UK: Pig health status revealed
Vital information about pig health status across Yorkshire is now available to the region’s pig producers.
A total of 375 pig producers have been surveyed to date by veterinary surgeons as part of the Yorkshire and Humberside Health (YHH) programme.
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Of these, 233 were declared to be in production and almost all of them gave their veterinary surgeon permission to record whether or not four important diseases were present on their units.
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Enzootic pneumonia (EP) was present on 141 of the units and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) was present on 136. Swine dysentery was recorded on 11 units and mange was recorded on eight units.
BPEX Health Co-ordinator Helen Clarke said: “The pig units surveyed so far represent more than 28,000 sows and more than 206,000 finishing places, covering a mixture of weaner producers, breed to finish and finishing units. So the data gives us a good indication of disease prevalence across the region.
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“The enthusiasm, co-operation and willingness of producers to share health status information is very encouraging. Armed with this knowledge, producers who have joined up to YHH can make much more effective decisions on how to manage biosecurity and improve pig health for the long term – which ultimately leads to higher physical herd performance and a more profitable business.”
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According to the veterinary survey, the average number of pigs weaned per sow per year in the Yorkshire and Humberside region is currently 24, with average pre-weaning and post-weaning mortality figures running at 10.83 and 3.32 % respectively.
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More information is being gathered as new producers sign up to YHH and take part in the survey. It is hoped that producers will continue to encourage their vets to fill in the surveys after each quarterly visit to ensure that the information available is accurate, up to date and therefore of most benefit to all. It should be noted that individual farm details are kept confidential. More results from the vet survey will be available on the YHH web pages, accessed by clicking on the map at www.pighealth.org.uk.©
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Producers who would like biosecurity advice and help forming cluster groups with their neighbours should call Helen Clarke on 07973 701369 or email her at helen.clarke@bpex.org.uk.
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Regional health improvement is requires the whole supply chain working together, from producers and vets to hauliers and allied industry companies.
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