Challenging times demand an efficient production strategy

“Trouw Nutrition is launching a new feeding strategy for piglets. The programme focuses on helping producers gain more control of production costs and feed efficiency by reducing elements of inefficiency and improving the economics of production.”

Swine producers face new stresses and persisting global challenges in 2021. Diseases, including COVID-19 and African swine fever, are altering market patterns. Meanwhile, incoming regulations bring additional changes to production practices. Combined, these elements call attention to the economics of swine production and highlight the need for improved efficiency to protect tightening margins.

In response to these production stressors, Trouw Nutrition is launching a new feeding strategy for piglets. The programme focuses on helping producers gain more control of production costs and feed efficiency by reducing elements of inefficiency and improving the economics of production.

How much of an improvement in piglet production can be achieved through better efficiency? Overall, the Milkiwean Efficient Start programme is demonstrating an up to 11.2% reduction in the feed cost per piglet by supporting key foundational elements of piglet development such as digestion and gut barrier function. Precisely formulating feed to address the environmental and physiological challenges piglets experience post-weaning helps maximize intake and supports intestinal maturation for post-weaning weight gain.

SNAPSHOT OF CHALLENGES FROM ASF AND COVID-19
Swine producers globally face the continuing specter of ASF, even as some seek to recover from the disease. In areas where outbreaks have occurred, producers have been struggling to restart operations and rebuild herds following pig culls – in Vietnam, the OIE reports 6m or about 20% of the swine population was destroyed, while in China about 50% of the national herd was killed in 2019 and swine numbers continued to fall in 2020 by 10-15%.1

An assessment done by the Natural Resources Institute in Finland examined changes to national inventories, swine production and exports in several EU countries that experienced ASF cases.2 The analysis found that the presence of the disease reduced exports and production quantity while shrinking the national pig inventory by 3-4% the year of the outbreak and the following year. These results come as the Swine Health Information Center’s Swine Disease Global Surveillance report highlights new cases in countries including China, India, Germany and South Africa, with new strains of the disease also appearing in China.3 Ongoing outbreaks and new pig culls also have been reported in Hong Kong since the beginning of the year.

In addition to ASF, producers also have faced disruptions and tensions in global supply chains related to COVID-19. In the U.S., swine producers are among those expected to see a rapid rise in cost inflation for feed, according to a recent CoBank market analysis report.4 China’s rebuilding efforts have prompted an uptick in feed ingredient purchases, which are shrinking available supplies and increasing prices. This price change follows a challenging 2020, when average producer margins moved negatively following the pandemic-related stop in foodservice demand. Going forward, it is anticipated that, in the very least, U.S. swine producers will face several stressors, according to CoBank’s analysis. One suggestion for producers is to assess production practices and improve operational efficiency.

PROVIDING AN EFFICIENT START
Improving the efficiency of swine production starts with reducing the costs associated with raising piglets through the stresses of weaning, which can trigger diarrhea, performance loss and mortality. Supporting early development helps set up piglets for efficient, long-term growth as animal quality at 10 weeks may determine lifetime performance.

Streamlining piglet production highlights the need for a multipronged approach to support animal growth, such as improving digestion and nutritional uptake along with limiting nutritional waste. Trouw Nutrition’s Milkiwean Efficient Start programme begins with an alternative liquid feed created to boost pre-weaning development and early efficiency while reducing reliance on costly, labor-intensive practices.

Production-focused efficiency practices also focus on refining how diets are formulated to provide precise nutrition. Changing how diets are created provides producers a way to improve feed efficiency through tailoring specific ingredients to the animal’s needs. As it shifts the focus of feed formulation from animal performance to meeting the specific nutritional needs of the animal, Kinetio technology informs precise estimates and amounts of nutritional elements to include in the diet.Along with establishing a path to improved efficiency through diet reformulation, producers can see improved feed cost control by making better use of diet ingredients like lactose and gross energy. A richer understanding of how lactose influences piglet health and development informs a tailored approach to efficiently deliver the benefits of lactose in the diet. Similarly, refining comprehension of gross-to-net energy conversion is necessary to establish the appropriate feed formulation while reducing the loss of gross energy through suboptimal digestive capacity and nutrient excretion.

METANALYSIS SHOWS GAINS IN EFFICIENCY
A metanalysis compared results from piglets raised using the Milkiwean Efficient Start system with animals raised using nine competing piglet feeding programmes. The project assessed more than 270,000 piglets through six trials and tracked animals for an average 42 days post-weaning. The feeding trials also examined six different swine genotypes. The analysis demonstrated that the system could help producers raise heavier animals at a lower cost.

Specifically, piglets from the Milkiwean Efficient Start programme saw an additional 24g in higher daily weight gain and an additional 1kg in body weight 42 days post-weaning. Mortality in the group fell 0.78%. Although average daily feed intake was similar for piglets on several diets, feed efficiency for those on the new programme improved by about 4.5% compared to results from competing systems.

Cost-related changes included:
* 0.06€ lower cost/kg gain (-10,7%, P < 0,001)
* 0.88€ lower corrected feed cost to 20kg (-10,0%, P < 0,001)
* 1.08€ lower overall piglet cost to 20kg (-11,2%, P < 0,001)
* Absolute difference to competitors shown, relative difference to competitors shown between parentheses.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Swine producers face multiple challenges threatening health, performance and production efficiency. Data shows that implementing a multipronged approach to improving piglet performance by supporting gut development, nutrient digestion and efficient energy conversion can support producers in improving the efficiency of their operations. Such changes also can help producers to improve their profitability by reduced cost per kilogram gained, lower corrected feed costs and see a drop in overall piglet production costs during early life.

References:
1. Berthe, F. (2020). The global economic impact of ASF. Bulletin: Panorama. http://dx.doi.org/10.20506/bull.2020.1.3119.
2. Niemi, Jarkko. (2020). Impacts of African Swine Fever on Pigmeat Markets in Europe. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 7(634), doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00634.
3. Perez, S., Brihn, A. and Perez, A. (2021). Swine Disease Global Surveillance Report. University of Minnesota: Swine Health Information Center. Retrieved from: https://www.swinehealth.org.
4. Sawyer, W. (2020, November). U.S. Pork Export Outlook: How to Save Our Own Bacon as China Rebuilds. Retrieved from: https://www.cobank.com and Sawyer, W. (2020, December). Surging Feed Prices to Test U.S. Animal Protein’s Recovery. Retrieved from: https://www.cobank.com.