Extra moves on farm
Extra moves on farm
MANY pig units, already renowned for their high level of disease control, are taking a further step to tighten biosecurity by breeding replacement gilts on-farm.
In the past year, 20-25% of Cotswold UKs clients have turned to farm gilt multiplication (FGM), away from buying-in replacement gilts, says the companys general manager Mike Williamson.
It involves bringing a nucleus herd of grandparent gilts on to the unit and artifically inseminating them with dam line semen to produce the next generation of nucleus gilts.
Strictly speaking, units are returning to FGM, explains Mr Williamson. "About 20 years ago, FGM was widely practised until near service-age gilt replacements became commercially available."
But bringing in about 400 gilts a year for a 1000-sow unit carries the risk of upsetting the health status of a unit.
"Breeding gilts on-farm allows them to build up immunity to disease found on the unit, rather than bringing in 100kg gilts from a multiplication unit, which has a different set of diseases."
The threat of classical swine fever (CSF), foot-and-mouth and pig wasting diseases have certainly encouraged a rethink of breeding strategies, but there is more behind the increasing popularity of FGM, he adds.
"Haulage costs amount to about £3500/year to bring in 400 replacement gilts – a much needed saving. F&M movement restrictions also disrupted herd parity, with older sows being kept and no replacement gilts coming in. FGM will ensure a consistent supply of gilts in future." *