Characteristics of organic pig farms in selected European countries and their possible influence on litter size and piglet mortality

Abstract

Better knowledge of piglet losses around birth and during lactation, and the role of litter size, housing and management characteristics, should help to identify critical points and hence to improve the situation in organic pig farms. For this purpose, a project was initiated in five EU countries collecting interview data, measures of animal and housing characteristics and production records. This paper presents results regarding production characteristics from 82 herds. Among them, 42 farms were included in an analysis based on the production records. Based on sows’ housing system during the first 2 weeks after farrowing, farms were classified as “indoor” (n = 49) or “outdoor” (n = 33). For each group, a multiple correspondence analysis and subsequent hierarchical classification were carried out to identify distinct farm categories. In total, 30 variables from the questionnaires and measured characteristics were used after binary transformation when necessary. Three types of indoor farms and two types of outdoor farms were identified. Regarding litter size at birth and weaning, there was no clear difference between all types of indoor farms and one type of outdoor farms, whereas the second type of outdoor farms, that were more “extensive”, had lower performance. Production records showed a detrimental influence of high farm average litter size at birth on piglet mortality and that high-standard deviation in litter size may exacerbate this problem

Structural characteristics of organic dairy farms in four European countries and their association with the implementation of animal health plans

“…This survey confirms the findings of others, that organic dairy farming in Europe is largely constituted by small-scale family farms (Sanders et al, 2016). A similar trend was found by Prunier et al (2013) for organic pig farms. Resource demands (e.g.…”

“…In Stage 1, 114 farm structure variables were entered into an Excel-matrix and screened for missing and abnormal values using procedures exemplified by Prunier et al (2013) and De Boyer des Roches et al (2016) in studies linking animal health outcomes to structural factors. Approximately 20% of the variables were transformed into binary scales using the median as the status threshold.…”

Effect of Three Husbandry Systems on Environmental Impact of Organic Pigs

“…Emissions originating from the sows are allocated to their offspring, and, therefore, higher litter sizes may be regarded as beneficial if all piglets survive and grow adequately. However, in light of the effect of litter size on piglet mortality [20], the focus should be on an adequate litter size, with robust and viable piglets. This suggestion fits to the number of piglets weaned per sow and year being negatively associated with all environmental impact indicators, which may indicate that farms with good management and productivity are at an advantage.…”

“…However, it has recently been shown that organic pig farms in Europe can clearly be distinguished into three main "husbandry systems": Pigs may be kept completely outdoors in paddocks on pasture, as in most UK and Italian farms, or indoors, with access to a limited concrete outside run, as in most farms in German speaking countries. Furthermore, both systems, indoor and outdoor, may be combined on one farm for different production stages or during different seasons, as is common, for example, in Denmark or France [1,20].…”

Organic Feed: A Bottleneck for the Development of the Livestock Sector and Its Transition to Sustainability?

“…High forage systems adopted by organic goat producers also present a challenge for an integrated nutrient supply and reproductive synchronization (which is essential for the ruminants' production and health), leading to a relatively stable production level over time [63]. Taking into account the fact that animals reared under extensive conditions expend more energy and tend to produce less, such as the organic pigs studied by Prunier et al [64], the use of feed additives that "naturally" improve feed efficiency would often help. This could also be applied to more intensified organic farms such as many organic dairy farms.…”