI) Centres was launched. The leading British pig breeding companies ACMC, Hermitage-Seaborough, JSR, PIC and Rattlerow collaborated in the development of the Standard and are participating in the assurance programme. The BPEX Standard for porcine semen quality in Pig Artificial Insemination (AI) Centres together with the BPEX Pig AI Standard Reference Laboratory provides pig farmers with an unprecedented assurance that the semen delivered to their farms meets international standards and can be used with confidence. Further details can be found in resources.

For further information, advice or assistance on improving the reproductive performance of your pig herd(s) contact Angela Cliff: angela.cliff@bpex.ahdb.org.uk or call 07967 788 484.

The cost of empty days

Do you know what an 'empty' day costs you? If not, try using these equations to work it out:

Cost per sow-day =
Total annual breeding herd expenditure / (productive sows x 365)

Cost of reproductive failure =
Cost per sow-day X empty days per annum / pigs born alive (sold) per sow per year