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As part of the British Pig Health Scheme vets spend a lot of time in abattoirs observing lungs, says Paul Thompson, veterinary adviser to pig-breeding company ACMC. It has been noted that, in many cases, the pigs’ stomachs are full of feed. As slaughter weights have risen the amount of feed in a pig’s stomach can be considerable. This reduces the killing-out percentage as well as wasting feed.
At 110 kg a pig can be eating over 4 kg a day. Assuming a stomach is holding 2 kg of feed at slaughter, this equates to 31 tonnes of feed wasted per year in a herd finishing 300 pigs a week.
While feed withdrawal is not possible in all systems it is best to fast pigs for 8-12 hours before slaughter, he advises.
June 12, 2013 - ACMC
