Bjarne K. Pedersen

Climate changes have forced governments around the world to enforce legislation to reduce the carbon footprint from all parts of society including pig production.

Development of pig production towards large integrators and the spread of highly lethal diseases, such as ASF, have led to increased focus on biosecurity and methods to protect the assets associated with large pig units.

Many farm design parameters have changed. Animal welfare has become even more important and genetic evolution has resulted in productive variation between breeds.

The Danish pig producers’ research organisation has tested a number of different designs. They recommend pen dimensions of 2.7x1.8 m to accommodate modern prolific breeds.

The gestation unit is basically a parking unit where sows should be kept comfortable to allow the pregnancy to develop

The mating and control unit is one of the most important elements of a sow unit. Thus, it must facilitate a high pregnancy rate, high number of piglets, uniform body condition, sow longevity and a low return rate.

Trials have shown that a group size of 15-25 pigs per pen is ideal and it also coincides with the capacity of most feeders on the market.

Danish trials indicate that pen shape should be rectangular with a 2:1 length:width ratio, which accommodates activities such as resting, eating, defecating as well as social activities.

The planning of a new pig unit or remodelling of an existing one starts with the biological assumptions for the production that is going to take place in the unit.

The purpose of a ventilation system is to remove excessive moisture and heat produced by animals in order to maintain an indoor climate within certain limits

This article explains the most important principles of environmental control in the pig barns, such as ventilation control, maintenance of temperature within the thermoneutral zone of the animals and of the relative humidity levels inside the barns.