Modeling the Costs of Postpartum Dysgalactia Syndrome and Locomotory Disorders on Sow Productivity and Replacement

Abstract

Postpartum dysgalactia syndrome (PPDS) and locomotory disorders are common health problems in sows. Previous research suggests that they can cause substantial losses, reduce sow welfare, and result in premature removal of the sow from the herd. However, economic consequences of PPDS and locomotory disorders have not been investigated thoroughly. The goal of this study was to examine economic losses caused by PPDS and locomotory disorders and their impacts on sow longevity. A stochastic dynamic programming model, which maximizes return on sow space unit and assesses sow replacement under several scenarios, was developed. The state variables were litter size, parity number, and sow’s health status. The model describes changes in the production parameters such as the number of piglets born and piglet mortality. Herd data originating from commercial sow herds and from a research farm were used to parameterize the model. Sow longevity, health, and economic results are related to each other. Eliminating the risk of PPDS from the model increased the value of sow space unit by €279 when compared to the baseline scenario. Eliminating the risk of locomotory disorders increased value by €110. Results suggest that these estimates correspond to about €29.1 and €11.5 in economic costs per housed sow during her lifetime. The estimated magnitude of losses was €300–€470 per affected sow for PPDS and €290–€330 per affected sow for locomotory disorders. However, realistically speaking, not all of these costs are avoidable. Due to premature replacement associated with these two disorders, the average number of litters that the sow would deliver during her lifetime is decreased by about 0.1–0.4 litters depending on the scenario. We also observed that the optimal lifetime of a sow is not a fixed number, but it depends on her productivity level as well as health status. In general, a healthy sow could stay in the herd until she has produced 6–10 litters. Research is needed to understand the structures and interactions underlying health impairments, performance, replacement policies, and farm economics, and to provide pork producers with management recommendations.

Evaluation of a decision support system for precision feeding of gestating sows

“…Moreover, some recent studies indicate that nutrition of the sow during gestation may also affect the digestive capacity, the immune system robustness of the offspring ( Chen et al, 2017 ) and piglets’ survival at birth. Maternal body reserves should not be excessive at the end of pregnancy to avoid farrowing problems, especially an increase of stillbirth ( Quiniou, 2016 ), and postpartum dysgalactia syndrome ( PDS ), which are typical for fat sows ( Micquet et al, 1990 ; Göransson, 1989 ), and may impair feed intake after farrowing ( Dourmad, 1991 ) and reduce longevity ( Niemi et al, 2017 ). Conversely, too thin sows at farrowing have lighter piglets at birth and at weaning ( Quiniou, 2016 ), with an increased risk of mortality.…”

A value chain analysis of interventions to control production diseases in the intensive pig production sector

“…The net benefits of interventions per animal were obtained from [34] and are provided in Table 3 for both countries. In the source study, the impacts concerning the pig fattening phase were assessed in the model similar to [35] and the impacts concerning piglets and sows were assessed in the model presented by [3]. Because the source did not account for farm-level effects, model farm scenarios were developed in this study to illustrate the impact of interventions for an average-sized pig farm in both countries.…”

“…Piglet trade and logistics are mainly coordinated by these companies or by farrowing farms and fattening pig farms selling and buying piglets with established contracts [46]. Veterinary services are provided mainly by veterinarians employed by 60 municipalities [3,47]. There are roughly 300 veterinarians working with pig farms [48].…”

“…Production diseases originate from a complex interaction between the pathogen (where present), the animal and the environment where it is kept. These diseases can negatively affect production and animal welfare and they can lead to substantial financial losses for pig producers [2,3]. Research shows that management and environmental factors influence these diseases [4,5].…”

Influence of mastitis metritis agalactia (MMA) on bone and fat metabolism

“…Because the etiology and signs are numerous and vary from herd to herd, prevalence estimates are problematic to compare (Niemi, Bergman, Ovaska, Sevón-Aimonen, & Heinonen, 2017). In Illinois, the prevalence of MMA ranged from 1.1% to 37.2% in pig herds with an average of 13% (Bäckström, Morkoc, Connor, Larson, & Price, 1984).…”