Couple this with global warming and perhaps the day is approaching when we will see ‘cool walls’ in British piggeries, where cold water is passed over a large radiator, whilst fans at the far end draw air in through the vanes.

Where cool walls are used in Asia the atmosphere is excellent, according to Sam Walton, editor of Pig World.

“Granted the atmosphere is a lot warmer in Asia, and more humid, but with global warming a possibility and our pigs getting warmer in the summer, I do wonder if there is any future for such a system here.

“Instead of putting in more and more fans to draw in more and more hot air, maybe we could reduce the power needed by doing something similar.”

The walls are not maintenance free. The vanes clog if the water is hard, so cleaning is a monthly job. For this reason some people prefer paper cores as these can be easily replaced.

More details in the March edition of Pig World.