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The Care4Pigs global grant initiative was launched in March 2020 to recognize and support innovative-thinking swine professionals who have new and practical approaches to advancing swine wellbeing on farm. A total of EUR30,000 in grant funding was on offer.
In response to this call, more than 120 entries were received from 29 countries. From this, a jury of independent swine and animal wellbeing experts, alongside representatives from Elanco, selected three projects, based on their ability to benefit the wellbeing of pigs, their on-farm practicality and economic viability. The three successful initiatives, to be awarded EUR10,000 each, are:
- Online training tool for proper identification of pigs in need of care and treatment (Brazil) – Professor Cesar Augusto Pospissil Garbossa from the University of Sao Paulo
- O’porctunité - Web and mobile app for pig welfare (France) – Professor Agnes Waret-Szkuta from the Ecole Nationale Veterinaire de Toulouse
- Free farrowing systems management (Switzerland) – Dr Thomas Heinrich Echtermann from Vetsuisse Faculty of the University of Zurich
Jury member and consultant with the Brazilian Association of Swine Veterinarians (ABRAVES), Dr Cleandro Pazinato Dias reflects on the winning proposals:
“All the entries we received were of such a high level and clearly demonstrate how swine professionals all over the world are committed to the wellbeing of their animals. The three successful projects were able to show a unique and innovative idea, some of which were practical and others more focused on research. All three were key in sharing this important message about wellbeing”.
Along with gaining support to further their projects, the three grant recipients play an important role in inspiring other swine professionals to drive wellbeing improvements in practical ways. Member of the Farm Animal Welfare Education Center, and Care4Pigs judge, Dr Xavier Manteca, reflects on this:
“Care4Pigs demonstrates that farmers can be influential in improving the welfare of animals, not only on-farm, but by providing practical examples. We have the opportunity now to combine the best of scientific research with real-world experience, which can then be shared with producers all over the world.”
The high number of applications for the grant reflects the emphasis on wellbeing globally. Dr Hyun-Seop Kim, member of the Care4Pigs jury and president of the Korean Association of Swine Veterinarian, discusses its importance:
“The outcome of the grant initiative was extremely impressive, with many different types of submissions, even in the middle of the COVID pandemic. This clearly shows that animal wellbeing is a priority for swine professionals across the world. There were many great ideas that can be applied across production systems and geographies for the benefit of pigs and producers.”
Octavio Orlovsky Eckhardt, jury member and Swine Species Marketing Director at Elanco, reflects further on the success of the initiative:
“The focus on advancing swine wellbeing in innovative and practical ways is clearly imperative to farmers across the world. The three selected initiatives, and the knowledge they provide, can now be shared with other swine professionals to help drive further improvements for the benefit of pigs.”
December 3, 2020 - Elanco Animal Health
