Controlling Stillbirth Losses
Hypor offers solutions to this global problem, including tips on management and supervision at farrowing.

Heavier Pigs Born, Heavier Pigs Weaned
Heavier piglets at birth maintain their weight advantage to weaning and beyond. This article from Alpharma in the series Defining Sow Productivity explains why this is so and highlights ways to achieve it in a publication entitled Birth and...

Erysipelas: Why is it Still a Problem after 100 Years?
Mark White BVSc LLB DPM MRCVS of the Haven Veterinary Group explores the clinical picture, diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment, control and prevention of this common disease.

World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates
US meat production seems to be down all round this month, falling slightly behind expectations, says the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) from the USDA.

Pregnancy Housing Affects Offspring Performance
Sow stalls are much criticised by animal welfare groups although a 2004 review showed no evidence of any harm to sows in a well managed confined housing systems. New work from Virginia Tech, summarised for ThePigSite by editor Jackie Linden, shows that...

Timing Crucial for Circovirus Vaccination
The timing of vaccination against porcine circovirus (PCV) and the thoroughness of the vaccination programme are essential to ensure a reduction in death loss in the herd improved weight gain, writes ThePigSite Senior Editor, Chris Harris.

Proposition 2 - New Rules on Animal Welfare
Controversial animal welfare legislation was given the green light in California on 4 November at the same time that Barack Obama was voted into office as the President of the USA, writes ThePoultrySite Senior Editor, Chris Harris.

Solving Tail-Biting Problems
From Pork Information Gateway. Todd See gives an overview of the environmental, management and nutritional causes of tail-biting.

Defining Sow Productivity: Breeding Issues
This article is a transcript of a teleconference between five pig veterinary specialists organised by Alpharma. The topics covered include seasonal infertility, reducing sow mortality, gilt acclimation, segregation of parity 1 sows, better birth and weaning...

UK Pig Meat Market Update - November 2008
UK pig meat market prices have been steadier since August, according to the latest report from AHDB Meat Services for the British Pig Executive, produced by Tony Fowler, Senior Economic Analyst.

Handling and Restraining Pigs
All stockmen that handle and restrain pigs should be shown the correct techniques relevant for the size/age of the pig. Correct handling and restraining a pig will reduce the risk of injury and stress to both the pig and stockman. This article from...

Defining Sow Productivity: Diseases Contributing to Poor Productivity and Profits
This article is a transcript of a teleconference between five pig veterinary specialists organised by Alpharma. The topics covered include PRRSV and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae; Clostridium perfringens type A; and circovirus (PCV2)-associated...

Focus on Feed Conversion
One of the top pork producers in the US has found a new way to meet the challenge of rising feed prices. In his paper at the 2008 Australian Pan-Pacific Pork Expo, Dr Dean Boyd of The Hanor Family of Companies shows how removing some pigs from the pen...

Practical Ideas to Address High Feed and Production Costs
Pork producers are facing a period of rapidly increasing feed and production costs. The following management tips and resources have been compiled by the Pork Checkoff to assist producers in identifying opportunities to increase efficiencies and reduce...

UK/EU Pig Statistics - October 2008
This article provides an overview of the latest statistics relating to pigs in the UK and Europe and includes Slaughter figures, Carcase weights, Pigmeat production, trade and supplies and UK and EU Prices and value of pigs. Extracted from the quarterly...

Canadian Hog Statistics - Third Quarter 2008
By Statistics Canada. On 1 October, there were 12.8 million (11 per cent) fewer pigs on farms, and 8 per cent fewer sows than one year ago.

Processing Piglets Properly
Improving well-being during piglet processing: time is what matters most, writes Ed Pajor for Pork Information Gateway.

Managing Respiratory Disease
Respiratory disease in grow-finish pigs is more challenging than ever, but good management strategies can minimize the effects. By Paul Yeske, veterinarian with the Swine Vet Center in St. Peter, Minnesota

Torque Teno Virus in Pigs - a Review
Torque Teno Virus (TTV) was first mentioned in the scientific literature in 1997 and for several years, it was thought not to cause any disease. Early work focussed on its occurrence and prevalence, writes Jackie Linden in a review for ThePigSite. However,...

Beware of Lazy Reporting on Antibiotics
Veterinarian David Burch (BVetMed, MRCVS) demonstrates that cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones from animal production have played a negligible role in the development of antibiotic resistance in human pathogens.

Take Precautions Against Dust
A timely warning is given by Jaydee Smith (Swine Production Systems Program Lead, Ontario Minsitry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, OMAFRA) about dust build-up in pig houses when ventilation is reduced to conserve heat in the cooler months. Workers...

Thinking About Genetic Costs?
Production costs for three commercial breeding strategies are compared by Ronald O. Bates, State Swine Specialist at Michigan State University and published in MSU Pork Quarterly (volume 13, number 2)

Infectious Encephalomyelitis in Post-Weaned Pigs
In its quarterly report covering the period April to June 2008, the UK's Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) reports its investigation into an unusual case of infectious encephalomyelitis, which involved the death of 30 weaned pigs. No definitive aetiology...