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According to NPA, the centre will be a leading research facility for pig nutrition, behaviour, health and production system research – all themes identified by the livestock industry as central to improving quality, productivity and future competitiveness.
The new centre will benefit from academic expertise drawn from across a range of disciplines including nutrition, health, behaviour and fertility, as well as computer vision, engineering, soil and water sciences, data analytics, and atmospheric and climate science.
The investment includes a three-fold increase in the previous capacity of the farm, from 200 to 660 sows; of these, 220 will live outdoors.
The combination of an outdoor sow unit with an indoor system is unique in Europe, enabling direct comparison of the different rearing systems.
Research projects
Projects at the National Pig Centre will help tackle some of the current challenges in pig production including:
- Nutrition: developing precision feeding for livestock to improve sustainability and productivity and study the effects of nutrition on welfare and behaviour;
- Anti-microbial resistance: developing healthier pigs with more robust gut health and improved resistance to disease, thereby reducing antibiotic use;
- Production systems: improving efficiency of production and identifying better ways to feed and manage pigs; and
- Monitoring pig behaviour and developing algorithms to allow early detection of health conditions.
Thursday November 28, 2019/ NPA/ United Kingdom.
http://www.npa-uk.org.uk
