Feed and Nutrition Featured Articles
Tech Talk: Liquid Feeding - real food for thought
By BPEX - Liquid feeding has the potential to bring huge benefits but only 30 per cent of British pig producers are using it.| Tech Talk is brought to you by the MLC on behalf of BPEX. |
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And most of them turned to it because of
savings in ration costs rather than the added
benefits of improvements in performance.
These were key elements from a workshop
run by the British Pig Executive (BPEX)
attended by about 60 producers, consultants,
nutritionists and scientists.
The workshop examined:
The equipment - its cost, maintenance, performance and the effect it could have on the pigs in terms of the carcase conformation and whether it would affect grading.
The feed - what sort of co-products could be used and the quality and consistency of those products.
The pigs - which looked at growth rates, gut health, reproduction and what effects these would have on the end product.
The major conclusions to come from the
participants were:
- savings in costs of production
- staff savings
- better feed intake
- improved gut health
- salmonella reduction
- avoiding putting co-products into landfill
Most producers felt the over-riding concern
for the British pig industry was the
health of pigs and the overall belief was that
liquid feeding could have important health
benefits. However, a minority had concerns
that liquid feeding, or the
transition to liquid
feeding, if not managed
properly, could exacerbate
any underlying health
problems.
Another producer who
used liquid feeding for his
entire set-up said though
he might lose half a per
cent on grading with
liquid fed pigs, he could
finish them a week quicker
so it was always a trade-off and there was a
balance to be achieved.
Consultant and David Black Award winner
Gerry Brent pinpointed an important factor.
He said: "The biggest barrier to investment
is the changing structure of the industry.
Currently contract finishers are reluctant to
spend thinking there’s no payback for them."
Far too often the initial cost dominated the
process rather than the potential benefits of
the outcome. The focus should be changed
to what it can deliver not what it costs.
Event organiser, MLC Senior Pig Scientist
Dr Jayne Thompson, said: "It raised a great
many questions and a lot of them did not
have simple answers.
"The workshop was step one and the feedback
was excellent. The next step is to send a
follow-up pack and work on the next event.
the pack is available from Jayne Thompson
on 01908 844243.
AGP withdrawal
Many pig producers are looking to manage
the transition to AGP-free production.
This can mean reviewing nutritional,
management and veterinary strategies, and
adopting recommendations of best practice
to help reduce potential any negative impact
of antibiotic growth promoter (AGP)
withdrawal.
Managing gut health will be key to overall
pig health and production.
On behalf of BPEX, the Meat and Livestock
Commission has developed a practical guide
on how to manage the transition to AGP-free
pig production.
It includes a quick reference of hot topics to
address at different stages of production.
The booklet is available by contacting the
MLC Technical Division on 01908 844734.
Giving the taxman credit!
The pay-off from research and development
could come sooner than you might
think - from the taxman!
Tax credits could be available for farms
involved in research.
The Inland Revenue Research and
Development tax credits are company tax
relief that can either reduce a firm's tax bill
or, for some small or medium sized companies,
provide a cash sum.
The aim is to encourage R&D and promote
investment in innovation.
Between April 2000 and May 2004 more
than 10,000 claims for R&D tax credits were
made with about £570 million of support
provided.
Research and Development for tax purposes
is when a project seeks to achieve an
advance in science or technology.
The tax credit works by allowing companies
to deduct up to 150% of qualifying
expenditure on R&D activities when calculating
their profit for tax purposes.
There is no upper limit on the amount of
a claim, but there must be qualifying expenditure
of at least £10,000 on R&D in the
accounting period in order for a claim to be
made.
Find out if you can benefit. www.inland
revenue.gov.uk/randd/ has a useful onepage
guide and www.dti.gov.uk/rdguide/
rd-guidelines-2004.htm provides further
information.
Source: British Pig Executive - March 2005
