UK: Horticulture to help pig producers
The pig industry is looking to horticulture, human medicine and aquatics for new insights into how we can safeguard pig health. Experts from these areas will be joining the pig sector to offer a glance into the future at the annual BPEX Innovation Conference on 13 May 2015.
This free, one-day event will provide the latest in science, management techniques and technologies for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of pig disease.
The speakers lined up include research scientist, Alison Wakeham, from the University of Worcester who will discuss novel diagnostics from the horticultural sector.
Alison said: “There are massive similarities, believe it or not, between growing cucumbers in green houses and growing pigs in ventilated buildings, for example, problems with disease coming in from outside, the need to clean effectively between batches to prevent cross contamination and to identify infectious diseases promptly to reduce associated production problems.”
BPEX technical innovation manager Charlotte West said: “The field of rapid diagnostics has expanded significantly and there is a lot we can learn from other industries as well as our own sector. It is particularly important because of new and emerging diseases on the horizon, as well as the need to pinpoint more accurately and treat infectious organisms to help manage our use of antibiotics.”
There will also be smaller, informal breakout discussions during the day to hear from pig producers and researchers about technologies already being applied in industry, including the latest in precision farming, how the waste food industry is reducing odour and technologies for outdoor pigs.
Overall, the conference aims to enable English pig businesses to investigate and adopt the most relevant innovations available, to help them grow their profitability and compete in the global marketplace. It will be held at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire from 09:30 to 16:30, with lunch and refreshments provided.
For full programme details and to register online, click here.
Join 18,000+ subscribers
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated about all the need-to-know content in the pigsector, three times a week.
