Teagasc Pig Conference to Strike Upbeat Note

IRELAND - The upcoming Teagasc National Pig Farmers conference will strike an upbeat note as the pig industry worldwide is emerging into profit after the most serious crisis in the sector for several decades.
calendar icon 14 October 2008
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Against this more positive background, Andrew Knowles of the British Pig Executive will present the outlook for the global pigmeat and feed markets. The Teagasc National Pig Farmers Conference takes place at three locations, Teagasc Moorepark, Kilkenny and Cavan from 20-22 October.

At the conference pig producers will hear how the long term outlook for pigmeat consumption is good despite the present crisis in consumer confidence impacting adversely on demand for the more expensive cuts. The recent significant drop in feed ingredient prices is welcome, but the long term outlook is for feed ingredient supplies to be tight, partly due to the continuing demand for bioethanol.

Traditionally pig manure presented a waste disposal problem for pig producers but the escalating price of artificial fertiliser has increased the potential value of 1,000 gallons of pig manure from €13 in early 2007 to €35 today. Teagasc pig specialist, Ger McCutcheon will tell pig producers that manure processing is the last and most expensive option to be considered and that controlling water to minimise manure volume should be a priority.

Competing animal welfare codes from EU and Irish legislation and from retail chains create confusion for pig producers, according to Laura Boyle, Teagasc Moorepark. Slight differences in the detail of Welfare Codes can be significant, affecting whether or not one is entitled to bonuses on the sale of pigs.

At the upcoming conference Teagasc Pig Specialist, Ciaran Carroll will pose the question “What ‘take home messages’ from last year were put into practice on your unit?“ Ciaran Carroll will summarise the main recommendations from 2007 and assess their impact on profitability if put into practice.

The packed conference programme includes other presentations; ‘Going for Growth Rate’ by Michael Martin; ‘The Two Tonne Sow!’ by Seamus Clarke; ‘Effective use of antibiotics’ by Michael McKeon, and ‘An overview of the Teagasc pig service’ by Brendan Lynch.

The conferences opens at the Teagasc Moorepark research centre on Monday, October 20, moves to the Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny on Tuesday, October 21 and finishes in the Cavan Crystal Hotel, Cavan on Wednesday, October 22.

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