“Nutrition for sustainable and efficient production of fattening pigs.” This lengthy tagline was coined to describe the theme of the EMEA Swine Days, held in Berlin, Germany, in late May. But it only conveys half the message of the organising company, DSM-Firmenich: in a time of rapid development, nutrition and health seem to go hand in hand.
The pig farming industry seems to be gradually waking up to a new reality. In the past, any company meeting tended to offer a comfortable sense of structure: feeding was the domain of nutritional experts, health the prerogative of veterinary speakers. Perhaps things only got a little muddier when a topic like “gut health” was on the agenda. But at Anno 2024, fields like microbiology, epigenetics and artificial intelligence are on the rise. Now nutritionists, veterinarians and maybe even geneticists are beginning to realize that their fields are not only intertwined, but in fact intimately linked, if not all the same.
Take the field of vaccination as an example. Pig vaccines obviously help prevent disease, but for the vaccine to work the pig’s immune system needs to be engaged. This doesn’t happen naturally and requires some of the animal’s energy resources that, if used by the immune system, cannot be used for growth. Because pigs are usually vaccinated with multiple vaccines, it is sometimes overlooked that pigs require nutritional resources beyond those needed for growth and maintenance.
Experts discussed this topic extensively, as well as the more “general” interrelationships of different feed ingredients such as phosphorus, calcium and vitamins, at the EMEA Swine Days, organised by DSM-Firmenich in Berlin, Germany, from 21 to 23 May. The company organises various regional editions of its fattening pig event throughout the year, and also holds gatherings in Malaysia (in April) and the USA (later this year). 105 pig experts from 26 countries listened to 20 key opinion leaders in Berlin, which of course included nutritionists, veterinarians and geneticists.
Finisher pig performance
After the roundtable discussion, Lisa Le ClercThe economic design engineer at the French Pork and Pig Association (IFIP) began his session by highlighting how major European countries are performing when it comes to pig fattening. He mentioned the achievements of Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.
She spoke about the changes in welfare and environmental legislation that await the European Union pig industry. Perhaps they will not all affect fattening pig production directly, but they will have an impact on the competitiveness and export status of pig production on the continent, she said. Furthermore, she added that there are various national programs in Europe aimed at reducing meat consumption.
She also brought good news for the European pig fattening industry. After all, the main cost of producing fattening pigs is feed. In 2023, average compound feed prices fell significantly in most European countries, from -2% in France to -17% in Germany. Moreover, pig prices were expected to increase in 2023, often by percentages exceeding 20%.
Reconsidering nutrient distribution
Dr. Maria WalshGlobal Marketing Head for Swine at DSM-Firmenich, gave an insightful presentation and nicely summarised the company’s key messages. Her main talk was on nutrition for fattening pigs. She pointed out that pigs can use the available nutrients for three different purposes:
- Muscle growth;
- Ensuring immune function
- Maintains bone health.
In her view, these three goals are in a constant battle with available nutritional resources. Dr. Walsh looked to the future by illustrating it with a pie chart with all three elements in place. She touched on the fact that, due to genetic advances, the pigs of the future will not be the same species as the animals of the past.
Therefore, future pigs will likely be able to gain more muscle mass due to their lower feed conversion, a trend that will be further strengthened by the trend towards castration, which will lead to male pigs growing leaner. Furthermore, with the increased focus on vaccination and prevention in animal health, it is clear that there will be relatively less available for “bone”, as future demand for the “immune” portion will also increase. “Pigs have to do more with less, so where is the compromise?” she wondered.
Pre- and post-absorption efficiency
She also pointed out another difference between the past and the future: between attempts to increase “pre-absorptive efficiency” (the past) and “post-absorptive efficiency” (the present and future goal). In layman’s terms, in the past, research efforts were focused on getting animals to absorb nutrients in their blood. In the future, with the help of ever-developing technology, there should be more emphasis on what animals actually do with those nutrients. After all, if an animal absorbs nutrients but cannot utilize them, they may end up being excreted in the environment. With emissions coming into increased focus in Europe, precision and efficiency are concepts to aim for.
In this context, she and five other speakers pointed out the benefits of using the company’s existing products Hy-D (a vitamin D3 metabolite) and MaxiFicient Boost GF (a combination of Hy-D and triterpenoids – a complex that supports lean body growth).
Learn more about bones
A variety of independent speakers came to Berlin to delve deeper into the three aforementioned areas. One of the most interesting and enlightening speakers was: Dr. Agnes NarcyA senior scientist at the French National Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research (INRAE), she introduced the functions of bone (mechanical – movement), metabolism (calcium phosphate storage) and hematopoiesis (bone marrow).
She explained in a clear way how knowledge has increased over the years, from knowledge of bone macrostructure to smaller elements of bone at the level of sub-nanostructure. We also learned that tissues are constantly regenerating and bone remodeling cycles are occurring throughout the pig’s life. She pointed out the fact that whether the animal is receiving the right amount of nutrients depends on the composition of the diet, pointing out the required levels of phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca) and vitamin D. Also, even if pigs are nutritionally deficient for a while, bone structure and strength can be restored.
Increase your knowledge about everything
Dr. Luis RomeroThe founder and general manager of Biofractal, Portugal, gave us a glimpse into the infinite possibilities of precision knowledge. He spoke of the “black box of performance”. Today, it often includes elements such as nutrition, health, production and management, and finally, the performance result. But that’s right What happens inside an animal’s body is usually difficult to measure, so his presentation revolved around using genetic information and artificial intelligence to diagnose animal performance, opening the door to ultra-detailed data at the microscopic level.
His company uses mRNA technology, a vehicle for gene expression, to capture precision data that ultimately provides insight into what affects what and how the process can be improved. “We have the largest livestock gene expression database in the world,” he said. To illustrate that, he offered insight into where specifically intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR) pigs perform differently and how they should be fed.
